Ladd Castellano was in a zone in the early going
against the talented Saints. (Photo by Ed Piper)
La Jolla fans would have liked it differently, but St. Augustine's boys basketball team, ranked number five by MaxPreps in San Diego, was as good as advertised. After a initial threat, when the Vikes overcame a 9-0 lead to go ahead 17-15, the Saints sent in swarm-after-swarm in their 10-player rotation and mercilessly routed the hosts, 82-49, Tues., Jan. 13.
The Saints, under long-time and respected Coach Mike Haupt, played four sophomores and a junior in one of their core line-ups, which is pretty scary considering their youth and the prospect that "they are just beginning to jell," as one observer put it.
La Jolla was coming off a heartening win over Lincoln on Lincoln's home court Fri., Jan. 9. You might have thought that that would be a confidence-builder that could take Coach Paul Baranowski's crew to the next rung. Instead, maybe the Vikings got up too much for the Hornets and either let down from that high or didn't have enough left in the tank to face the storming Saints. LJHS had also played a thriller to beat Scripps Ranch Tues., Jan. 6, so maybe it was too much to ask of them to keep a fine edge for St. Augustine.
Guard Ladd Castellano was a force determined through the first 12 minutes, and it made a difference for the first eight. LJHS went ahead by two with 32 seconds remaining in the first quarter on the senior's jumper from the right elbow to wipe out the 9-0 lead the Saints took in the initial minutes.
Earlier, the 6'2" guard nailed a beautiful three to bring the Vikings within three, 13-10. Then straight away he sank another one from the opposite side of three-point range, putting La Jolla close at 15-13.
Starting the second quarter, Ladd gave more of the same: a field goal, then another on a driving basket. He had said after the win over Scripps Ranch a week earlier, "Attacking the basket gets my outside shooting going. I work inside to outside." He was being effective, yet after the driving basket his team still trailed 24-21 and they were done for, as it turned out.
The Saints didn't tolerate any more playing around, and they certainly weren't going to allow even a moral victory by their opponents on this evening. Haupt kept the throttle on, and there was no let-up as St. Augustine outscored the Vikings 33-12 following La Jolla's brief lead late in the opening stanza.
Viking cheerleaders strike poses in their first
game appearance since football in November.
It was their first basketball game under new
advisor Mia Kelley. (Photo by Ed Piper)
Early in the third quarter, following a 16-point halftime lead, St. Augustine led by 22, 51-29, and things only deteriorated from there for the red and black.
Mark Rawdin had a block early in the second quarter. He followed a miss to score a bit later. He willingly tangled with the young and talented St. Augustine big men.
But Haupt had thoroughly studied game film, as his guards never left La Jolla's Reed Farley alone, one of Lincoln's mistakes. Reed couldn't really get started offensively, and he had plenty on his hands handling the ball and moving the offense against the Saints' enveloping defense. He blocked a shot in the third quarter right in front of the backboard.
A bright spot was the insertion of Grant Miller into the game in the fourth quarter, after a month-plus recovery from a concussion sustained in football.
Another was the appearance of the Viking cheer squad for the first time under newly-named advisor Mia Kelley. The cheerleaders performed a solid halftime routine before the crowd made up of good-sized contingents from both schools.
The Western League is shaping up as a pretty tough league, even with the Vikings looking stronger this year. St. Augustine has beaten Mission Bay, which has some notable talent, as well as Cathedral Catholic. The La Jollans are going to have to have their heads screwed on right when they face both those teams.
Copyright 2015 Ed Piper
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