Daniel McColl (right) pulls away as teammate
Alex Pitrofsky battles three Monarchs for
the ball in first half.
(Photos by Ed Piper)
By Ed Piper
The La Jolla Vikings went on scoring runs in the second and third quarters Wed., Dec. 23, and finally made it stick the second time to put away a struggling Monte Vista team they had beaten previously. La Jolla prevailed, 82-60, in the Grossmont Winter Classic as junior Reed Farley recorded his first triple-double in his three-year varsity career at La Jolla.
Farley joked after the Vikings' fifth game in six days in the tournament, and final game of 2015, "You can add my turnovers" to give him a quadruple-double. La Jolla (now 8-2) can afford some levity, in view of a solid showing through the pre-league schedule in December, including a 68-59 upset of seventh-ranked Grossmont the night before, and a 14-point loss to fifth-ranked Torrey Pines in a good effort earlier in the tourney.
Farley merited his triple-double by scoring 11 points, grabbing 15 rebounds, all off the defensive glass, and dishing out 13 assists. He actually fell short of his "quadruple-double", turning the ball over eight times.
The Vikings' Eddie Parker started off the fireworks in the opening quarter with his first slam dunk ever, and La Jolla jumped out to an 18-6 lead. Senior Alex Pitrofsky went back door on a set play to take a Farley pass to score. Forward Daniel McColl turned from the left block for a basket before Parker's slam. McColl came back to score on a fast break feed from Farley, and Morgan Albers, back to his vital reserve role, put in a layup.
Finally, guard Nick Hammel finished after an Albers steal before Parker and Farley, the Vikings' starting backcourt mates, scored consecutively to put LJHS up 18-6 and seemingly pulling away from the weakened Monarchs. Farley's score came on a nice drive all the way to the rim from his point position at the top of the offense.
Morgan Albers slips by Tre
Owens (10) of Monte Vista.
But Monte Vista, whom La Jolla had barely beaten, 61-58, Dec. 11 in the Hilltop tournament, had something to say in the second quarter before being putting away. Coach Mike Tully's squad, though dressing out only eight players against La Jolla, whittled the lead down to five by the end of the second quarter behind heroics by seniors Tre Owens, who scored four baskets in the quarter, and Shai Stevenson, who had three.
The Vikings played down to the Monarchs' level, with numerous turnovers as they threw caution to the wind and gave up baskets playground-style.
La Jolla obviously regrouped during halftime under Coach Paul Baranowski, because the Vikings came out focused from the start of the third quarter. Pitrofsky, who sat part of the first half, redeemed himself with a hook shot in the first minute of the quarter and scored 10 points in four minutes, 12 in the third period and La Jolla was punishing Monte Vista 63-40.
The second scoring spurt was the charm, as the Vikings played even with the Monarchs in the fourth quarter and maintained their lead while trading baskets with their opponents. Albers was a whirlwind of activity, employing his favored left-handed shots multiple times, though being a natural righty. He had four baskets, including two three-point plays while being fouled going to the hoop.
"I've always had it (the left-handed shot)," replied Albers two days before when told his lefty shots have become a noticeable feature of his game already this season.
In the crucial third quarter, the 6'6" Pitrofsky was aggressive on the offensive boards, with two putbacks among his half dozen goals and no Monarch big man to impede his movement. McColl, who had an up-and-down December after transitioning from football, made his presence known with a putback and a layup off a pass from Pitrofsky during the Vikings' run to put away Monte Vista.
La Jolla outscored its foe 28-11 during the decisive third-quarter spurt.
Parker, asked about the Vikings' loss of their lead in the second quarter, then comeback to put the game away, said, "We have to stay focused."
Pitrofsky led La Jolla scorers with 18 points, including 14 in the third period. Albers had 13, Parker 12, and McColl 10.
The Monarchs' Owens led all scorers with 28, including four three-pointers.
Vikes' Nick Hammel scores
off Albers' steal in first
quarter for 14-6 lead.
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