Charlie Gal (34) battles for the ball in the first
quarter against Eastlake Friday.
(Photos by Ed Piper)
After leading by 10 at halftime and building up a 14-point lead in the third quarter, La Jolla was tested by Eastlake in the fourth quarter and the Vikings needed to respond.
Eddie Parker, as he did in Tuesday's opener, showed a whole new level of performance as he and Reed Farley led the charge and preserved La Jolla's win, 64-51, Fri., Dec. 4, in their second game of the Hilltop Basketball Tournament.
Parker, a 6'2" senior, scored 17 points in repeatedly taking the ball directly to the basket against the Titans' persistent pressure.
With the Vikings' lead sinking to 43-39 with 6:30 left in the fourth quarter, Parker scored on a drive down the lane and made a free throw to complete a three-point play.
A short time later, after forward Daniel McColl scored from the low post, Eddie drove on the baseline from the right corner against Eastlake's zone defense to put in a basket for a 50-41 lead.
Following a repeat by McColl down low, Parker again drove, netted a bucket on a beautiful move, and hit a free throw as La Jolla pulled away, 55-41.
Farley, the 6'4" junior, shared scoring honors with 17 points and provided a lot of the fire La Jolla needs to play its best.
Daniel McColl (24) calls for the ball
down low in fourth quarter.
McColl, a newcomer playing only his second varsity game since transitioning from the Vikings football team, scored seven points in a cameo role. He fouled out with minutes left.
Six players scored for LJHS. The Vikings made just 10 of 19 free throws, an area they could tighten up.
Said Parker of his growing self-assurance: "It's just one more year of experience and having that confidence. Trusting my shot."
On Wednesday, Eastlake defeated Helix, a team that La Jolla beat by 25 in the season opener, 66-43. So it looked to be a competitive game Friday.
With the toughness La Jolla showed after losing most of a lead against a good Eastlake team, Friday's performance was one that could be replicated. The Vikings have more than one weapon, and Coach Paul Baranowski's rotation of seven or eight is fairly solid.
McColl, talking about his two key baskets from the low post, said, "The referee asked me if I was a football player, the way I was using my body." McColl, after playing few minutes in the opener at Petco and looking rusty, more resembled the Daniel of summer league in the closing quarter against Eastlake.
Starting the second quarter, Farley was called for a technical foul after he scored a driving basket and said something about contact by his defender. It seemed unusually tight in making a call for one minor complaint. The two referees working the game were veteran officials.
But the fire Reed showed followed his own words to his teammates in the pregame huddle: "Let's start fast." La Jolla did start fast, with Parker scoring twice against the press. But the Titans' early full-court pressure gave them a 13-7 lead, whittled to 13-11 at the end of the first quarter.
The Vikings erected a 29-19 lead at halftime on five baskets in the quarter by Farley.
Said Baranowski as he walked away from the Hilltop gym, "It was ugly...scrappy...tough." He complimented several players, including Parker, Farley, Morgan Albers, and Nick Hammel. "Daniel McColl--he just pushes his big body in down there and scores."
McColl has a nice move from the left block in which he backs in, pivots to his left into the lane and hook the ball in over his defender.
La Jolla (2-0) faces Canyon Crest in the third game of the tournament at 4:30 p.m. Sat., Dec. 5. The Vikings' win over Helix Tuesday at Petco Park counted as a tournament game.
Copyright 2015 Ed Piper
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