LJ b BB 49, Lincoln 61

Morgan Albers (left) battles Saints' Taeshon Cherry

for a loose ball in the first quarter. (Photo by Ed Piper)

By Ed Piper

What is the soul of this team?

La Jolla's boys basketball team faced an existential question early in its faceoff against visiting second-ranked St. Augustine Tues., Jan. 19. Quickly down 19-4 and the game rapidly getting out of hand, should the Vikings fight or just throw up their hands?

Though Coach Paul Baranowski's team eventually lost the Western League game, 61-49, the Vikings had to decide how they were going to deal with this latest encounter with a highly-ranked team.

La Jolla faced the same challenge in December against Torrey Pines and Grossmont, ranked fifth and seventh, respectively, at the time. Those games ended up being major building points for the program, as LJHS gave the Falcons a good fight while losing, and upset the Foothillers in the high point of the season to this point--in Grossmont's own tournament in Grossmont's own gym.

With the Saints Tuesday, the Vikings walked into their own gym knowing 6'6" center Alex Pitrofsky, a force in the middle, was out sick and resting at home. That added to the mountain they would have to climb.

Everyone else was present and accounted for, and in good health. La Jolla had to deal with a bigger and more talented opponent: Taeshon Cherry, St. Augustine's touted sophomore, is 6'8" and athletic. Captain Martin Tombe, who plays forward, stands 6'5" but plays bigger. Josue Lara, at wing, likewise measures 6'5".

Baranowski started 6'2" Daniel McColl and 6'5" Charlie Gal and three guards in response. Against the taller trees inside, La Jolla went down 11-3 in the first quarter, then 19-4. By the start of the second quarter, the Vikings already trailed 27-7 and Saints coach Mike Haupt was putting in subs and pulling most of his starters.

But in the second half, despite a halftime deficit of 36-12, the home squad decided they weren't throwing in the towel. Before a sparse mid-week student cheering section, the Vikings actually raised the question of whether they could come back when, midway through the third quarter, point guard Reed Farley led a comeback to whittle the lead to 15 points.

Farley's two free throws tightened the score to 38-23. McColl's bucket inside before that, and Gal's basket just before that, helped La Jolla scratch back.

The final period started 51-28. But with sophomore lefty Quinn Rawdin hitting a layup and a three-pointer, and reserve forward Morgan Albers scoring two baskets and two free throws, La Jolla closed the gap to 12 points by the final buzzer.

The Vikings showed by their persistence, despite playing ugly, that they weren't going to give up the ghost.

It was like the scene in the movie "Unbroken" when "the Bird", the sadistic Japanese prison camp official, tells Louis Zamperini to "stay down" when he knocks him down. But Zamperini has no quit in him. He keeps getting up.

To show how low La Jolla could have gone--and stayed--University City was pommeled by the Saints, 82-25, just a week ago.

Haupt made an interesting move. Despite his team's dwindling lead employing all reserves, he decided he wasn't going to reinsert any of his key starters. The Saints' lead was at its peak at 25 points, just before the fourth quarter started. Steadily, La Jolla chipped away throughout the final stanza, out-scoring the visitors 21-10.

It was a training exercise for Haupt's troops. Cherry, Tombe, and star guard Eric Monroe all sat out the latter part of the game. Meanwhile, St. Augustine's subs could get an opportunity to maintain the lead in preparation for future contests, including the CIF playoffs beginning in later February.

Rawdin led all scorers with 14 points. Eddie Parker was the only other player in double figures with 11. Monroe and Tariq Thompson had 9 each for the Saints.