By Ed Piper
La Jolla, in its league-opening 68-40 loss to Cathedral Jan. 5, did enjoy an early run that saw the Vikings come within three points, 22-19, early in the second quarter.
The visitors, who had been tied with the much-taller Dons at 7-7 and 11-11 in the opening period, fought back from their 18-11 deficit that ended the first quarter.
Senior guard Eddie Parker started the second quarter by stripping Cathedral's seven-footer, Brandon McCoy, of the ball and taking it the length of the court to score on a hard-driving backhand layup.
After McCoy slammed the ball home in retaliation the next time down the floor, Reed Farley hit his first three-pointer at 6:30 on the clock. La Jolla trailed, 20-16.
After Farley fell short with a little tear drop shot coming down the lane, and the Dons' Austin Beech dunked another basket, Farley, the Vikings' junior point guard, hit another three at 4:25. Advantage Cathedral, but only 22-19.
Coach Paul Baranowski's troops held in there a while longer, on a day of torrential rains to introduce the El Nino storms. After Cathedral's Kyle Kappes scored from beyond the arc, Charlie Gal, subbed in for Alex Pitrofsky at center, pivoted from the left block and scored over McCoy by laying the ball up on the right side of the basket. It was 25-21.
After another home three-pointer, Gal, at 6'5" seven inches shorter than the long McCoy, put his head down and backed in for another hoop. His free throw after being fouled made the score 28-24.
That was the high point for the Vikings, unfortunately, as things unraveled from there and Cathedral went on a 12-point binge to end the quarter, and, it turned out, the visitors' hopes for the night. They never closed the gap to less than 16 points in the second half.
Cathedral's student cheering section, positioned right next to the north basket, chanted way back when the Dons made the first basket of the evening for a 2-0 lead and Baranowski called time out, "It's all over, it's all over."
It didn't look that way at that point. And La Jolla wasn't ready to fold the tents, going on to the 22-19 and 28-24 efforts.
But the will of the red and black did wither in the storms, and Cathedral took its first home game and opening Western League game by a decisive margin.
In the 12-0 run to end the first half, Kappes scored again and completed the three-point play with a free throw. After Parker stole the ball but the Vikings couldn't capitalize, Beech slammed a putback in. Captain Reid Johnson canned a three. McCoy backed in for a jump hook.
Finally, Beech followed a miss to put a final basket in as the halftime buzzer sounded. The Dons were riding high.
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