LJ freshman b BB 43, St. Augustine 45

Emiliano Godinez drives the lane with

reckless abandon in the first quarter.

(Photo by Ed Piper)

By Ed Piper

They slash.

They drive.

The highly entertaining La Jolla freshman boys basketball team dropped a heartbreaker, 45-43, to St. Augustine in the championship game of the Western League playoffs on Presidents Day, Mon., Feb. 15, at University City High.

But the Vikings (18-2) didn't do it without showing the dazzle, the brashness, the rawness and the polish that they have shown all season in a three-month-long tear through opponents under Coach Huseyin Demiral's leadership.

Point guard Gabe Solis had 13 points, while 6'5" or taller center Nathaniel Gates added 11. Jake Armenta of St. Augustine led all scorers with 16.

The two talented teams of future varsity stars--"This is the future," said one LJHS coach of his lineup--were never separated by more than five points, with the Saints leading 36-31 early in the fourth quarter.

Neither team outscored the other during any of the four quarters by more than one point, other than in the first quarter, a 10-6 advantage to the eventual winners.

The close-fought contest was tied six times, and the lead changed hands 12 times.

Statistically, where La Jolla lost the game was in giving up 18 offensive rebounds to the Saints while grabbing only nine themselves. LJHS out-shot St. Augustine, 45 percent to 36 percent. The Vikings were 18 of 40 from the field, the Saints 17 of 47.

The Vikings, scrapping with the 5'7" Solis bringing the ball up court against pressure and surviving foul trouble by forward Nick Hulquist, battled back from that five-point deficit with six minutes left in the game to lead 40-36 at 2:39. It looked like La Jolla would take home the crown.

But it was not to be, as the Saints' Jared Stearns hit a three from the top of the key to tie, 43-43, with 37.5 seconds left, then Aristotle Douglas, who hounded Solis all night on defense, sank one free throw and Cavanagh another to finish the game.

During La Jolla's late race to a four-point lead, Gates scored on a putback under physical defense from Stearns, and Solis drove to score on a layup to tie 36-36 at 4:03.

Hulquist, reinserted by Demiral after having to sit out with fouls, took a steal to the basket. St. Augustine coach A.J. Manalo called a timeout.

Gabe put in a spectacular left-handed shot under the basket off a fine pass to him down low. The Vikings led, 40-36. But their luck crested, eclipsed by some missed shots and some turnovers in the closing two minutes.

In the second half, La Jolla was an efficient 9 for 15 from the field shooting, after 9 for 25 in the first half.

St. Augustine went from a good 10 of 23 in the first half to a dismal 7 of 24 in the second half. But part of that was due to the Saints' aggressive offensive rebounding, offering them multiple shots at the basket.