LJ b BB 58, Mission Bay 42

Viking forward Charlie Gal experiences

a stinging finger-pointing defense

from Buc opponents in the second

quarter. (Photo by Ed Piper, Jr.)

By Ed Piper, Jr.

La Jolla continued its strong play into the second game of the 40th Annual Hilltop Invitational, pulling away from geographic rival Mission Bay in the second half for a solid 58-42 win Sat., Dec. 3.

The Vikings, coming off a 42-point victory in their season and tournament opener the night before, ground out a first period in which neither team scored in the first three minutes and only two points were scored in the first five minutes.

La Jolla won the opening tip by leaper Reed Farley and immediately settled into Coach Paul Baranowski's set offense, with a premium on multiple passes and lots of ball movement. The Vikes had a couple of travel calls early, while Mission Bay likewise used up clock time to run its pattern offense.

With La Jolla leading 2-0, Farley broke down the lane for a slam dunk try, but the ball missed and caromed out of bounds with under four minutes on the clock in the first quarter.

After the quarter ended with the Bucs leading 7-6, the two teams seesawed back-and-forth in the second quarter, with the biggest lead a four-point edge by Mission Bay at 16-12. Lefty Jamaryee Norton hit one of his several threes for the Bucs at that point.

Baskets didn't come easy for the Vikings, as Charlie Gal and Daniel McColl helped grind underneath, often putting up multiple putbacks.

Reserve guard Jacob Ohara (4) defends

the Bucs' Andrea Scott in first half action.

The junior newcomer continues to

be effective off the bench.



Viking Garrett Brown's made free throw of two tied the score at 18-18. After Gal made a pair of free throws, Norton's acrobatic drive and bucket knotted things at 20.

The half ended with Mission Bay leading 25-22. Jacob Ohara, a junior newcomer for Baranowski, saw significant minutes and picked up right where fellow guards Farley, Quinn Rawdin, and Nick Hammel left off, with no drop-off.

In the second half, the Vikings overcame the deficit and pulled away from the Bucs, just as they had done in a preseason tournament game at Mount Miguel High last month.

Through the first two games of the season, the Vikings' crunch-time rotation appears to consist of starters Farley, Gal, Rawdin, Hammel, and McColl, with Ohara and Brown coming in off the bench. Garrett has been recovering from painful shin splints, so he may see more time in the near future.