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| The Vikings break their pregame huddle on the floor before their final game in the Grossmont tourney. (Photo by Ed Piper) |
La Jolla was able to exploit Rancho Bernardo's vulnerabilities, as guard Jacob Ohara repeatedly got behind the defense for transition baskets to enable the Vikings to snap a five-game losing skein with a 45-40 victory in the final game of the two-week Grossmont Winter Classic Sat., Dec. 23 on their home court.
Point guard Behzad Hashemi's quickness enabled La Jolla to handle the Broncos' press, and Coach Paul Baranowski started reserve forward Evan Brown in a shakeup of what had become a set lineup over the Vikings' first 11 games.
That meant Quinn Rawdin came in off the bench. He and fellow sub Langston Aron provided a supercharge that reinforced an urgency La Jolla played with to end the painful losing streak. Baranowski only used one other sub, Jacob Duffy, sparingly as he stayed with his core six the rest of the game.
Ohara, a 6'1" senior, slipped behind the defense for baskets in transition in the first quarter for Viking leads of 11-8 and 15-8. The threat he presented forced RB to be on the alert. He persisted in attacking the basket despite having two shots blocked and one tipped in the period.
In the second quarter, as La Jolla was building a 16-point lead, the swift guard slashed through the Bronco defense in the Vikings' half-court offense for a bucket at 19-10. Eventually, the hosts led by nine at halftime.
Meanwhile, his backcourt mate, Hashemi, who with Ohara and big man Charlie Gal played the entire game, was adding his own dimensions of contributions. Besides captaining the offense, he hit two shots in the first quarter, including an and-one on a cutting drive in the set offense.
Behzad's three-pointer from the right baseline early in the second period came during the Vikings' push toward their 16-point lead. Another three in the third quarter put La Jolla up, 33-19.
The speed in the backcourt and the power embodied in the front court in the tandem of Gal with Brown contributed toward Rancho Bernardo's disarray at both ends of the floor.
"Ev" continued to do the little things that pay off. Late in the second period, he tipped a Bronco pass near the basket out of bounds with good anticipation and effort to move there. A short time earlier, his block stymied an RB shot attempt.
In the third quarter, he took a feed from Ohara in the set offense to lay the ball in, La Jolla leading 30-19.
But it was in Hashemi's hands, as he matures into a leadership role, that the win became secure. Not having enjoyed a moment of rest throughout the game, he fell heavily on his left knee as he struggled against defenders in the RB full-court press with 1:22 left.
Baranowski quickly called a timeout. Behzad got up favoring his repaired knee, which underwent meniscus surgery but which he says now has a new unrelated issue. What was impressive was the fact he kept dribbling even while he fell to the floor, Globetrotter-style.
He returned to the court not showing any ill effects. Shortly, with Rancho Bernardo down only by five, 43-38, Hashemi hit both ends of a one-and-one with 24.6 seconds left--after missing the front end of another one-and-one. The Vikings led, 45-38, and they were able to survive a late Bronco effort.
Hashemi led La Jolla with 15 points. Ohara had 14. Gal added 10.
The team (6-6) now takes its annual respite over the holidays until Western League play starts with the opening game at Lincoln Wed., Jan. 3, at 5 p.m.
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