LJ b BB 40, Lincoln 39

A dedicated remnant support the Vikings
at the weekday late afternoon game.
(Photos by Ed Piper)

By Ed Piper

La Jolla erased an eight-point Lincoln lead in the last four minutes and took a much-needed Western League victory, 40-39, on freshman Diego Solis' free throw with 3.3 seconds left Tues., Jan. 30 at home.

Solis' decisive free throw, the second after he missed the first of a two-shot double bonus, was set up by teammate Jacob Ohara's rare three-pointer from the right base line to tie the game at 39-all with 37.4 seconds left.

Lincoln's Rayquan Everett, who made the Vikings pay in a 10-point loss in the two teams' previous meeting at Lincoln, missed an attempt from behind the arc with 5.1 seconds left, enabling La Jolla to grab the rebound and cause the Hornets to foul Solis as he headed upcourt.

"It was very nerve-wracking, but then again, it's always fun to have the game on the line," said Solis of his free throws. "I was luckily enough able to make the second one."

The Vikings (now 3-5 in league, 10-11 overall) trailed Lincoln through the final three quarters, having led only in the opening minutes of the game. Suffering a disappointing loss at Patrick Henry, another middle-of-the-pack team, in their last game Jan. 26, they sorely wanted also to avenge the earlier loss in the Hornets' gym, when they were without the services of point guard Behzad Hashemi for the first half.

The LJ cheerleaders do their stunting
between quarters.

But Everett was prevented from playing a dominant role, as he had in the previous matchup. And Ohara burned Lincoln repeatedly on quick, transition layups ahead of the defense, much to the chagrin of Hornets coach Jeff Harper Harris, who voiced his displeasure to his guards loudly.

The senior guard led all scorers with 18 points.

Of his three-pointer with 37.4 on the clock to bring the Vikings into a tie for the first time since the end of the first quarter, Ohara said, "We were down three, so I thought we needed something quick and I was pretty open there, so I went for it."

Lincoln, as a result of the loss, falls to a lowly 2-6 in the tough Western League, which has not afforded either team any gratuitous wins. The Hornets are now 10-9 overall.

The battle between teams coming in 2-5 was a low-scoring affair, with the halftime score only 17-15 in favor of the visitors. Ohara slipped in for four baskets in the initial half, scoring at least a pair of shots in every quarter but the second.

Getting the win "was really nice," averred Ohara, "especially after Patrick Henry."

Looking ahead to a return game against St. Augustine Fri., Feb. 2, Jacob said, "It's a home game, so hopefully it'll be different from last time" (when La Jolla lost decisively).