LJ b BB 65, Parker 45

By Ed Piper

Forward Charlie Gal enjoyed the hottest shooting night of his three-year varsity career, hitting five jump shots from outside, and guard Quinn Rawdin added some spice of his own with three baskets from beyond the arc in the first half, as La Jolla romped to a 65-45 win over Francis Parker Sat., Jan. 20, in the "Battle of the Bay" showcase event at Mission Bay High.

In the four-game matchup between teams from the Western and Coastal Leagues, the Vikings took advantage of the Lancers missing two starters, moving out to a 17-9 first quarter lead, then 38-26 at the half.

"(Point guard) Behzad (Hashemi) was working, and each of the others were doing their part, too," said starter Nick Hulquist, who shot well from his sweet spot at the top of the key, canning three three-pointers of his own plus a two for a good night of 11 points.

The 6'6" Gal finished with 23 points, while Rawdin matched Hulquist with 11.

Rawdin was emblematic of the Vikings, who have been pressing in recent losses. As he hit a few shots, he relaxed and looked more confident as the game progressed, as did his teammates.
The contest became academic in the third quarter, with La Jolla moving to a 19-point lead at 45-26 early in the period. Parker just didn't have the firepower to come back, missing point guard Kemo Ferrari, a transfer from St. Augustine, whom Coach Jim Tomey chose to sit due to not being fully recovered from an injury.

Tomey said before the game that his team's four games this week were taking their toll physically on the team, and that he might "use more players" than he would otherwise. With the game being non-league, one could see the wisdom of not putting his starting point guard on the floor when he wasn't totally right.

"People have been telling me to shoot, so I did," said Rawdin, like his front-court teammate Gal a three-year veteran on the varsity. The lefty hit his first trey with three minutes left in the first quarter for a 10-3 La Jolla bulge, then hit his second two minutes later, the Vikings up now 13-5.

But it was Gal who poured gasoline on the fire in the second period. He had three baskets from beyond the arc, and a pair from two-point range as Coach Paul Baranowski's squad showed what it can do on nights when all the parts are working together.

Several scouts were in the stands. One, learning that Ferrari and Parker teammate Max Guinn, who is also injured, were not playing, expressed his disappointment. Later in the evening, many scouts would have their eye on 6'5" Derrick Carter-Hollinger of Foothills Christian in the 7:30 p.m. finale against host Mission Bay. His teammate, 6'10" Taeshon Cherry, is a recent Arizona State commit who transferred from St. Augustine and was the most touted player in the "Battle at the Bay".

The Vikings' game came in the 4:30 p.m. slot, sandwiched between a 20-point Bishop's win over Lincoln, and Cathedral Catholic-Country Day at 6 p.m. Country Day is ranked eighth in the county, Bishop's 10th, while Mission Bay is ranked number one, Foothills third.