LJ b BB: Redux

By Ed Piper

La Jolla's upset of a taller Cathedral Catholic team Jan. 9 at home came just in time to provide the Vikings relief.

The 54-47 win, coming after Behzad Hashemi, Jacob Ohara, and crew held on to a surprising lead that peaked at 13 points in the second quarter and withered to a mere five at midway through the third quarter, was the Vikings' best game against a highly talented opponent this season.

In an early contest against a big, physical Helix team during the Hilltop Invitational in early December, La Jolla wilted and lost by 22 points.

The only comparable effort under duress would seem to be the Vikes' 59-48 win over Otay Ranch Dec. 8 to take the Hilltop championship.

"We all just played our game and rebounded well," said forward Evan Brown, who has shown increasing leaping ability over the last several games, of the most recent win. Brown, at 6'2", is battling players much taller than himself--including the Dons' two 6'7" towers, both freshmen--and, obviously, gaining more and more confidence as he garners more varsity playing experience. It's enjoyable to watch as a basketball enthusiast.


The La Jolla players really seemed to have dead legs and to be out of sorts, with Hashemi forced to sit the first two and a half quarters, in a loss at Lincoln Jan. 3. A loss two days later, another hard pill to swallow since it was to a beatable opponent in the Western League, Patrick Henry, which just out-played the Vikings, was another sign that the 10-day winter layoff took its toll.

An area for needed improvement continues to be ball protection during crunch time. Coach Paul Baranowski yelled to his troops in frustration, "Take care of the ball!" as his players were forced into repeated turnovers by the Cathedral press. Quinn Rawdin hit his only three-pointer of the game for a 50-39 lead with 4:08 left. But then the Dons fought back to within six points, 53-47, and looked like they might pull the game out with 1:15 remaining.

It was a scary time.

Acknowledged Rawdin, a senior guard called on to help handle the ball against the press, "We started to fall towards the end, but because of our good start and consistency throughout the game, we held them."

In other words, the earlier lead is what helped La Jolla survive their carelessness at the end.

Added Rawdin, "The solution is, don't be anxious. Keep control of the game."

Rawdin, paralleling the arc of his team, came back from a 103-degree temperature last week, which forced him to miss school and the home game against Henry. "It was very painful to go through with sweats, chills, a sore throat and major headaches," he said.

"Anyways, after lots of rest and liquids, I feel much, much better."

Assessing his team, as a three-year veteran on varsity, the left-handed shooter and dribbler said, "We treat every day as a new opportunity, and we pay (attention to) our mistakes from the past and learn from them. We play against a lot of competitive teams, but that is what makes it fun."

These latter comments were made prior to the win over the Dons, when La Jolla was mired in a streak of seven losses in eight games. That trial has passed.