By Ed Piper
La Jolla High's boys basketball team, playing again in front of no spectators under the COVID restrictions imposed for indoor sports in the San Diego Unified School District, prevailed over visiting Lincoln 53-46 in a close game Thurs., April 22.
The Vikings' win, giving Coach Paul Baranowski's squad its second league triumph following a 63-55 win at Scripps Ranch the night before, came in the second game of a girls/boys doubleheader in the campus' Big Gym. The LJHS girls varsity, coached by Alex Caceres with regular coach Darice Carnaje still occupied with the tennis team, dropped a 37-27 decision to High Tech High International (Point Loma) in the first game.
The Viking boys charged out to a 12-4 first quarter lead, helped by the introduction of guard Diego Solis and forward Max Raulston following the conclusion of the football team's season Fri., April 16.
"I've had two days of practice (after football)," said Solis before the matchup with the Hornets.
But the Hornets, the program that produced Norm Powell of the NBA Raptors and Trail Blazers, responded to Coach Jeffrey Harper's high-pitched direction from the sideline in struggling back for a 28-18 halftime lead, outscoring Christian Gamboa and his Viking teammates 24-6 in the quarter.
La Jolla, as Gamboa, an older senior, began to gear up on his patented drives to the basket, closed the gap and ended the third quarter trailing by only four, 40-36.
That set the stage for a convincing performance down the stretch that saw the hosts build their eventual lead to seven and secure the fast-paced win, 53-46.
Coming back from their 10-point second period deficit, the Vikings saw a DeAndre Vaz putback of a Solis miss to trail 33-26 with 6:01 left in the third quarter.
Gamboa made a steal and was fouled on a drive at the offensive end. Christian made both free throws to make it 38-30, Lincoln still leading.
A tie-up with 3:55 left gave the ball to La Jolla on the alternating possession. After a foul, Gamboa again stepped to the line, and he made both free throws. 38-32.
This time a successful drive to the basket in which Christian finished brought the Vikes up to 40-34 after a Hornet score.
Raulston, who jumps well, blocked a Lincoln shot inside with 1:40 on the clock after missing a layup attempt moments before. Baranowski's favored five remained in the game, including guard Brennan Ross, along with Solis, Vaz, Raulston, and Gamboa.
No one scored through a furious finish to the third quarter, ending 40-36, Lincoln in the lead.
Raulston started the fourth quarter off with a layup, missing the free throw, down 40-38.
Gamboa sank two free throws at 7:33 for La Jolla's first tie of the night, 40-40, before a timeout. Earlier in the game, when Lincoln eclipsed the Vikings' opening lead in the second period, a Hornet three jumped the visitors from a 14-13 deficit to lead 16-14.
Raymond Spriggs led Lincoln with 18 points. He scored 11 of those in the middle two periods.
Gamboa led all scorers with 24. Raulston had 13 in his 2021 debut, Solis 10.
Jackson Stratton suited up for the Vikings, but did not see action. He was quarterback on the LJHS football team. The 6'4 1/2" junior said this is his first year playing basketball.
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