2013: San Diego Section Holds Up in Openers

Eight of 11 San Diego Section teams won first-round games and advanced to Saturday’s Southern California regional quarterfinals.  Two others which received first-round byes will swing into action.

Pairings, records ( ) and seeds ):

DIVISION I
5) Inglewood (19-10)  at  4) Mission Hills (27-4).

II
5) La Costa Canyon (28-5)  at  4) Westlake Village Westlake (27-5).
11) San Marcos (27-5)  at  3) Hoover (30-5).

III
9) Lawndale Leuzinger (23-8)  vs.  1) St. Augustine (25-4) at Rancho Bernardo.
5) Cathedral Catholic (29-4)  at   4) Tustin (30-2).

IV
8) Mater Dei Catholic (26-6) vs. Gardena Serra (25-6) at  Torrance El Camino College.
10) Encino Crespi (23-9)   vs.  2) Army-Navy (28-4)  at  Oceanside High.

V
9) Valencia Trinity Classical  (19-6)  at   1) Horizon (17-11).
10) Foothills Christian (19-14)  at  2) Sherman Oaks Buckley (23-6).

OUR GUESSES
I–Inglewood  72, Mission Hills 63.

II–La Costa Canyon 58, Westlake 54.
Hoover 74, San Marcos 65.

III–St. Augustine 65, Leuzinger 58.
Tustin 69, Cathedral 60.

IV–Serra 77, Mater Dei 52.
Army-Navy 63, Crespi 55.

V–Horizon  47, Trinity Classical  40.
Sherman Oaks Buckley 75, Foothills Christian 55.

CARDINALS SHAKE MID-GAME FUNK

Hoover defeated Las Flores Tesoro, 84-60, with a fast start and equally swift finish in its first-round game at Hoover.

Leading  39-22 after a 16-0 run, but with rebounding and inside presence Jordan Alexander on the bench with 3 fouls, Hoover was bumped out of the fast lane by the plucky Titans.

Tesoro launched a 20-4 run of its own and trailed only 43-42 midway in the third quarter, despite playing without  6-foot, 8-inch center Tanner Lancoma, a Washington State-bound center who was out with  a groin injury.

Hoover eventually regained its stride, pulling away to 59-46 at the end of the third quarter.  The Cardinals turned the fourth quarter into a 25-14 clinic of breakaways, dunks, and three-point  jumpers.