2013-14: Saints Unanimous No. 1 in Poll

The Martin Luther King Day doubleheader at Francis Parker produced the best game of the season, St. Augustine’s 79-74 victory over La Costa Canyon, and the Saints are unanimous choices as San Diego’s top team in the UT-San Diego poll.

Trey Kell was brilliant for the winners and scored  37 points, but the tough Mavericks hounded Kell into four turnovers in a highly-charged game in which bodies resounded as they hit the floor and the two game officials “let them play.”

St. Augustine jumped to a 27-15 lead early in the second quarter and was up 48-34 midway in the third, but  La Costa Canyon kept coming and narrowed the gap to 62-61 in the fourth.

Coach Mike Haupt’s team held serve.  The  Saints came up with  late steals and hit most of their free throws in the stretch run.

A full house at Parker included head coach Steve Fisher and assistants Brian Dutcher,  Justin Hutson, and David Valenzuela of San Diego State, and many of the local basketball cognoscenti.

TORREY WINS UNDERCARD

Torrey Pines coach John Olive sauntered along the edge of the court in front of his team’s bench,

UT-San Digo photographer catches Kell putting up two of his 37 points against La Costa Canyon,
UT-San Diego photographer catches Kell putting up two of his 37 points against La Costa Canyon.

seemingly at ease despite’s Francis Parker’s  opening a 10-point lead in the first quarter.

Olive obviously knew better things were in store for his squad.  The Falcons got rolling and were up by 25 points in the second half, then geared down and cruised in with a 62-47 win over the host Lancers.

# Team (1st place votes) W-L* Points** Last Week
1 St. Augustine (13) 17-2 130 1
2 Mater Dei 15-2 117 2
3 La Costa Canyon 16-3 98 3
4 Torrey Pines 15-3 85 4
5 Sweetwater 13-0 79 5
6 El Camino 16-3 76 6
7 Francis Parker 15-3 41 8
8 Eastlake 16-3 28 10
9 Hoover 13-8 18 9
10 San Marcos 11-7 14 7
**Points awarded on 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis
Others receiving votes: Foothills Christian, Grossmont, 8 each; Cathedral, Kearny, Mission Hills, 3 each; Steele Canyon, Morse, 2 each.
Thirteen sportswriters, sportscasters and CIF representatives from throughout San Diego County vote in the weekly poll:
John Maffei, Craig Malveaux and Don Norcross (U-T San Diego);
Terry Monahan (U-T San Diego stringer);
Bill Dickens, Andrew Smith (eastcountysports.com);
Steve Brand (San Diego Hall of Champions);
John Kentera and Jack Cronin (The Mighty 1090);
John Labeta (CIF San Diego Section office);
Rick Smith (Partletonsports.com);
Bodie DeSilva (sandiegopreps.com);
Aaron Burgin (fulltimehoops.tumblr.com).