2019-20 Week 16: Cathedral, La Jolla Country Day Win Open Titles

CHAMPIONSHIPS

SEEDS IN ITALICS

OPEN BOYS

Cathedral was hot. The No. 1-seed Dons had won 14 of their last 16, but No. 2 Torrey Pines was hotter, on a 15-game winning streak.

It wasn’t about heat; it was defense.

The Dons, who won the Division I championship in 2018-19,  trailed, 28-25, at halftime but broke to a 39-34 lead in the third quarter, forcing Torrey Pines into six turnovers en route to a 59-51 victory.

It was the second consecutive championship for Cathedral’s Will Cunningham, who has coached largely in the background of other veteran mentors, such as John Olive of Torrey Pines and Mike Haupt of St. Augustine.

Olive has won 526 games and Haupt 521 in 23 years, but Cunningham has enjoyed similar success with the Dons, posting a 215-106 record in 11 seasons.

Announced attendance was 4,250 at Rimac Arena on the University of California at San Diego campus.

OPEN GIRLS

The Torreys (30-1) and the top team in California, according to Cal-Hi Sports, relished their 1 seed in the school’s first foray into Open Division competition in any sport.

Coach Terry Bamford’s team got off to 9-0 start and never trailed, riding the 26 points and 13 rebounds of Te-hina Paopao to win, 54-37.

No. 2 Cathedral led, 22-21, at halftime.

“Coach told us to run our stuff,” Paopao said.  “She also told us to start knocking down shots,”

BOYS D-I

“How you move on after adversity is everything,” said Santa Fe Christian coach Chad Bickley after the top-seed Eagles (23-9) dispatched No. 2 seed Carlsbad (24-9), 71-58.

The Eagles regrouped to win their third championship in the last four years after Trevan Martin, their top returning player, was lost with a knee injury before the season.

Bickley, 253-162 as the Solana Beach school’s coach since the 2006-07 season, told John Maffei of The San Diego Union, “Ultimately all you can control is how hard you play, if you play together, and how smart you play.”

Jailen Nelson scored 26 for Carlsbad.  Sam Dudley and Keatten Smith each scored 14 for the winners.

GIRLS D-I

No. 2 seed Serra was in front of top-ranked Mission Hills, 56-49 with 1:39 remaining, when the Grizzlies went on a 9-2 run and  tied the score at 58.

The Grizzlies (20-12)  were stunned when the Conquistadors’ Charissa Thomas, staring at six seconds left on the scoreboard clock, dribbled the length of the court and laid in a basket for a 60-58 victory.

Sa’de Wiley Gatewood, the state player of the year at Lynwood High in  2001-02 and who coached Mission Bay to a San Diego Section championship in 2011-12, won a championship in her first season at Serra (20-9).

Mission Hills was making its seventh consecutive championship appearance and lost its third in a row,

BOYS D-II

San Diego will be making its third trip in  three seasons to the regional playoffs, compliments of coach Basil Fontenot and his players, who revived a comatose program in 2016.

The No. 2 Cavers, winners over No. 5 University City, 87-79, are 81-42 under Fontenot and now have two consecutive titles, following a D-III championship last season.

The Cavers were 27-102 in the five seasons Fontenot assumed the program in

San Diego (21-10) enjoyed a 16-4 run at the end of the first quarter and was ahead, 30-13, after a 12-2 push in the second. The Centurions, playing without leading scorer Francky Naguidebe, out with a leg injury for much of the game, fought back.

The Centurions closed a 50-34 deficit to 52-48, but the Cavers stretched the lead to 73-57 and withstood U.C.’s 22-14 finish.

“Was it scary when they cut it to four?” replied A.C. Burgin to writer John Maffei, “It (was) scary when we’re up ten, up twenty.”

Burgin led both teams with 31 points, 18 rebounds, and 8 assists.  Tyler Castillo added 24 points and 16 rebounds,  Luke Minnick had 24 points and Kasen Dickerson 20 for U.C.

The teams attempted 63 free throws and officials called 50 fouls.

GIRLS D-II

No. 2  Lincoln (27-4) opened a 10-point advantage with 3:52 to play after sharing the lead 11 times in the first three quarters of the Hornets’ 49-44 win over No. 1 Otay Ranch (24-8).

Imani James scored 10 of her 14 points and was  6×6 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter.  Maria Flores, all of 5 feet, led the Hive with 15 points.

Of her fourth quarter, James informed writer John Maffei, “My team looks to me for leadership.  I’m the backbone of the team.

“We have other players to score, but I need to come through in the clutch,”James added.

James also noted that “Maria is my partner in crime, has been since freshman year.”

BOYS D-III

Jurian Dixon, the less-heralded of 24-8 San Ysidro’s fab freshmen scored 31 points and pulled 21 rebounds to lead the Cougars to a 71-59 win over 21-10 Coronado, itself led by junior Wayne McKinney III, a transfer from Lake Oswego, Oregon, who scored 32.

Mikey Williams, San Ysidro’s more ballyhooed ninth-grader, played through a leg cramp and scored 16 points, and Kailen Rains, the third 20-plus scorer on the team, added 16.

The Cougars led the Islanders, 45-35, at the end of three quarters and kept them at a distance in a 26-24 fourth.

The Montgomery-hosted game was sold out at halftime of the Point Loma-Madison girls championship contest and was witnessed by a standing-room-only crowd of more than 3,000 persons, according to John Maffei of The San Diego Union.

Williams, who set a San Diego Section with 77 points in a December game, is second among the state’s leading scorers, according to Max Preps, with a 30.3 average and has scored 908 points in 30 games.

Williams could catch Oak Park’s Clark Slajchert, the state leader with a 31-point average and 930 points. Slajchert’s season ended at 27-3 with a second-round loss in the Southern Section D-I playoffs.

McKinney is fifth in the state with a reported 27-game average of 28.8 and 778 points.  Dixon is 22nd with a 24.8 average and 794 points in 32 games.

GIRLS D-III

No. 1 Point Loma (22-2) made its first championship game appearance in seven years and finally put away upset-minded No. 10 Madison (15-17), 56-55, in overtime at Montgomery High.

“I’ve hit clutch free throws before, but I’ve never hit a bigger shot,” Pointers sophomore Mikaela Miles told John Maffei.

Miles  whose 15 points augmented the 24 by teammate Sarah Heckman, drained a three-pointer with six seconds left in the three-minute, extra session

BOYS D-IV

The 27-3, No. 1 seed Bulldogs and their loyal fans, who outnumbered local El Capitan’s, enjoyed Queen’s “We are the Champions“, after battling desert winds and the sudden gusts of the In-Ko-pah Pass, which takes visitors from Calexico, 3 feet above sea level, to an elevation of 4,647 feet, on a 120-mile trip to Serra High.

Calexico’s 70-57 victory over the No. 6, 14-15 Vaqueros seemed piece of cake when the Bulldogs bolted to a 29-13, second-quarter lead.  But the Vaqs made a 15-3 rally and suddenly were in contention, trailing, 32-29.

The Bulldogs’ Fabian Reyna (23 points), Aaron Tabarez (19), and Julian Beltran (17) and the Bulldogs held serve.  Jacob Pfitzner, a 6-foot-4, the tallest player on the floor scored 26 for the Lakeside squad.

GIRLS D-IV

“I was more nervous before this game than any one I played in high school,” said coach Andrea Bird of the top seeded Cavers (21-8) after they defeated 3 seed Clairemont (19-13), 56-48.

Bird was a member of San Diego’s last San Diego Section championship team, the 27-6 squad of coach Lonnie Jones in D-I in 2011-12.

Maddie Black scored 20 points for the Cavers, who opened a 53-40 lead after Black made three consecutive layups following Elisabeth Beesley’s three pointer.

BOYS D-V

About 2.3 miles and approximately eight minutes drive separate the campuses of Calvin Christian (1868 North Broadway) from Classical (207 East Pennsylvania) in Escondido, but the neighboring rivals decided matters 19 miles west at Carlsbad High.

The Caimans of Classical (21-8) clinched their eighth consecutive victory as first section title when senior Maximus Brown went coast to coast for a game-tying layup and added a free throw with 1.4 seconds left to beat the 16-8 Calvin Crusaders.

Calvin had taken a 41-39 lead with 6.8 seconds remaining when  6-foot, 10-inch  Martin Gumwel, who scored 18 points and had 19 rebounds, tipped in a basket.

GIRLS D-V

The Hoover Cardinals took flight on the wings of Namaya Sowunni’s 32 points and two critical free throws by Jurnee Harriage with 12.6 seconds remaining to edge Calexico Vincent Memorial, 63-61, at Carlsbad High. .

Carey Miller, Hoover’s third coach in three seasons, lifted Cardinals from the wreckage of a 6-21 previous year.  Recent history included a 14-9 record in 2017-18, which followed an 0-38 slog from 2015-17.

The 1 seed Cardinals overcame a 24-6 lead by the 2 seed Scots (25-1) early in the second quarter.

Hoover’s losses were to 11-17 University City, 51-39; 21-8 Holtville, 44-33, and 74-41 to 19-12 Clairemont.

RESULTS THROUGH SEMIFINALS

BOYS

OPEN DIVISION

QUARTERFINALS

8 Christian 9 (21-6) 61, @1 Cathedral 72 (22-7).

5 Francis Parker (22-4) 70, @4 Foothills Christian 63 (20-9).

6 Poway (24-5) 43, @3 Torrey Pines 74 (25-4).

7 Mater Dei (22-6) 60, @2 St. Augustine 65 (23-7).

SEMIFINALS

5 Francis Parker 64 (22-5) at 1 Cathedral 87 (23-7).

3 Torrey Pines 56 (26-4), @2 St. Augustine 54 (24-7).

D-I 

FIRST ROUND

UPPER BRACKET

16 Mount Miguel (4-21) 36, @1 Santa Fe Christian 75 (20-9).

9 Mission Bay (12-17) 66, @8 Rancho Buena Vista 58 (14-15).

12 Vista (10-19)  58, @5 Helix 72 (23-6).

13 The Bishop’s (11-18) 50, @4 San Marcos 73 (17-10).

QUARTERFINALS

9 Mission Bay (12-18) 51, @1 Santa Fe Christian 60 (21-9).

5 Helix (23-7) 50, @4 San Marcos 73 (18-10).

SEMIFINALS

4 San Marcos (18-11) 50, @1 Santa Fe Christian (22-9), 53.

LOWER BRACKET

14 Westview (12-16) 38, vs. 3 El Camino 56 (23-5) @Army-Navy.

11 Rancho Bernardo (12-15) 38, @6 La Costa Canyon 64 (18-12).

10 La Jolla Country Day 48, (12-16) @7 Mission Hills 64 (17-12).

15 Montgomery (12-16) 41, @2 Carlsbad 59 (22-7).

QUARTERFINALS

6 La Costa Canyon 46 (18-13), @3 El Camino 50 (24-5).

7 Mission Hills 41 (17-13) @2 Carlsbad 57 (23-7).

SEMIFINALS

3 El  Camino (24-6), 44, @2 Carlsbad 72 (24-7).

D-II

FIRST ROUND

UPPER BRACKET

16 Point Loma (13-16) 58, @1 Bonita Vista 57 (20-9).

9 Olympian (18-10) 55, @8 Orange Glen 63 (15-14).

12 Lincoln (11-13) 57, @5 University City 61 (18-8).

13 Serra (14-15) 73, @4 Otay Ranch 78 (19-10).

QUARTERFINALS

16 Point Loma (13-17) 51, @8 Orange Glen 54 (16-14).

5 University City (19-8) 73, @4 Otay Ranch 71 (19-11).

SEMIFINALS

8 Orange Glen (15-15) 41, @5 University City 69 (20-8)..

LOWER BRACKET

14 Canyon Crest 51 (10-19) @3 Army-Navy 47 (17-12).

11 Scripps Ranch 52 (14-10) @6 Oceanside 43 (17-11).

10 Del Norte 67 (16-11) @7 Escondido 62 (20-9).

15 Patrick Henry 60 (13-15) @2 San Diego 62 (18-10).

QUARTERFINALS

14 Canyon Crest (11-19) 42 @11 Scripps Ranch 41 (14-11).

10 Del Norte (16-12) 45, @2San Diego 52 (19-10).

SEMIFINALS

14 Canyon Crest (11-20) 51, @2 San Diego 68 (20-10).

D-III

FIRST ROUND

UPPER BRACKET

16 Madison (11-18) 60, @1 San Ysidro 93 (21-8).

9 Ramona (12-17) 49, @8 Brawley 58 (20-9).

12 Morse (14-15) 42, @5 Granite Hills 44 (16-9).

13 Hoover (11-18) 70, @4 Grossmont 61 (16-10).

QUARTERFINALS

8 Brawley (20-10) @1 San Ysidro 105 (22-8).

13 Hoover (11-19) 48, @5 Granite Hills 49 (17-9).

SEMIFINALS

5 Granite Hills (17-10) 60, @1 San Ysidro 85 (23-8), @Montgomery High..

LOWER BRACKET

14 Pacific Ridge (19-10) 25, @3 Eastlake 73 (16-13).

11 Mission Vista (16-12) 80, @6 Tri-City 77 (17-12).

10 West Hills (14-14) 58, @7 Mt. Carmel 56 (10-19).

15 San Dieguito (8-21) 36, @2 Coronado 53 (19-9).

QUARTERFINALS

11 Mission Vista (16-13) 66, @3 Eastlake 94 (17-13).

10 West Hills (14-15) 39, @2 Coronado 63 (20-9).

SEMIFINALS

3 Eastlake (17-14) 46, @2 Coronado 60 (21-9).

D-IV

FIRST ROUND

UPPER BRACKET

16 Victory Christian (13-16) 53, @1 Calexico 66 (24-3).

9 Calipatria (18-10) 48, @8 Clairemont 41 (15-10).

12 Escondido Charter (13-16) 39, @5 El Centro Central 66 (15-14).

13 Chula Vista (10-16) 55, @4 Monte Vista 67(18-11).

QUARTERFINALS

9 Calipatria (18-11) 37, @1 Calexico 70 (25-3).

5 El Centro Central (16-14) 61, @4 Monte Vista 41 (18-12).

SEMIFINALS

5 El Centro Central (17-14) 49, @1 Calexico 52 (25-4).

LOWER BRACKET

14 Blythe Palo Verde Valley 38 (8-16), @3 High Tech San Diego 64 (17-10).

11 San Pasqual (8-19) 43, @6 El Capitan 58 (12-14).

10 Guajome Park (16-11) 32, @7 Hilltop 66 (13-16).

15 Southern California Yeshiva (11-12) 67, @2 Mabel O’Farrell 80 (24-4).

QUARTERFINALS

7 Hilltop (13-17) 56, @2 Mabel O’Farrell 63 (25-4).

6 El Capitan(13-14) 58, @3 High Tech San Diego.48 (17-11).

SEMIFINALS

6 El Capitan (14-14) 58, @2 Mabel O’Farrell 55 (24-5).

D-V

FIRST ROUND

UPPER BRACKET

1 Fallbrook (17-8), bye.

9 Health Sciences (10-14) 58, @8 Calexico Vincent Memorial 71 (14-8).

12 Liberty (11-16) 44, @5 Classical 57 (18-8)

4 Horizon Prep (20-2), bye.

QUARTERFINALS

8 Calexico Vincent Memorial (14-9) 58, @1 Fallbrook 77 (18-8).

5 Classical (19-8), 52, @4 Horizon Prep 41 (20-3).

SEMIFINALS

5 Classical (20-8) 50, @1 Fallbrook (18-9), 46.

LOWER BRACKET

3 Calvin Christian (14-7), bye.

11 Gompers Prep (14-6) 60, @6 Holtville 79 (14-9).

10 Ocean View (16-14) 43, @7 High Tech Chula Vista 63 (12-9).

2 Mar Vista (18-10), bye.

QUARTERFINALS

7 High Tech Chula Vista (12-10) 51 @2 Mar Vista 70 (19-10).

6 Holtville 29 (14-10), @3 Calvin Christian  46 (15-7)

SEMIFINALS

3 Calvin Christian (16-7), 60, @2 Mar Vista  45 (20-10)..

GIRLS PLAYOFFS

OPEN DIVISION

QUARTERFINALS

8 Mater Dei (18-9) 38, @1 La Jolla Country Day 74 (28-1).

5 La Costa Canyon (22-6) 56, @4 Bonita Vista 57 (21-8).

6 The Bishop’s (17-10) 52, @3 Cathedral 77 (18-10).

7 Christian (19-10) 76, @2 Westview 51 (26-3).

SEMIFINALS

4 Bonita Vista 48 (21-9) 46, @1 La Jolla Country Day (29-1) 48.

7 Christian (19-11) 55, @.3 Cathedral (19-10) 63.

D-I

UPPER BRACKET

FIRST ROUND

16 Mira Mesa (5-23) 19, @1 Mission Hills 67 (18-11).

9 San Marcos (15-13) 36, @8 Carlsbad 44 (21-8).

12 El Capitan (18-11) 53, @5 Del Norte 55, OT (20-9).

13 Imperial (21-8) 35, @4 Mount Miguel 59 (20-7).

QUARTERFINALS

5 Del Norte 48 (20-10), @4 Mount Miguel 63 (21-7).

8 Carlsbad 52 (22-8), @1 Mission Hills 55 (19-11).

SEMIFINALS

4 Mount Miguel (21-8) 32, @1 Mission Hills 68 (19-11).

LOWER BRACKET

14 Vista (16-13) 37, @3 Rancho Bernardo 49 (21-8).

11 Scripps Ra  nch 45, (14- 4412) @6 Poway 63 (18-11).

10 Torrey Pines (16-11), 49,@7 El Camino 44 (21-8).

15 Olympian (10-19) 38,@2 Serra 57 (17-9).

QUARTERFINALS

6 Poway 61 (19-11), @3 Rancho Bernardo 34 (21-9).

10 Torrey Pines(16-12) 50, @2 Serra 60 (18-9).

SEMIFINALS

6 Poway (19-12) 37, @2 Serra 50 (18-9)..

D-II

UPPER BRACKET

FIRST ROUND

16 University (11-17) 39, @1 Otay Ranch 56 (22-7).

9 Francis Parker (19-8) 52, @8 Calexico 49 (18-9).

12 Montgomery (13-16) 40, @5 Mission Vista 71 (17-9).

13 San Pasqual (14-15) 46, @4 Eastlake 34 (15-14).

QUARTERFINALS

9 Francis Parker (19-9) 51, @8 Otay Ranch 60 (23-7).

13 San Pasqual 58 (14-16). @5 Mission Vista 68 (18-9).

SEMIFINALS

8 Otay Ranch 55 (24-7), @5 Mission Vista 49 (18-10).

LOWER BRACKET

14 West Hills (13-13) 42, @3 San Dieguito 69 (15-10).

11 Our Lady of Peace (16-13) 46, @6 Grossmont 49(15-13).

10 Chula Vista (19-10) 44, @7 Morse 58 (19-10).

15 Ramona (7-20) 28, @2 Lincoln 44 (25-4).

QUARTERFINALS

7 Morse 42 (19-11), @2 Lincoln 42 (26-4).

6 Grossmont 56 (16-13), @3 San Dieguito 42 (15-11).

SEMIFINALS

6 Grossmont (16-14) 43, @2 Lincoln 45 (27-4).

D-III

FIRST ROUND

UPPER BRACKET

16 Maranatha (5-23) 16, @1 Point Loma 70 (19-2).

9 Sage Creek (12-10) 44 @8 Pacific Ridge 27 (15-7).

12 Hilltop (13-16) 37, @5 Mt. Carmel 41 (12-11).

13  Santana (15-14) 31, @4 Holtville 49 (21-7).

QUARTERFINALS

9 Sage Creek (12-11) 47, @1 Point Loma 52 (20-2).

5 Mt. Carmel (13-11) 63, @4 Holtville 50 (21-8).

SEMIFINALS

5 Mt. Carmel (13-12) 32, @1 Point Loma 55 (21-2).

LOWER BRACKET

14 St. Joseph (21-8) 38, @3 Foothills Christian 58 (25-4).

11 Escondido Charter (17-12) 31, @6 Coronado 53 (19-10).

10 Madison (13-16) 41, @7 Fallbrook 37 (17-11).

15 Mar Vista (7-22) 15, @2 Helix 62 (14-11).

QUARTERFINALS

10 Madison (14-16) 45, @2 Helix 44 (14-12).

6 Coronado 33 (19-11), @3 Foothills Christian 61 (26-4).

SEMIFINALS

10 Madison 52 (15-16), @3 Foothills Christian. 49 (25-5).

D-IV

FIRST ROUND

UPPER BRACKET

16 Mountain Empire (12-9) 19, @1 San Diego 61 (17-8).

9 Classical (15-13) 53, @8 El Cajon Valley 39 (16-11).

12 Mission Bay (11-18) 27, @5 Liberty 46 (19-5).

13 Escondido (6-22) 30. @4 Castle Park 34 (15-11).

QUARTERFINALS

9 Classical 44 (15-14), @1 San Diego 46 (18-8).

5 Liberty (19-6) 53, @4 Castle Park 59 (16-11).

SEMIFINALS

4 Castle Park (15-12) 27, @1 San Diego (19-8) 42.

LOWER BRACKET

14 Valley Center (5-17) 43, @3 Clairemont 61 (17-12).

11 Sweetwater (8-20) 35, @6 Oceanside 48 (13-12).

10 Monte Vista (13-16) 40, @7 13-17) 42Brawley 66 (13-16).

15 GraniteHills (9-18) 28, @2  El Centro Southwest 21 (17-13).

QUARTERFINALS

6 Oceanside (14-12) 42, @3 Clairemont 54 (18-12).

15 Granite Hills (9-19) 24,  @7 Brawley 40 (14-16).

SEMIFINALS

Feb. 26

7 Brawley ( 13-17) 42, @3 Clairemont 43 (18-12).

D-V

FIRST ROUND

UPPER BRACKET

1 Hoover (25-3), bye.

9 Valhalla (5-17) 46, @8 Blythe Palo Verde Valley 45 (4-20).

12 Victory Christian (5-14) 22, @5 San Ysidro 52 (11-17).

4 Mabel O’Farrell (18-4), bye.

QUARTERFINAL

9 Valhalla (5-18) 45, @1 Hoover 52 (26-3).

5 San Ysidro (12-17) 54, @4 Mabel O’Farrell 33 (18-5).

SEMIFINALS

5 San Ysidro 47 (13-17), @1 Hoover 60 (27-3) .

LOWER BRACKET

3 Horizon Prep (20-2), bye.

11 Salton City West Shores (8-10) 21, @6 Preuss 24 (14-11).

10 The Cambridge (12-8) 33, @7 Guajome Park 45 (16-10).

2 Calexico Vincent Memorial (23-0), bye.

QUARTERFINALS

7 Guajome Park (16-11) 66, @2 Calexico Vincent Memorial 66 (24-0).

6 Preuss (14-12) 28, @3 Horizon Prep 38 (21-2).

SEMIFINALS

3 Horizon Prep (21-3) 33, @2 Calexico Vincent Memorial 74 (25-0).

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