Undefeated Westview isn't perfect in San Diego

One thing about the Westview (San Diego) girls' basketball team is that Wolverines coach Kyle Smith refuses to allow his opponents to dictate tempo. Sometimes he does have to loosen the reins a bit as a strong-armed challenger may not permit things to go completely his way.

Nonetheless, Westview (10-0) remains undefeated.

In the opening round of the SoCal Holiday Prep Classic, the Wolverines appeared to have a firm grip on Eastlake (8-3) only to be outscored 12-2 in the final period. However, the Wolverines managed to prevail 46-42.

The Wolverines weren't at their best in their previous start, yet generated the energy to hold off Los Angeles Fairfax 47-45 in the championship encounter of the Vaquero Classic in Lakeside.

Westview nearly blew a seven-point lead in the final 1:41 in that outing.

The play that kept the Wolverines unbeaten is not reflected in most box scores. It was a rejection of a Fairfax shot by Westview senior center Taylor Suggs with 6.1 seconds left.

"Taylor saved the day with that block,'' senior point guard Melissa Peng told The North County Times.

Peng went on to earn the tournament's MVP honors. She was the only Westview player to reach double-digit scoring in the narrow escape against Eastlake with 10 points.

"When the girl took the shot, I thought 'Oh no.' Taylor came from nowhere to swat it down. That just made my day.''

Fairfax lost for only the second time in 10 starts.

RANCHO BUENA VISTA'S DEE EARNS MVP
Senior guard Johnny Dee was named the tournament MVP after averaging 36.5 points in the Longhorns' four-game sweep of the Grossmont Winter Classic. Dee, who has nailed 33 3-pointers, is averaging 32.9 points for the 8-2 Longhorns.

SCRIPPS RANCH MAKES MAJOR PLAY IN DEALING CARDEN
Scripps Ranch's Ryan Carden, a 6-foot-4 senior, generated a solid double-double of 22 points and 14 rebounds against Rancho Buena Vista. In a previous game, Carden cashed in for 15 points and 16 rebounds against Grossmont.

SAN DIEGO STATE LANDS LARGE MOUNT MIGUEL LINEMAN
After finishing one of its best football seasons in years, San Diego State (9-4) is bound to enjoy more success recruiting at the local level. Granted, it is still early in the recruiting game, but coach Brady Hoke's Aztecs have already hooked 6-foot-6, 301-pound offensive lineman Reggie Jones out of Mount Miguel (Spring Valley).

"Reggie is just scratching the surface on how good he could be," Mount Miguel football coach Tom Karlo said.

BASEBALL NUGGETS STRIKE GOLD AT STANFORD, USD
Stanford received a diamond in the rough when Granite Hills senior first baseman-pitcher Daniel Starwalt made a verbal baseball commitment. A year ago, the 6-foot-2, 184-pound right-handed Starwalt posted a 6-5 record with a 2.41 ERA and seven complete games. With little support around him, Starwalt – a first baseman – was unable to express himself with the bat although he has the makings to be an offensive force.

Meanwhile, El Capitan catcher Charles Moorman has committed to the University of San Diego. As a sophomore last year Moorman batted .388.

OTHER TOP PERFORMANCES
* National shot-block record holder Angelo Chol of San Diego Hoover scored 35 points against Los Angeles Birmingham in the National Prep Classic in Santa Maria.

* Senior Garrett Larch-Miller of Granite Hills (El Cajon) knocked down 32 points, secured a dozen rebounds and dished eight assists against Green Valley (Nev.).

* Santana's 6-7, 215-pound junior post Ryan Bickford poured in 30 points and snared 18 rebounds against River Valley (Ariz.) in the Las Vegas Mountain View Christian Holiday Classic.

* El Capitan (Lakeside) 5-foot-9 junior Tyson Kygar scored 30 points with seven rebounds, two assists and two steals against Foothills Christian.

* Five-foot-9 junior post Shay Young of Mount Miguel (Spring Valley) rang up 31 points and grabbed 14 rebounds for the Matadors' girls basketball team in a 57-46 win over Beckman.

* Six-foot-6 power forward Juan Martinez of Cathedral Catholic punched in a season high 27 points in the Dons' 60-48 victory over University City.

* San Diego guard Tia Dixon popped in 28 points to carry the Lady Cavers past San Diego Mater Dei.

* Senior Alex Perez of Otay Ranch racked up 26 points in the Mustangs' 62-51 romp over St. Margaret's.

* Six-foot-4 senior Sergio Garcia of Maranatha Christian collected a double-double of 28 points and 14 points against Julian.

COMING ATTRACTIONS
The sixth annual Southern California Prep Holiday Classic girls' basketball tournament, which began on Monday, continues daily through Thursday. More than 40 varsity teams from several states will vie in five divisions. The prestigious Torrey Pines Holiday Classic, now in its 21st running, is being conducted from Monday through Thursday. This event is regarded as one of the top boys' basketball tournaments in the country.

DICKENS' DEALINGS
As holiday tournament activity continues at a fever pitch this week, two things come to mind in this corner.

Why do some tournament directors require teams to play doubleheaders? And two, how come some coaches believe it is beneficial to compete in a pair of tournaments simultaneously?

The thinking, I guess, behind playing doubleheaders is to make a tournament more compact. In other words, teams can play four games in three days and five games in four days. Said doubleheaders should be conducted on the final day of an event, not the first day as is the case much too often. By doing so, a team will not be asked to come back the day after vying in a twinbill.

In the case of the Coronado Boys Tournament, West Hills (Santee) played back-to-back doubleheaders.

Wouldn't it seem that playing such a condensed schedule dilutes the games? How could a team be at its best with so much action and limited rest? Granted, these are only preseason games and have little impact on postseason play.

The hectic schedule drew no complaints from West Hills coach Jeff Armstrong, however.

Coaches who enjoy vying in two tournaments in the same time period must have a deep bench, plenty of coaches and carte blanche transportation. Why two at once? What's the rush?

Here is another good one. In the Montgomery Aztec Coed Classic in San Diego South Bay, the El Camino (Oceanside) girls were obliged to play their first round game at 7:30 a.m. the day following the Christmas weekend. Round two brought the Wildcat girls back for a 9 a.m. start on Tuesday. Gee, all they need now is a doubleheader on Wednesday (not!).

Keep in mind the El Camino team travels more than 100 miles round trip each day in the four-day event. So imagine what time these girls have rise to make the early trip south.

So why attend tournaments that are so demanding? In defense of the coaches, they could not know the pairings in advance, since the schedule was not completed until after all the entry fees were paid.