Hood helps La Jolla Country Day win state volleyball title and basketball tourney title in same day

Double threat Maya Hood helped La Jolla Country Day capture its second consecutive volleyball state championship in San Jose, then caught a plane to San Diego to help her Lady Torreys' basketball team win the 2010 Sweet Sixteen Invitational title the same night. Hood, who was selected Sweet Sixteen MVP, averaged 21 points per game, 10.3 rebounds and 4.5 steals in the tournament.

OTHER TOP BASKETBALL PERFORMANCES
* Mount Miguel (Spring Valley) player Shay Young scored a career-high 32 points to go along with 16 rebounds and four steals as the Matadors (3-0) drubbed Escondido 84-58. Mount Miguel's Danielle Miller, who has a UNLV scholarship in hand, chipped in with 22 points and a career high 10 assists plus eight steals. Senior point guard Myishia Watkins popped in 20 points – the majority coming on four triples – and handed out a career high 15 assists as the Matadors improved to 3-0.

* Senior wing Deanna Bembry of Monte Vista (Spring Valley) rang up a quadruple-double of 13 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists and 10 steals as Monte Vista knocked off Rancho Buena Vista 51-44.

* Sharpshooter Garrett Larch-Miller of Granite Hills (El Cajon) totaled 73 points in wins over Bishop's and Mt. Carmel. The 6-foot-3 senior nailed 20 of 24 free throws and five 3-pointers during the early scoring spree.



* Valhalla's David Wilschetz hit back-to-back last-second buckets giving the Norsemen wins over Morse and Mt. Carmel.

COMING ATTRACTIONS
In boys basketball, the finals of the Wolf Pack Horsman Tournament are scheduled for Saturday at West Hills High, and the championship game for the San Diego D-III Challenge will be held Monday at Santee Santana High.

DICKENS' DEALINGS
The basketball maze never fails to be challenging. Is it a plus or a minus? It's obviously debatable.

If you are a tournament director should you invite a bevy of talent laden teams, or a bunch of teams that will help the home team reach the finals?

Preseason tournaments are an easy way to pad one's team record. Of course, it's better if it can be done respectfully.

As the late John Wooden observed, every season you invite three "stiffs" to a tournament and call it a "classic." By doing so Wooden realized his Bruins would be in the finals every year.



Not a whole lot of high school basketball coaches have figured that out.

There's nothing wrong with Wooden's philosophy. As a matter of fact it's probably a positive if you're a home team trying to make money at the gate. More than a dozen schools are testing that philosophy this season.