OTHER TOP PERFORMANCES
— Five-foot-11 junior
Alexis Merlino of Steele Canyon scored a season-high 34 points and bagged 16 rebounds in an 84-43 victory over Otay Ranch in the Monte Vista Tournament. Earlier, she was able to maneuver inside and score 28 points to lead the Cougars to a 54-41 victory over San Pasqual.
—
Jessica Valenzuela canned four 3-pointers as Tri-City Christian topped Escondido Adventist 58-46.
— Six-foot-4 sophomore
Grant Corsi of Santa Fe Christian landed five 3-pointers against San Diego Mater Dei.
— Senior
Josh More posted his fifth double-double in 12 games for Orange Glen, with 13 points and a dozen rebounds against Rock Academy.
— Maranatha Christian soccer standout
Luke Kadillak has scored at least three goals in eight of 10 games and has tallied 26 goals on the season.
COMING ATTRACTIONS
In a girls basketball tournament labeled Private vs. Public at Marina del Rey on Saturday there is an impressive lineup that begins with
Mount Miguel (Spring Valley) vs.
Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth) at 11:30 a.m. Other interesting encounters include CIF-SDS kingpin
La Jolla Country Day (La Jolla) vs.
Ventura at 1 p.m.,
San Diego opposite
Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood) at 4 and
Bishop's against
Los Osos (Rancho Cucamonga) at 7.
DICKENS' DEALINGS
A first-year coach from Helix asked me "Why do they play an organized league schedule when so few games have any bearing on a league championship?"
He had a point.
In the Grossmont Conference for example, the Grossmont Valley League plays only eight league games. That's no big deal unless you consider that slate makes up less than 30 percent of the overall schedule.
So why bother when the elite members of the circuit are more interested in their record against teams in same division. All, of course, recognize that winning a league title carries guarantees of a higher seed and at least one playoff home game.
But compiling an impressive mark against teams in the same division is worth more weight, including a possible top four ranking and an accompanying first round bye, which is a regular season goal.
It's a shame that winning a league title has lost its value for the sake of higher playoff stakes.
So why does playing all the preseason games present any value more than exercise and a possible pseudo ranking?
Basketball is one of the more messed up sports when it comes to an overall outlook. If you are a Division III team, why play anybody else outside of your league?
It is a puzzle without an answer.
