Joey Vaz deserves some credit for Rancho Buena Vista's boys basketball success

While highly publicized scoring machine Johnny Dee continues to dominate the Rancho Buena Vista (Vista) basketball headlines averaging more than 33 points per game, the Longhorns have another weapon that deserves some – as they say – "cred."

Seven-foot senior Joey Vaz is making his mark in the CIF-SDS playoffs, helping the Longhorns reach the Division I semifinals.

Vaz scored 18 points with 11 rebounds in a first-round victory over Fallbrook and added a career-high 21 points to help RBV run past San Ysidro 99-91 in the quarterfinals. Of course, one number that doesn't show up on the statistics sheet is how many shots the Longhorns' big man altered. He blocked two against Fallbrook and re-directed about a dozen more shots in that game.

"Vaz doesn't get enough credit for RBV's success," Fallbrook coach Jeff Brandow told The North County Times.

Dee rang up 41 points against San Ysidro, raising his season total to 959 in 29 games. As a point of reference, that is one marker shy of Helix's legendary Bill Walton, who punched in 960 in 33 games during the 1970 campaign.

MaxPreps California boys basketball playoff brackets

EL CAMINO BOYS CORRAL OTAY RANCH'S MUSTANGS
Despite sputtering somewhat in their Avocado West League, the El Camino (Oceanside) Wildcats (25-6) – third place finishers in their home circuit – are coming on strong in the San Diego Section playoffs.

Led by Dayton Boddie's 27 points, 11 rebounds and six steals, the Wildcats mauled the undefeated Mesa League champions from Otay Ranch (24-5). Boddie did his best work on defense against Otay Ranch's Alex Perez.

"He's their star player and we knew we had to contain him," said Boddie, who nailed 11 of his 15 shots from the floor. "He got his points, but I think we made him have to work for them."

Perez finished with 26 points, but his teammates did little to help him.

El Camino's Chris Gorman scored 13 of his 23 points in the first quarter as El Camino (25-6) raced to a 26-12 advantage. The Wildcats converted 10 of their first 11 shots in that period and used a 14-0 scoring run to break an 8-8 tie. For the game El Camino shot 56 percent (25 of 45).

WEST HILLS' EMILY COLE PROVES ARTISTIC IN THE CLUTCH
So horrid was West Hills' shooting in Friday's CIF-SDS Division II quarterfinal against visiting Serra, Wolf Pack coach Ryan Kinser probably wanted to bury his face in his hands.

All night… well, maybe all but the last play of the game.

Kinser had to like what he saw in the end as Haley Forsberg grabbed a defensive rebound and made a swift outlet pass to teammate Emily Cole, who turned it into a game-winning layup at the buzzer.

That was enough to provide West Hills (Santee) (19-9) with its only lead of the night and a 37-36 victory over the Conquistadors (16-14). En route to her winning shot Cole admitted she had to debate on the fly: to pull up and shoot a 15-footer or to take it to the basket. She chose the latter.

"I looked up and saw there were 3 seconds left and said to myself, 'Gotta go, gotta go,'" Cole said. "We were down by one and I thought if I go to the basket I may get fouled."

Although this was a forgettable night in terms of overall offensive production, Cole came up with another key shot as she ended the third quarter by landing a 3-pointer from halfcourt at the buzzer to pull the Pack to within 33-31 with eight minutes remaining.

"Oh my gosh, there was like 2 seconds left, I think, and I just threw it up, hoping it would go in," Cole explained. "It just went ‘swish' and I said to myself ‘OK, that's cool.'"

MaxPreps California girls basketball playoff brackets

POWAY'S SOSA EYES STATE WRESTLING TITLE
Poway senior Porfi Sosa captured the most outstanding wrestler award at the CIF-SDS Masters meet by winning the 217-pound weight class via a 7-1 victory over Ramona's Marshal Thrasher in the finals. Ranked No. 2 in the state, Sosa (45-2) needed slightly more than three minutes in three matches to reach the Masters championship bout at Canyon Crest Academy.

RECRUITING SCROLLS SWELL
Helix basketball-football player Kenny Keys has accepted a football scholarship to UNLV while Canyon Crest Academy center Cory Osetkowski has committed to the Ivy League's Columbia University for basketball.

The 6-foot-4, 205-pound Keys is ticketed to play free safety for the Rebels. San Diego State and Boise State also approached Keys, who is also a standout center on the Highlanders' basketball team. "I love basketball, but I've always known my future is in football," Keys said.

The 6-foot-10, 250-pound Osetkowski, who is also a pitcher in baseball, said he has family in New Jersey and that his father's business is centered in that area. Though family was a factor, it wasn't what swung him to Columbia.

"It's an Ivy League school, and that was really important," Osetkowski told the North County Times. "If sports don't work out, if I don't get a chance to play professional baseball, a degree from Columbia will go a long way in the job market."

Osetkowski, who was also recruited by Miami (Ohio), Xavier and Whitman College in Washington, said he plans to play both sports at Columbia.

On the baseball front, Cal State San Marcos has received commitments from Jon Putnam of Mission Hills (San Marcos) (C-1B), Zac Tieger (OF) of La Costa Canyon (Carlsbad) and El Capitan's Sheldon Gabriels (2B).

OTHER TOP PERFORMANCES
* San Ysidro's Javion Watson tallied 57 points and seven 3-pointers as the Cougars edged Grossmont 68-62 before losing to Rancho Buena Vista 99-91 in the CIF-SDS Division I quarterfinals.

* La Costa Canyon junior Matt Shrigley charted some impressive statistics in the top-seeded Mavericks' first two CIF-SDS Division I playoff victories. Shrigley scored 29 points in a first-round rout of Escondido and tallied 20 points, seven rebounds and five blocked shots in a decisive victory over Vista in the quarterfinals.

* Vista senior heavyweight Alex Kelley won the CIF-SDS Masters heavyweight title, knocking off top-seeded Gabi Mussallam of Mira Mesa 3-1 in overtime in the finals. Kelley was awarded the meet's upper-weight MVP award.

* Senior Victoria Williams of Vista averaged four goals per game in the Panthers' victories in the CIF-SDS Division I girls water polo semifinals and finals.

* Helix 5-foot-2 senior guard Kimberly Scott erupted for a career-high 27 points as the host Highlanders clobbered Kearny, 78-42, in a CIF-SDS playoff game.

COMING ATTRACTIONS
The two-day CIF-SDS basketball championships will be conducted Friday and Saturday at the University of San Diego's Jenny Craig Pavilion. Friday's games are slated for 2, 4, 6 and 8 p.m. On Saturday the action starts at 9:30 a.m. and runs continuously through 2:45 p.m. Then, after a brief break (to clear the building and charge a second admission), the final two games complete the card with the Division I girls playing at 6 and Division I boys at 8 p.m.

DICKENS' DEALINGS
Regardless of the sport, when some coaches pick all-league teams, are they really seeking the best players? Or are they voting against coaches that they don't like?

I've been picking my own teams for four decades and one reason is that I don't get caught up in the personality of the coach factor. I just pick the best players – like it or lump it.