PREP BASKETBALL : Boys Roundup : Mt. Carmel Defeats Torrey Pines

Mt. Carmel High school had lost three straight coming into Wednesday night’s Palomar League opener against Torrey Pines. But, according to Coach John Marincovich, the losses--to Madison, Patrick Henry and Las Vegas--had been encouraging .

“We were finally playing with some consistency,” Marincovich said.

Against Torrey Pines, the consistent play finally resulted in a victory. Led by swingman Teddy Cohen, the Sundevils (5-7)outscored the Falcons, 24-13, in the fourth quarter to secure a 67-50 victory at Mt. Carmel High.

“We played well in those previous three games but couldn’t come away with a win,” Marincovich said. “Our kids did a really great job in that fourth quarter rebounding and playing defense. It was one of the finest quarters we’ve played this season.”

Cohen, who was injured in a practice after the first game of the season, returned Wednesday to spark the Mt. Carmel fourth-quarter surge. He scored eight points in the last quarter to help the Sundevils break away from a 43-37 lead after three quarters.

Scott Biggins led Mt. Carmel with 18 points and Jim Tejcek added 17--13 in the first half. Scott Kennedy paced Torrey Pines with 17 points and Kirk Kinney added 11.

In other Palomar League action:

Poway 66, Vista 42--The unbeaten Titans gained an 18-5 advantage after one quarter and cruised to the league-opening win at Vista High. Jud Buechler led Poway (11-0) with 16 points and Dominick Johnson added 14. John Colborne scored 13 points and pulled down 10 rebounds for the Titans, who led 42-19 at halftime.

In the Barons-Optimist Tournament at Bonita Vista High:

Richmond (Canada) 60, Crawford 50--Richmond rolled off a 19-10 spurt in the second quarter to open a 30-22 halftime lead, then maintained it to get the opening-round win over the Colts at Bonita Vista High. Steve Taylor led a balanced Richmond attack with 15 points. Crawford was paced by Mark Wheaton’s 22 points and 13 from Cliff Sullivan.

Bonita Vista 75, Alpha (Canada) 42--The host Barons ran out to a 29-15 halftime advantage and never looked back in this first-round game. David Fulmer scored 22 points and teammate David Woodhouse and Bill Redman added 12 apiece to lead Bonita Vista. Alpha, which was outscored, 25-7, in the fourth quarter, was paced by Gianni Debonis, who netted 17.

Madison 69, Lincoln 57--Jimmy Dean scored 14 of his game-high 22 points in the third quarter to lead the Warhawks (5-4) over the Hornets. Madison led 30-26 at halftime before Dean took over and helped his team to a 51-40 advantage after three quarters. Erick Jackson and Tony Blount helped Madison with 15 points apiece. Lincoln was led by Brian Grayson, who scored 17.

Morse 94, Marian 43--The Crusaders were outclassed by the Tigers, the tournament’s top-seeded team. Morse gained a 48-16 halftime lead and the Tigers never looked back. Five Morse players scored in double figures. Chris Jeter led all scorers with 15 points, Paul Bryant had 13, Greg Grinstead and Deshang Weaver scored 12 apiece, while Mike Richardson had 10. The Crusaders were led by Mark Cisneros, who scored 12 points, and Javier Nunez, who had 11.

In the Santana Tournament at Santana High:

Patrick Henry 87, Granite Hills 53--The Patriots (5-0) outscored Granite Hills, 27-12, in the first quarter and, 22-10, in the second before coasting to the win. Patrick Henry’s Howard Wright led all scorers with 30 points. Tom Shawcroft led Granite Hills with 17 points.

University 52, Mount Miguel 33--The Dons outscored Mount Miguel, 21-8, in the fourth quarter to seal the victory. Although neither team slowed the ball down on offense, only seven points were scored in the second quarter. University outscored the Matadors, 5-2, to lead by six, 21-15, at halftime. The Dons led, 31-25, after three quarters. University’s James Wilson led all scorers with 17 points and teammate Sean Giles added 14. Mike Wilson led Mount Miguel with 12 points.

St. Augustine 79, Clairemont 47--Jerry Rogers scored 16 points to lead the Saints to victory. There were five Saints in double figures. The Saints led, 14-6, after one quarter and, 33-14, at halftime.

Santana 68, Hilltop 46--Jeff Barry scored 22 points and Jim Tatum added 21 to lead the host Sultans. Santana led, 48-38, after three quarters but put the Lancers away with a 20-8 fourth quarter.

In the Peninsula Classic at Point Loma High:

Chula Vista 84, University City 41--Darnell Woods scored 23 points and had 10 rebounds to lead the Spartans (7-4) to their seventh-straight win. Bay Dean added 17 points for Chula Vista, and teammates Edgar Harvey had 13 and Joe Klanchar scored 12. Chula Vista led 17-9 after one quarter before outscoring University City, 27-8, in the second quarter to break the game open.

Southwest 59, Mar Vista 53--Mar Vista led, 40-37, after three quarters but Southwest outscored Mar Vista, 22-13, in the final quarter for the comeback win. David Reiff led Southwest with 18 points and teammates Alvin Bagos had 17 and Dean Riggs added 10. Jim McClusky led Mar Vista with 18 points and Bill Bray added 14.

Carlsbad 62, Southwest 56--Carlsbad outscored the Raiders, 19-6, in the opening quarter and were never threatened en route to the win. Carlsbad’s Rick White led all scorers with 21 points. Teammate Scott Porter added 11 points and Eric Bodman and Tim Smith had 10 points apiece. Dean Riggs led Southwest with 17 points, David Reiff added 11 points and Alvin Bagos had 10.

Point Loma 77, Carlsbad 60--The Lancers were defeated by the host Pointers, despite getting 10 assists from guard Tim Smith. Point Loma jumped out to a 23-16 lead after the first quarter, and extended it to 42-26 at the half before holding on for the win. The Pointers were led by Jeff Labovitz, who scored 15 points, and Kenneth Dunaway, who scored 13. Rick White and Eric Bodman led the Lancers with 18 points apiece.