San Diego Prep Basketball : Thrower’s 3 Throws Lead Henry

Three last-minute points from an unexpected source helped Patrick Henry High School clinch a key City Eastern League game against Morse, 69-67, before approximately 1,300 fans at Patrick Henry.

Patrick Henry sophomore guard Darren Thrower did not even know he had been moved up to the varsity until five hours before Tuesday’s game.

That’s when Patriots Coach Fritz Ziegenfuss elevated Thrower from the junior varsity to replace senior guard Kinsey Smith, who was suspended indefinitely for disciplinary reasons.

Suddenly, Thrower became a hero when he hit three of four foul shots in the game’s final minute to give the undefeated Patriots (2-0, 15-0) a 68-65 lead.

“I was thinking about the free throws real hard because I was very nervous,” Thrower said. “All I had to do was remember to get it over the front of the rim.”

Morse’s Paul Bryant, who led the Tigers (1-1, 7-4) with 24 points and scored 8 of the team’s 10 fourth-quarter points, hit a shot with 33 seconds remaining to make it 68-67. Henry’s Howard Wright, who scored a game-high 28 points, added a free throw to make it 69-67.

The Tigers had a chance to tie the game, but Bryant’s shot was off the mark with four seconds left.

Junior Young had 15 points and Darin Redding added 10 for Patrick Henry. David Gayden had 12 points while Chris Jeter added 10 for the Tigers.

In other City Eastern League games:

Madison 59, Mira Mesa 47--Madison limited Mira Mesa to five points in the first quarter in the game at Mira Mesa. Jimmie Dean led Madison (2-0, 8-5) with 18 points. Sean Carter led Mira Mesa (0-2, 6-8) with 11.

Pt. Loma 76, Serra 69--Fifth-ranked Pt. Loma (1-1, 12-3) got 19 points from Orlando Hill, 16 points from Darryl Jackson, and 12 from Roderick Stidum. Serra (0-2, 9-5 overall) was led by Deven Moran, who scored 25 points. Steve Smith scored 16 and Anthony Moore had 10.

In City Central League action:

Hoover 67, Crawford 58--The Cardinals were outscored, 21-12, in the first period, but came back behind an aggressive full-court press and trailed by just one point at halftime. The second half was all Hoover as the sixth-ranked Cardinals never relinquished a third-quarter lead.

Keith Williams led the Cardinals (2-0, 14-2) in scoring with 22 points, Sam Aguirre had 21 and Ken Matthews had 16. Crawford (0-2, 4-9) was led by Mark Hayes, who scored 17 points, Dee Halton had 12, and Cliff Sullivan 11.

Lincoln 55, Christian 54 (OT)--The Patriots beat themselves at the foul line in Tuesday’s game at Christian. Christian (0-2, 9-5) was able to convert only 16 of 32 free throw attempts, and only 2 of 10 in the final two minutes of regulation play and overtime. Four of those misses came on the front end of one-and-one opportunities.

The visiting Hornets (2-0, 6-7) only had 10 free throw opportunities, but converted 7. Anthony Johnson scored 12 points to pace Lincoln. Kenarsie Ceaser and Jeamel Nutt added 10 apiece. Sam Attisha led Christian with 15 points, followed by Matt Price with 13 and Bill Donley with 12.

In City Western League action:

University 55, Clairemont 46--The Chiefs couldn’t control University’s outside shooting in a game played at Clairemont. University (1-1, 9-8) led, 26-20, at halftime. Sean Giles scored 19 points and Ken Zampese added 12 to lead the Dons. Clairemont 0-2, 0-13) was paced by Orlando Henry’s nine points.

Kearny 64, University City 31--Everyone played for the Komets as they routed the winless Centurians in a game played at Kearny. University City has not won in 12 starts, and is 0-2 in league play. Kearny (2-0, 11-5) was led by Parry Moss, who scored 13 points, and Brad Milhoan, who had 10. Leading scorer for the Centurians was Brett Darensbourg with 14.

Mission Bay 56, La Jolla 42--The Vikings closed to within eight points of the Buccaneers with two minutes to play, but could come no closer. John Cheatham led Mission Bay (2-0, 10-4) in scoring with 18 points. Rodney Henderson added 12 and Juan Ruiz had 10. Darren Fulhorst and Steve Peterson scored nine points apiece for La Jolla (1-1, 5-6).

In the Grossmont League:

Santana 62, Grossmont 39--Santana’s Jim Tatum, the county’s leading scorer, scored a game-high 22 points to lead the Sultans at Santana. Carlos Lopez added 10 points for Santana (4-4, 10-5) and teammate Jeff Barry had nine rebounds and six assists. Grossmont (1-7, 6-11) was led by Bill Cook’s 14 points.

Valhalla 53, El Cajon 46--Sophomore Troy Toolson scored 15 points and Todd Christianson added 14 to lead Valhalla in a game at El Cajon. Valhalla (4-4, 8-6) led, 23-22, at halftime. Robert Jones’ 20 points paced El Cajon (4-4, 7-7).

Helix 72, Granite Hills 42--The Highlanders took control of the game in the third period, outscoring the Eagles 12-5 after leading by six points at halftime. Helix (6-2, 11-5) was led by Doug Renert, who scored a game-high 22 points. Eric Mobley added 15, and Dan Seymour had 12. Helix point guard Javier Castaneda had 10 points and 10 assists. Tom Shawcroft led Granite Hills (2-6, 3-12) with 15.