El Camino, Oatsvall Solve Escondido Slowdown for 69-67 Win

You could see the anger on Scott Oatsvall’s face for most of the game.

He had scored only four points in the first three quarters. And he appeared not to be pleased about the officiating, either, especially after he picked up his fourth foul with 3 minutes 11 seconds to play.

When he came to the bench, he kicked a chair and muttered something to himself.

But his play in the fourth quarter changed his expression.

Oatsvall scored 11 points, including an ally-oop layup on a pass from Lee Cobb, as No. 5 El Camino defeated No. 9 Escondido, 69-67, to retain first place in the Avocado League Tuesday night at El Camino.

El Camino improved to 17-4, 10-1 in the league. Escondido (15-6, 8-3) is tied for second with Oceanside, which also lost Wednesday.

Oatsvall made two key steals when Escondido tried to stall with a four-corner offense.

“If Oatsvall doesn’t make great plays there, the stall would have worked,” El Camino Coach Ray Johnson said.

It was ironic that Oatsvall was a hero. But it was equally strange that Escondido went to the four-corners with about five minutes to play and a 59-54 lead.

The fast break had put Escondido in front. It scored on three quick fast breaks at the start of the game and played up-tempo the entire first quarter. At one point, the Cougars led, 19-11.

But El Camino managed to slow the tempo and play a half-court game in the second quarter and took a 38-34 lead. Escondido started going again in the first six minutes of the third quarter as Tim Bone, Paul Baldwin and Jason Hendrickson got the Cougars running and outscored the Wildcats, 18-4.

Escondido led, 52-42, and Oatsvall was cursing to himself on El Camino’s bench with four fouls.

But El Camino got back in the game when Cobb made three consecutive baskets to cut the lead to 52-48 right before the end of the quarter.

The four-corners worked the first time Escondido used it. Bone scored on a layup to put his team ahead, 61-54.

But the next six Escondido possessions ended up on the other end of the floor in El Camino baskets, and El Camino had a 67-61 lead.

Why did Escondido Coach Mike Williams put in the slow-down?

“We had done it nine times, and won with it nine times,” he said. “We made some mental mistakes in our passing and did not execute. But I would do it again. It’s hard to sustain a fast break for 32 minutes.”

Escondido had trouble coming out of its tranquilized state, but two three-pointers by Hendrickson from the same spot on the right wing helped. He made one to cut the score to 67-64. He hit again after El Camino’s Sylvester Jones was called for charging missed to tie the game with 38 seconds left.

Each team made a turnover, and then El Camino called timeout with 16 seconds left.

Johnson set up a play in which the ball would go to Cobb at the high-post, and Cobb in turn would hit Oatsvall cutting to the basket. And that’s exactly what happened as Oatsvall scored the eventual game-winner.