Division V Boys’ : Basketball Playoffs : Bishop’s Coach Happy to Get Past Imperial

Bishop’s Coach Ren Marquette said he was a little steamed after his undefeated boys’ basketball team beat Julian, a team with a 12-12 record, by 15 points last Friday night.

But Marquette didn’t feel that way after Bishop’s (22-0) beat Imperial, 57-39, in the San Diego Section Division V semifinals Wednesday night, even though Imperial had only a 11-12 record before the game.

In the Division V final Saturday at the Sports Arena, Bishop’s will play Calipatria, which defeated visiting Francis Parker, 90-62, in the other semifinal.

“I’m really pleased with this big a margin,” Marquette said. “They are a much better team than Julian. Imperial has played some really tough teams, so their record is deceiving.”

Imperial played 14 teams that play in the 3-A or 2-A during the regular season. The Tigers even beat Mission Bay, which beat Kearny, which beat top-ranked Torrey Pines Tuesday night.

Bishop’s exploited its size advantage Wednesday. Josh Peterson, a 6-foot 6-inch center, scored six points in the second quarter as Bishop’s extended a 12-9 first-quarter lead to 27-17 by halftime.

The height difference was more apparent when Imperial had the ball. Brian Williams, at 6-2 Imperial’s tallest player, scored four inside points early. But Peterson and Chris McKenna (6-5) kept him from scoring another basket.

Bishop’s speed also did in Imperial. Kamal Assaf scored a game-high 19 points, several of which came off fast breaks.