El Camino Real Takes Round 1 in Meeting of City 3-A Favorites

Grant and El Camino Real highs anticipated a close game in their season opener Wednesday, and that’s exactly what they produced.

The showdown between preseason favorites in the City Section 3-A Division came down to a missed layup with 27 seconds remaining before El Camino Real was able to pull away for a 47-42 nonleague victory at home.

After Grant had staged a late rally from a 6-point deficit, Lancer forward Setro Terzian had the ball and a chance to tie the score. Terzian made a strong move to the basket, but his shot with 27 seconds remaining curled off the rim.

El Camino Real controlled the rebound and its destiny after that, making its foul shots down the stretch to hold off Grant.

“We played tough late in the game,” El Camino Real Coach Mike McNulty said. “To beat a team as good as we did, that’s a good win.”

Last season, Grant advanced to the 3-A final. But the Conquistadores, who have moved down to 3-A from the 4-A level, also entertain high hopes this season.

El Camino Real managed the victory despite an off-day for All-City forward Brent Lofton. Grant double- and triple-teamed Lofton, who continually dropped passes and missed shots.

“That was a real bad game for me,” said Lofton, whose 15 points and 9 rebounds were well below his averages last season of 24.5 points and 12 rebounds a game. “But it doesn’t matter to me if I score 2 points or 20 points, just as long as we win.”

El Camino Real’s other top scorers, center Jason Steele and guard Jason Farrell, each contributed 8 points as the Conquistadores maintained a slim lead throughout the first 2 quarters and posted a 24-23 halftime advantage.

Grant employed a full-court press with some success, harassing El Camino Real into numerous backcourt turnovers. But it was a defensive move by the Conquistadores that may have decided the outcome.

Nate Connor scored 11 points to lead Grant in the first half, prompting El Camino Real to switch to a match-up zone defense to counter the guard’s early success. Connor scored just 4 points in the second half and Grant was limited to 6 in the third quarter.

“They played really good defense in the second half,” Grant Coach Howard Levine said. “We knew what they were going to do, but we couldn’t execute.”

Forward Troy Mcleod scored 12 points and grabbed 9 rebounds for Grant.