Garden Grove League : Campbell’s Short Stint Doesn’t Slow La Quinta

Is there a better pure shooter in Orange County than Scott Campbell of La Quinta High School?

It seems doubtful, after watching Campbell score 27 points in little more than 21 minutes Wednesday night in La Quinta’s 74-58 Garden Grove League victory over host Rancho Alamitos.

Campbell made 12 of 16 shots, with all but one from beyond 15 feet, despite seeing limited action after getting his fourth foul with 6:43 remaining in the third quarter.

During one stretch, Campbell, a 6-foot 3-inch senior, made 8 consecutive shots to help La Quinta (13-4, 8-0) solidify its hold on first place in the 8-team league.

“If there’s a better shooter around, I haven’t seen him,” said Jim Perry, La Quinta’s coach. “Scott has the good height and the great strength to get over guys, even when he’s covered.

“He has unlimited range and is an excellent leaper. So far, nobody has been able to guard him. I think he’s the best player in the county.”

But with Campbell on the bench, La Quinta got a chance to demonstrate it’s not a one-dimensional team. The Aztecs picked up the slack and were only outscored by a point during his lengthy absence.

“We have one great individual, but we generally play well as a group,” Perry said. “We got some quality minutes from our substitutes tonight.”

Rancho Alamitos (6-9, 4-4) was facing a must-win situation to keep its playoff aspirations alive, but the Vaqueros managed to make only 17 of 39 free throws for a dismal 44%.

“We need to beat one of the big three (La Quinta, Kennedy and Pacifica) if we want to go to the playoffs, and so far, we haven’t,” said Terry Munson, Rancho Alamitos coach. “It’s been a frustrating year.”

Los Amigos 73, Garden Grove 60--Carlos Palomino scored 24 points to lead Los Amigos (5-10, 4-4) at Garden Grove. The score was tied, 11-11, at the end of the first quarter, but Los Amigos outscored Garden Grove, 20-12, to take a 31-23 halftime lead. Jovan Hunter and David Pearlman each scored 18 points for the Lobos. Chuck York scored 18 points and Joe Squyres 17 for Garden Grove (4-13, 3-5).

Pacifica 86, Santiago 48--Randy Schulze had 19 points and 10 rebounds to lead host Pacifica (11-5, 6-2), which led, 30-7, at the end of the first quarter. Bill Maurer had 18 points and 14 assists for the Mariners, Dustin Bonham scored 13 points for Pacifica. Jason Heskett scored 15 points and Alex Ripley 13 for Santiago (1-12, 1-7).