HIGH SCHOOL BOYS’ BASKETBALL ROUNDUP : Mira Mesa Wins by Playing as Oceanside Coach Feared

Oceanside Coach Steve Kinder made three observations before the Pirates played Mira Mesa for the Chula Vista Tournament boys’ basketball title Friday night at Chula Vista.

Two were correct and negated the other as No. 10 Mira Mesa defeated Oceanside, 95-82.

Kinder’s first two comments had to do with defending Mira Mesa. He said his team had to keep the ball away from Marc Ziegler and be wary of the Marauders’ surprising quickness. The other concerned his team: “A score in the 75-85 range would be to our advantage.”

Oceanside was unable to keep the ball out of Ziegler’s big hands, and Mira Mesa showed off its quickness by beating the Pirates at their own game. And that meant his point requirements weren’t enough.

Ziegler, a 6-foot-4 center, had 15 points and six rebounds in the first quarter to help Mira Mesa take a 28-11 lead. He added 10 more points, two rebounds and two blocks in the third quarter and finished with a game-high 31 points, plus 14 rebounds and the tournament’s most valuable player award.

When Oceanside was successful stopping Ziegler, teammates J.J. Rowlett (18 points), Kal Chatham (13) and Shed Smith (11) picked up the slack.

Behind the play of Jerry Garrett (24 points, seven rebounds), Carl Mathis (16 points) and Kenya Hunt (16 points), Oceanside tried to come back, but the Marauders would not relent.

“I’m always worried when we get out to a big lead like that in the first quarter,” Mira Mesa Coach Tim Cunningham said.

Oceanside pulled to within seven, but Mira Mesa turned it on to lead, 48-34, at halftime. The Pirates got to within 83-74 with two minutes 24 seconds left, but Mira Mesa (8-4) made nine of 10 free throws down the stretch to secure its seventh victory in eight games. Oceanside, which had won four in a row, fell to 6-3.

“We wanted to run the fast break, and we knew that we could,” Ziegler said. “We kept our heads that whole game.”

Said Kinder: “We came out flat, and they were ready to play. I know I’m going to eat that quote now, but I still feel if we score in the 80s, we will usually win the game.”