HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL ROUNDUP : Chula Vista Keeps Pace With Sweetwater

Jim Conlin is in his first year as boys’ basketball coach at Bonita Vista. But he is being taught the nuances of the Metro Conference early and rudely.

In a match-up of undefeated Metro teams Wednesday night, host Chula Vista defeated Bonita Vista, 77-71.

Trailing, 73-71, Bonita Vista had a chance to tie or take the lead with fewer than 10 seconds left, but Chula Vista’s Carnell Penn wrested the ball from Rope Perry at the top of the key.

Penn then hit Trenell Hicks for a fast-break layup that was ruled good after a goaltending call on Perry. A technical foul called on the Bonita Vista bench resulted in the final two points, free throws by Penn with five seconds left.

The victory left Chula Vista (13-4, 4-0) and No. 2 Sweetwater (15-1, 4-0) as the leaders in the Metro title race. Bonita Vista fell to 8-5, 4-1 and essentially--barring upsets--faces a situation of having to defeat Sweetwater twice for the championship.

“This is the game that would decide who is going to challenge Sweetwater,” Conlin said.

Mike Collins, Chula Vista’s coach of 18 years, says any victory in the league is big. But his players are looking forward to a week from Friday, when they visit Sweetwater.

“Now we know we’re one step up in the Metro,” Hicks said. “We know we’re going to have to play Sweetwater for the championship.”

After Bonita Vista scored 10 consecutive points and took a 63-62 lead moments into the fourth quarter, Penn, who had a team-high 25 points, took charge and scored Chula Vista’s next six.

Bonita Vista’s Allen McNamee (20 points) hit his third three-pointer and made a pair of free throws, and Penn made two of his own to tie it at 71-71 with 2:57 left. Daniel Johnson’s five-foot bank shot made it 73-71.

It remained there until Bonita Vista rebounded a missed Spartan free throw and tried to set it up for Perry, a 6-foot-5 junior who had 25 points and seven rebounds.

“He’s a big player for them,” Penn said. “He’s the guy they want to shoot that last shot. I just stuck my hand in and knocked the ball away.”