HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL ROUNDUP : Torrey Pines Wins With Guards Down

For nearly three quarters Friday night in Poway, Torrey Pines waited for some lightning from its guards.

It never came. Instead, the Falcons settled for a little thunder from their big guy, 6-foot-7 senior center Chris Stevens, and there really was nothing wrong with that.

Stevens, held scoreless in the first half, had 10 points in the second--and eight in the fourth--as No. 3 Torrey Pines eased past No. 7 Poway for the second time this season in a Palomar League game, 54-43.

Guard play has been Torrey Pines’ strength this season. But Poway’s man-to-man defense was tight enough to drive the Torrey Pines guards a little nutty, so the Falcons turned it over to their low-post players. That, as well as making eight of nine fourth-quarter free throws, gave Torrey Pines (19-2, 7-1) the victory.

Forward Bill Scheibe, a 6-2 junior, scored 13 of his game-high 17 points in the first half to help Torrey Pines to a 26-25 halftime advantage.

Then, with just a couple of minutes left in the third quarter, Torrey Pines Coach John Farrell ordered a spread offense, and it worked. Stevens was able to get a layup with three minutes remaining in the third; then, with 6:19 to play in the fourth and Torrey Pines clinging to a 38-37 lead, Stevens snuck backdoor twice and Scheibe once. Suddenly, it was 46-39, and time was running out on Poway.

The Titans were forced to foul, and Torrey Pines made eight consecutive free throws in the final 1:08.

“They controlled the tempo late,” Poway Coach Neville Saner said. “We needed the ball to score, and we didn’t have it.”

Torrey Pines surprised Poway (12-5, 3-5) by going to a controlled game that early.

“But at least they had some respect for our defense,” Saner said.

The same couldn’t be said for the Poway offense. The Titans haven’t been shooting well lately, and Friday was no exception. They made just 28% (14 of 50) of their field-goal attempts. Poway has lost five of its past eight games.