HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL ROUNDUP : Mt. Carmel Convinces Falcons

Torrey Pines guard Bart Brandenburg didn’t really know how to explain Wednesday night’s 70-60 loss to Mt. Carmel, which may have ended the Falcons’ two-year reign as Palomar League boys’ basketball champs.

But his coach, John Farrell, did.

“They’re a very good team,” Farrell said. “The better team won. They’re the class of the division.”

Third-ranked Mt. Carmel (17-4, 10-1) was better in almost every phase of the game, but especially in the first half, when it jumped to a 37-16 lead.

Mt. Carmel guards Mike Graves and Dana Pope and forward Bill Wootton did much of the damage. They forced Torrey Pines’ guards, Brandenburg and Kyle Armstrong, into a handful of turnovers, most of which were turned into layups by the Sundevils.

And when they weren’t stepping into passing lanes, Graves, Pope and Wootton, and even center Shane Knight (two first-half points), were blocking or affecting many shots attempted by Brandenburg and Armstrong, who were just one for 10 from the field in the first half and scored but two points.

In the teams’ first meeting, they combined for 33.

As a team, the Falcons were just six of 24 in the first half to Mt. Carmel’s 15 for 26.

“Our man-to-man defense took them out of their three-point shot,” said Pope, who finished with 13 points, five rebounds, five steals and a block.”

“Brandenburg, Armstrong and Carter Brown hurt us last time by penetrating and dishing off for the three,” Mt. Carmel Coach John Marincovich said.

Last time, Torrey Pines lost by two.

This time, Torrey Pines (21-3, 9-2) never saw anything as good as a two-point deficit after the first two minutes. Mt. Carmel took a 5-4 lead, then ran off nine consecutive points and was never seriously challenged. A 24-point second-half lead was sliced to 58-49 with 6:10 left in the fourth quarter because of some sloppy passing against Torrey Pines’ press.

“In the second half, I don’t know if we were getting some deja vu or what,” said Marincovich, referring to the fourth-quarter fold in a 70-68 loss to Poway Friday.

Wootton led Mt. Carmel, which last won the Palomar League in 1987, with 20 points. Graves had 11, and Knight finished with 10 and five blocks.

Brandenburg led Torrey Pines with 15 points, and Bill Scheibe had 14. Armstrong finished with five on one-for-10 shooting.