HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL : Barajas Buries Jumpers; USDHS Wins Title

During one magical stretch, Eric Barajas could do no wrong. He knew it, and so did everyone else.

You could tell by the look on his face, and the way he brought the ball up the court, and the way he sprang up for those three jump shots, and the way the ball arched smoothly through the air before landing softly in the net.

Eight points.

In less than one minute of the second quarter.

From then on, USDHS (10-2) glided to an easy 76-48 victory over Christian (10-3) Saturday night at Montgomery High School to win the Aztec Highland Basketball Tournament. Barajas, the Dons’ senior guard, finished with a game-high 28 points--24 in the first half--and the tournament MVP trophy.

So rattled was Christian by halftime that Patriot guard Chad DeGrenier volunteered to be the shadow of the shooter in the second half. Why not? Something had to be done.

“We had to have somebody to guard him,” said DeGrenier, who led his team with 15. “He’s tough. I’ve got a lot of respect for him.”

And nothing told more about how difficult he is to defend than the shade of red covering DeGrenier’s face in the final minutes. DeGrenier is the quarterback of the football team. He acknowledges he still hasn’t adjusted to playing the game that isn’t broken up by huddles. Not enough breathers.

As for Barajas, he’s fine-tuning his jump shot each day. It seems he has a tendency to shoot flat-footed sometimes. So his coach, Jim Tomey, will yell: “Elevate, elevate.” And then Barajas remembers to give an extra push off the ground when he releases.

“We work extra hard with him,” Tomey said. “We want him to shoot jump shots, ‘cause that’s what he’s going to have to shoot next year (in college).”

Saturday’s game was close for a little more than a quarter. Guard Jeff Rose popped a three-pointer to pull Christian within two at 20-18 in the beginning of the second quarter. Then Barajas got the ball and hit a jump shot. A Christian pass was stolen, and Barajas made a three-pointer. Another Christian pass was stolen, and Barajas made another three-pointer.

That made it 28-18 with 3:34 to play in the half. Christian was never again within 10.

“That was the key right there,” Christian Coach Randy Wright said. “Three times down the court. That’s hard to recover from.”

But it’s nice if you’re on the receiving end. By the third shot, Barajas sort of figured the ball would drop.

“Yeah,” he said. “Kind of felt it.”

And his elevation?

Said Wright: “I’d give him about a nine.”