Camarillo Defenders Cut Royal Down to Size

As expected, Royal High’s towering Jared Byrne and Kevin Hambly inflicted more than their share of damage early in the Highlanders’ Marmonte League contest at Camarillo on Wednesday night.

The pair of 6-foot-7 seniors scored basket after basket virtually uncontested by the Scorpions, whose tallest player is only 6-3.

But what wasn’t expected took place in the second half.

Camarillo switched to an aggressive zone defense that handcuffed Byrne and Hambly, and the Highlanders’ 36% shooting from the field all but eliminated any chances of spreading Camarillo’s sagging defense.

Thus, the scrappy Scorpions walked away with a 77-66 win that improved their record to 9-2 overall, 3-0 in league play. Royal, last year’s co-champion, is 10-5, 1-2. Camarillo will visit Channel Islands (11-2, 3-0) on Friday.

“Hey, we’re not exactly big, so we have no choice but to put a body on (Royal),” Camarillo Coach Mike Prewitt said. “As long as it’s clean, it’s what we want to do.”

Royal was the aggressor in the first half. Hambly (18 points) and Byrne (12) scored all but 10 of Royal’s 40 points, and the Highlanders led, 40-36, at halftime.

But in the second half, Camarillo’s zone baffled Royal, which hit only four of 14 shots in the third quarter. Camarillo, meanwhile, began the half with a 10-3 run that gave the Scorpions a 46-43 lead they would never relinquish.

Dave Nathaniel, who scored 13 points in the third quarter and finished with 18, converted a three-point play with 2 minutes 12 seconds left in the quarter that extended Camarillo’s lead to 57-51. Camarillo opened its biggest margin with 6:25 to play when Brian Vellmure’s pull-up jumper gave the Scorpions a 68-51 lead.

Royal, which hit only 10 of 28 shots in the second half, could get no closer than nine thereafter. Hambly was limited to five points in the second half and Byrne did not score. “Their defense came out really fired up,” Byrne said. “It was like they were a different team.”