Lopez Leads 2nd-Half Surge in Campbell Hall Win, 76-65

Alex Estrada gratefully accepted the consoling pats on the back, even though they came from gloating Campbell Hall High fans after the Vikings beat Faith Baptist, 76-65, Saturday night at Campbell Hall.

Estrada, an All-Southern Section point guard last season as a sophomore, has heard the accolades before. So he knew how, when the time came, to dish out the compliments as quickly as he would the outlet pass on a fast break.

Estrada’s target was another guy with the same first name and the same promising future: Campbell Hall’s Alex Lopez.

“We double-teamed him, we did everything,” Estrada said of Lopez. “We didn’t stop him and he hurt us. He’s going to be a great player.”

Lopez, a 6-foot-10 freshman who was hampered by foul trouble in the first half, keyed a second-half blitz by Campbell Hall that proved decisive.

Faith Baptist (11-7, 2-4 in Delphic League play) rolled to a 33-30 halftime lead, largely because the largest guy on the floor--Lopez--had been bench-ridden since picking up his second foul with 5 minutes 42 seconds left in the first quarter. Estrada repeatedly sliced through an untended lane to spark the Contenders.

Lopez reappeared in the second half and scored all eight of his points in the third quarter as Campbell Hall (18-1, 5-1) pulled even, 49-49, entering the fourth.

“We felt that, No. 1, Alex is a premier post player,” Campbell Hall Coach Joe Jackson said. “We knew we had to get the ball to him because he has the advantage against anybody in the low post.”

After Lopez helped the Vikings get even, Estrada and his opposite number--Austin McKellar--started a point guard floor show. Estrada, who matched his season best with 33 points, scored on a three-point basket and a medium-range jump shot as Faith Baptist took a 58-57 lead with 6:01 left, but it was the last lead of the game for the defending Southern Section 1-A Division champion.

The Vikings went on a 9-2 run to take a 66-60 lead with 4 1/2 minutes left.

McKellar put away Faith Baptist with 2:05 remaining when he grabbed a rebound in the backcourt, knifed his way up the floor and through the lane before tossing in a twisting bank shot for a 71-62 lead. McKellar, a junior who finished with 29 points, scored eight in the fourth quarter.