Falcons Get Easy Victory

It wasn’t pretty, but No. 1 Torrey Pines was certainly satisfied with its 58-36 rout of La Palma Kennedy in the first round of the Southern California Division II boys’ basketball regional tournament Tuesday.

The Falcons’ two big men--6-foot-11 center Scot Pollard and 6-7 1/2 forward Peter Bates--got the rare opportunity to test their skills against a team of comparable size and responded by leading second seeded Torrey Pines (28-3) to its 20th consecutive victory.

Bates, a senior who averages 12.3 points, conducted an inside shooting clinic against 6-10 senior Jermaine Galloway and 6-6 junior Pat Kunz of Garden Grove League champion Kennedy (23-8). Bates finished with 18 points and nine rebounds.

Pollard, a junior, finished with 14 points, seven rebounds and seven blocked shots, most of which came in the first half. But in an otherwise slow, methodical half-court affair, Pollard thrilled a crowd of about 2,000 in Torrey Pines’ gym with a pair of thundering dunks as the Falcons turned a five-point lead into a 22-point victory in the second half.

“I was off my game a little, but Pete (Bates) was doing a good job, and it was nice to pull some moves against a guy my size (Galloway),” Pollard said. “We’re not used to playing teams with this kind of height, and I really had some fun tonight.”

After Torrey Pines trudged to a 25-20 halftime lead, Pollard took a pass from Bates and collapsed the rim with a slam that made the lead nine, 33-24, in the third quarter. Then with 4:18 left, Pollard swatted a shot by Jeff Cummins (13 points) and jammed it at the other end, capping a 14-0 Falcons run and making the score 45-24.

Torrey Pines’ defense forced 14 Kennedy turnovers in the second half and stymied Galloway, who averages 20.2 points and 10.2 rebounds. Galloway finished with 10 points and six rebounds.

“I think we can play better than we showed tonight,” Torrey Pines Coach John Farrell said. “We felt the defense won the game for us.”

The Falcons broke the game open in the third quarter by holding the Fighting Irish to four points and one-for-12 shooting from the floor. Kennedy couldn’t foul its way back into the game either, as Torrey Pines made 19 of 23 free throws in the second half.

“We hung in well in the first half,” said Kennedy Coach John Mayberry. “But Pollard did a good job on us. The board count (33-29, Torrey Pines) must have been really horrible. They gave us fits.”