CRESCENTA VALLEY TOURNAMENT : Pilibos Out of Step as Hosts Waltz to Victory

When you throw your own party, you dance with the partner of your choice.

That was probably the thinking of the Crescenta Valley High coaches when they matched their team against Pilibos in the first round of the Crescenta Valley tournament.

The Falcons hammered Pilibos, 112-38, Wednesday night.

Pilibos, a private school in Hollywood, did manage to outscore Crescenta Valley’s Adam Jacobsen, who racked up 37 points.

However, Jacobsen played only about 21 minutes.

“I don’t really like playing games like this,” said Jacobsen, who improved his scoring average to 29.2 points. “We don’t execute very well.”

Jacobsen, who has signed to play for Pacific, increased his Southern Section three-point basket record to 309 by making five in 12 attempts.

But the shot he will remember most was not a long bomb but one as short as they come. A dunk. His first in a game.

“I’m happy to get one finally,” said Jacobsen, who transferred to Crescenta Valley from Glendora in the off-season. “I’ve been dunking in practice but never really had a chance in a game.”

The first clue that Pilibos was mediocre might have been their uniforms. They were practice jerseys--turned white-side-out on this night--with white gym shorts and a variety of types of sneakers.

Another clue probably came about the time Jacobsen made his dunk and Crescenta Valley bumped its lead to 52-11 late in the second quarter.

After Jacobsen, who also had nine rebounds and six steals, came out for the last time, with 42 seconds to play in the third quarter, his brother, Brock, a freshman, took over the scoring load.

Brock Jacobsen finished with 12 points, including two three-pointers, and a team-high 12 rebounds. Brendan Cowsill scored 13.

The Falcons (6-0), ranked third in The Times’ area top 10, will play Hart tonight at 8 in a semifinal.

Santa Clara 57, Poly 38--Brian Clark scored 19 points to lead the Saints, who overcame a slow start to advance to the semifinals. Santa Clara (6-1) trailed Poly, 12-3, midway through the first quarter.

“We should have beaten these guys by 40,” Clark said. “I guess the long van ride did us in a little. A good yelling at halftime helped, though.”

Santa Clara, which has won four consecutive Southern Section titles, went into the locker room ahead only 27-25, but the Saints started the third quarter with a 12-2 run and added a 13-2 run in the fourth.

Mike Chairuttanativech led Poly (0-4) with 10 points.

Dave Varela (14 points) and Jeff Pena (13) also scored in double figures for Santa Clara, which will meet St. John Bosco at 6:30 tonight. St. John Bosco defeated Centennial, 103-74, Wednesday.

Poly will face Centennial in a consolation-round game at 3:30 p.m.

Hart 69, Franklin 57--Matt Steffe had 31 points and 12 rebounds, and David Sanders had 21 points to lead Hart (2-3).