Jacobsen Proves to Be a Cut Above His Foes

Crescenta Valley High guard Adam Jacobsen can shoot. The position on the floor doesn’t matter. The defense doesn’t matter. Blood gushing from a head wound doesn’t matter.

Against Mira Costa in the championship game of the St. Louis Holiday Classic last week in Honolulu, Jacobsen and an opposing player butted heads early in the game, opening a gash above Jacobsen’s left eye.

The cut was bandaged, and Jacobsen remained in the game to score 22 points in the first half. He finished with 29.

“Right after I got it cut, I think I hit three or four three-pointers right in a row,” said Jacobsen, who is leading the Falcons with a 29-point average.

After the game, Jacobsen took seven stitches.

“My dad was calling me Rocky Balboa,” he said.

WYATT EARP

Kennedy Coach Yutaka Shimizu said he wanted to give it a shot. Senior swingman Joe Wyatt, Shimizu’s shooter, was up for the challenge.

Wyatt did not miss by much.

Shimizu said last week at the Birmingham tournament that he wanted to give Wyatt a chance to score 50 points in a game. Wyatt scored 41 in a 67-58 victory against Sherman Oaks CES.

Wyatt, a Times All-Valley selection as a junior, scored 17 of his team’s 19 points in the first quarter. By halftime, Wyatt had knocked down six three-point shots. Sherman Oaks put the clamps on him in the second half, however, with a box-and-one defense.

Although defenses have begun to single him out--he is one of the few offensive threats for Kennedy (5-9)--Wyatt takes the attention as a compliment.

“It makes me better,” said Wyatt, who is averaging 30.7 points. “I’ve gotta work harder for my shots; I have to earn them.

“I expect (defensive attention) now. It used to bother me, but now I’m used to it.”

BUZZER BEATERS

If Greg Hilliard was not sure of the extent of his basketball team’s problems, he is now.

Hilliard’s Harvard-Westlake team was preparing to meet Blair in a consolation game of the Covina tournament last week. Problem was, Blair wasn’t there.

About three minutes before tip-off, Blair pitched up with four players. Just before the start of the game, two more arrived wearing street clothes.

Hilliard said he allowed the players a few minutes to dress, then the game began. “We took a little bit of a lead while they were getting warmed up,” Hilliard said, “but then they started to take us apart.”

Blair, which used only six players until one fouled out, won, 79-59. And it wasn’t that close, Hilliard said.

“We were a little disturbed at how they were able to just show up and beat us,” Hilliard said. “It just indicated to us how far we have to come.”

ZZZZZZZZ

St. Francis Coach John Jordan, whose team is struggling, was puzzled by Brea-Olinda’s strategy against the Golden Knights last week. The Wildcats dragged the game to a screeching halt, winning, 30-29.

“They must have thought they were playing Mater Dei (a state Division I finalist last season) or something,” Jordan said.

STATS? WHAT STATS?

Bell-Jeff Coach Steve Wahl has one less concern: statistics. Wahl said he was upset with his players for getting “carried away” worrying about their statistics. So . . .

“I ripped them up right in front of them,” Wahl said. “They need to wake up a little bit.”

Wahl said he will keep track of only points for the remainder of the season.

HIGH TIDE

The Montclair Prep basketball team, in New Orleans for a holiday tournament, had completed a tour of the Superdome and was surprised to see a large gathering of police outside.

“We thought there was some kind of murder,” co-Coach Howard Abrams said, “but they were just escorting Alabama in to practice.”

LAND OF THE LOST

Cleveland recently competed in the tough Artesia tournament and, for the third time in as many seasons, took some lumps. “I’m wishing we hadn’t gone,” Coach Kevin Crider said. “Something funny seems to happen with that thing every year.”

Funny isn’t the word. Cleveland went 1-3 in the tournament, which includes several highly regarded teams from the Los Angeles area. Equally daunting, though, was the fact that Cleveland again had trouble putting together a team.

Because of injuries and player commitments, Cleveland was down to seven players for the final game. Even standout forward Shawn Bankhead, an All-City Section 4-A Division selection as a junior, missed a tournament game because he was unable to arrange a ride.

Two seasons ago, Cleveland also had but a handful of players for the tournament.

BREAKDOWN

Fourth quarters have not been enjoyable for the Saugus basketball team.

The Centurions (2-8) have led entering the final quarter in five of their losses. However, Saugus has hurt itself by closing games with poor shot selection, turnovers and lax defense.

“We’re real young and I guess we’re adjusting to that,” Coach Eric Olsson said. “In two of the games we lost, we were ahead by a lot. It’s hard to figure out.”

Olsson said the team appears to play “tight” at the end.

“We really don’t have one person to go to when we need a basket like some of the other schools do,” Olsson said. “I know it’s a cliche, but the kids are out there playing not to lose instead of playing to win.

“Hopefully, we’ll get better with experience.”

MIGHTY MITE

One does not have to be big in stature to be a leader--even in basketball.

Just ask Santa Clara’s Brian Clark.

The 5-foot-9 senior guard leads the Saints in scoring (18.5), rebounding (5.4), steals (3.6) and assists (2.7).

He has a knack for being in the right place and has emerged as a player who will make the clutch basket. Clark is a big reason for the Saints’ success in the preseason. Santa Clara is 10-5 after the core of last season’s team, which won the school’s fourth consecutive section championship, was lost to graduation.

“He’s been playing super,” Coach Lou Cvijanovich said. “You can’t ask any more of him.”

LONG GONE

How important was Lance Fay to last season’s Buena basketball team? Plenty, considering the Bulldogs’ 1-8 start this season.

Fay, now at Oxnard College, connected on 86 of 215 three-point shots and averaged 29.2 points in leading the Bulldogs (23-5) to the Southern Section I-A Division semifinals.

This season, the long-distance delivery has all but disappeared from Buena’s attack--the Bulldogs have made only 12 of 64.

“Ever since they brought it in, we’ve been pretty good,” Coach Glen Hannah said of the inclusion of the three-point shot five years ago. “But we haven’t had anybody who can shoot it (this season). I’d take Lance’s backup right now.”

BRRRRRRR

En route to the North Valley League title last season, Taft used to cast three-pointers with regularity. It was rare for any player to be given the red light from the three-point stripe.

This season, however, the long-range equalizer isn’t there. Taft (5-6) has made 39 of 131 three-point attempts (29.8%). Guards Lamont Magee and Chris Ng, returning lettermen, are a combined 28 for 97 (28.9%).

“Last year, we occasionally had a cold game,” Coach Jim Woodard said. “This year, we occasionally have a warm one.”

STOP THE BLEEDING

The tide has turned.

Not too long ago, Reseda Coach Jeff Halpern could not beat Grant to save his soul. “I stopped counting at seven (losses),” Halpern said. “It might have been eight.”

If so, eight was enough. Last week, Reseda beat Grant in the Birmingham tournament, marking the second consecutive victory for Halpern against his alma mater.

Why the scrutiny? Halpern’s wife, Barbara, teaches at Grant and Halpern is a member of Grant’s first graduating class in 1961.

Staff writers Steve Elling, Jeff Fletcher, Vince Kowalick, Paige A. Leech and Jason H. Reid contributed to this notebook.