Measuring Up, Rio Mesa Wins

He’s not flashy and he won’t wow you with his athleticism, but like his Rio Mesa High teammates, Scott Fujita never gives an inch.

That was particularly evident with five minutes left in the fourth quarter of Wednesday night’s Channel League boys’ basketball game against Santa Barbara when Fujita blocked a shot by the Dons’ 6-foot-6 Ryan Atkinson and scored on a layup at the other end to give the Spartans a nine-point lead on their way to a 68-51 victory.

“Every play is a big play when it comes down to it,” Fujita said. “That’s the way we look at things and so far it’s worked well for us.”

Fujita, a 6-4 senior forward, had 21 points, eight rebounds, two blocked shots and two steals as Rio Mesa (13-3, 7-0 in league play) won its 10th consecutive game and took a two-game lead over Dos Pueblos, which lost to Buena, at the midway point of the league season.

Although Rio Mesa, the No. 5-ranked team in The Times’ regional poll, ended up with a comfortable margin of victory, the Spartans’ lead dwindled to 56-51 with 1:59 left. They finished with a 12-0 run.

The Spartans made 23 turnovers but hung onto the ball in the final two minutes, when they made three of four shots and five consecutive free throws.

“The turnovers are always frustrating,” Fujita said. “But you can’t let them get you down. You just have to keep playing hard.”

Tyrone Nunnery and Louie Allon each had 13 points for Rio Mesa. Allon scored eight points in the fourth quarter, when the Spartans outscored defending league champion Santa Barbara, 24-10.

Craig Christ scored 13 points for the Dons (9-10, 4-3) and Rafael Hernandez had 11.

The Spartans trailed, 27-26, at halftime after shooting only 34.4% (11 of 32) in the first 16 minutes.