Arenas Revs Up to 42 on El Camino Real

Let the accolades begin for All-City guard Gilbert Arenas of Grant High.

Arenas launched his senior season by scoring 42 points and recording five dunks in an 80-66 victory over El Camino Real on Tuesday night in a first-round game of the Simi Valley boys’ tournament.

Bound for Arizona, the 6-foot-4 Arenas showed off his skills with a memorable first-quarter performance. He scored 19 points, made three three-pointers and had three dunks as Grant took a 27-12 lead.

Late in the game, on a breakaway, he purposely threw the ball off the backboard, caught it and slammed in the dunk.

“It was getting boring,” he said.

Not that Arenas was perfect. After scoring 26 points in the first half, he made only five of 14 shots in the second half.

Coach Howard Levine of Grant hardly seemed concerned.

“I think the sky’s the limit,” he said of Arenas, who averaged 29.8 points last season. “He’s unstoppable in a one-on-one situation.”

Justin Saad-Anthony scored 25 points for El Camino Real.

Grant will play Marshall of Pasadena in a quarterfinal game tonight at 5:30.

If the Lancers win, they probably would play Simi Valley in a semifinal, setting up an intriguing matchup between Arenas and defensive stopper Branduinn Fullove.