Arroyo Grande Assistant Arrested

Robert Budke, an assistant track and field coach at Arroyo Grande, was arrested Monday on suspicion of child molestation and unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor.

Budke, 35, was released Monday after posting bail set at $50,000.

Budke, whose coaching in the shotput and discus helped Arroyo Grande athletes to eight event state championships since 1995, was questioned by detectives from the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Department after it received a report Friday alleging that an Arroyo Grande track coach had been molesting a former student-athlete for approximately three years. The alleged victim was 15 years old when the first molestation took place.

Sheriff’s sergeant Andy Rasmussen said the gender of the alleged victim was not included in the arrest report.

Budke faces a maximum of eight years in state prison if convicted.

John Ortega

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Boys’ Basketball

Friction that developed this season in the Desert Valley League continued to have an adverse effect on Palm Desert in the first round of the Southern Section playoffs Wednesday.

The visiting Aztecs lost to Pomona Ganesha, 55-52, in a Division III-AA game. They played without leading scorer Justin Sobczyk, who was forced to sit out after being ejected from Palm Desert’s final league game against La Quinta.

The Aztecs had suffered their second defeat to La Quinta, which is led by former Palm Desert player Quintin Watkins. The loss dropped them into a tie with La Quinta for second place, which resulted in a lower seeding and a 95-mile drive for their first-round playoff game.

Still, the Aztecs (16-11) had their chances after cutting an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit to two on James Dockery’s fastbreak layup with 40.9 seconds remaining. But Palm Desert mishandled a pass under its basket with 16.8 seconds left and then missed two three-point shot attempts in the closing seconds.

Di’Mon Phelps had 13 points and Williams Evans had 12 to lead Ganesha (19-8).

Dockery, a sophomore guard who began the season on junior varsity, scored 17 points to lead Palm Desert.

Dan Arritt

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Girls’ Basketball

When Temecula Valley steps on the floor Saturday for its first-round Southern Section Division I-AA playoff game against visiting Fountain Valley, the fourth-seeded Golden Bears will be breathing a sigh of relief.

Jessie Thompson, who is averaging 22.8 points this season, should be in the starting lineup. That’s an issue because Thompson felt pain in her knee last week and sat out a 56-34 victory over Hemet on Thursday. She sat out last season because of a knee injury.

The 5-foot-9 junior guard is a key piece to Temecula Valley’s championship hopes.

“We’re still a good team without her, but she makes it much easier to win,” said Coach Cathy Ralston, whose team is 22-4. “We don’t have to work quite as hard. She should be 100%.”

Martin Henderson

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Boys’ Soccer

Pomona Ganesha (22-1) will enter the Southern Section Division IV playoffs averaging five goals per game, but Coach Gabriel Chavez says the top-seeded Giants will not be overconfident before their first-round game against visiting Riverside Norte Vista on Friday.

Last year, Ganesha entered the playoffs as the No. 2-seeded team but lost to Santa Ana Century, 2-1, in the first round.

“We’re a little bit more cautious after the debacle of the first round last year,” Chavez said. “We know that no team is in better physical condition than us and we’re as skilled as anyone [in Division IV]. But we’re taking a cautious approach to the playoffs.”

John Ortega

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Wrestling

Simi Valley Royal’s Andrew Mihalo will compete in the Inland Division individual championships Friday and Saturday at Moreno Valley Canyon Springs despite being injured to the point of losing consciousness during his match in the Highlanders’ 40-33 loss to Lakewood Mayfair in the quarterfinals of the Division IV dual championships Saturday at Thousand Oaks.

Mihalo, a junior, will be one of nine wrestlers suiting up for the Marmonte League champions, who also qualified two alternates.

He had broken a rib earlier in the season and apparently re-aggravated the injury in a loss to Carlos Aguilar in the 144-pound match of the divisional duals. Mihalo was ahead, 16-0, with one minute left when he heard a pop in his rib cage. He continued to wrestle, but Coach Paul Mole said Mihalo was weakened by the pain and was pinned with 28 seconds remaining.

“As soon as the referee’s whistle blew, [Mihalo] went out from the pain,” Mole said. “He just fainted.”

Mihalo lay unconscious for several minutes and eventually was helped off the mat. A doctor’s examination the next day revealed there was no break and that ultimately it would be Mihalo’s decision if he wanted to continue wrestling this season.

“That’s the kind of guy he is,” Mole said. “He doesn’t let injury get him down.”

-- Rafer Weigel