CARLSBAD — In what was billed as a battle between some of the giants of San Diego and Southern California basketball, it was So-Cal that asserted its dominance Dec. 15 at Carlsbad High.
The inaugural BSN Sports Showcase featured seven matchups between teams from San Diego and the CIF Southern Section. SanDiego went 2-5 on the day, including 0-3 in the showcase’s marquee evening matchups.
North County clubs El Camino and Carlsbad notched the only victories, as the Wildcats drubbed Brea Olinda of Orange County 75-33 in a game where the victors forced more turnovers (35) than their opponent scored points.
El Camino sophomore Keavie Love led the way with 17 points and nine rebounds.
The host Carlsbad Lancers also asserted their dominance over Rancho Mirage out of Palm Desert, winning 64-48 in the event’s third game. Seniors Chase Murray and Brogan Pietrocini had strong games, scoring 19 and 18 points, respectively, to lead the Lancers to victory.
Beyond that, the Southern Section was dominant.
Beginning with Murrieta Mesa’s 71-54 win over Westview, the teams from Southern California would win four of their five games by double digits. The lone “close” contest of the day was Temecula Valley’s 82-75 win over El Cajon Christian.
In the event’s three marquee games, La Verne Damien, Chino Hills and Bishop Montgomery would win handily over La Jolla Country Day, Mission Bay and Torrey Pines, the fifth-, second- and top-ranked teams in the CIF San Diego Section, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune’s rankings.
Damien defeated La Jolla Country Day 79-63, withstanding a 32-point game from Torreys senior guard Ryan Langborg. Sophomore Malik Thomas scored 25 points to lead the Spartans.
Chino Hills defeated Mission Bay 75-63, using a suffocating defense to make Buccaneers star guard Rejean “Boogie” Ellis work for his 27 points (on 9-30 field goals), while also getting a heavy dose of production from its own star, 6-foot-9 center Onyeka Okongwu, who scored 22 points and grabbed 20 rebounds.
And in the last game of the night, Torrance Bishop Montgomery used a stifling defense to defeat Torrey Pines 68-51. The Knights were paced by Will Crawford’s 20-point effort, while Torrey Pines’ usually high-scoring duo of Bryce and Michael Pope were held to 11 and 10 points, respectively.
