The 2011 Charger Summer Showcase took place July 8-9-10 at Cypress College.
I covered twelve games - four each day - and saw each of the twenty teams that participated in the event at least once.
Here is a game-by-game summary of the games I covered, with some additional results tacked onto the bottom of this page.
LA Harbor 64, Chaffey 55:
Three players scored in double figures and PG Marquel Jones had 7 pts and 7 asts as LA Harbor pulled away in the second half to post a 9-point win over Chaffey.
Harbor jumped out to a 13-6 early lead, only to see Chaffey rally and take a 23-20 advantage on a 3-pointer by PF Ryan Nitz midway through the first half. The lead went back and forth the rest of the half, which ended with the teams tied at 34.
But in the second half, Harbor gradually pulled away, restoring its 7-point lead at 56-49 and then pushing it to nine points on a basket by SF Tony Bell with just over five minutes left. A baseline drive by SG Matt Morris made it 60-49 just over a minute later and basically settled the outcome.
SF Dennis Hardwell had a double-double for Harbor with 10 pts and a game-high 10 rebs. Bell and Morris also had 10 points each for the Seahawks, who would go 3-1 in the event.
SG Kenny Morgan led Chaffey with 14 pts and 3 steals. PF Aaron Crockett had 9 pts and tied for team honors with 6 rebs. Ctr Dylan Cooper had 4 pts and 6 rebs, and PG Justin Long had 6 pts and a team-high 4 asts.
Miramar 59, Pasadena 56:
Miramar overcame a sluggish start and a 3-point halftime deficit and held a narrow lead most of the second half in a 59-56 win over Pasadena.
Pasadena took a 19-10 lead midway through the first half after a pair of 3-point baskets by Ctr Brandon Chavers and a 3-point play by SF Evan Brooks. Miramar responded by closing the gap to a point at 21-20, but Pasadena led by three points, 31-28, at halftime.
Miramar took a 34-33 lead early in the second half, and led by five points at 40-35. Pasadena came back to lead, 43-42, but Miramar went back in front and led, 57-52, with 1:40 left in the game.
Pasadena got baskets from PG Cameron Bailey and SG Michael Swanegan Jr. to get within a point at 57-56. But SG Garrett Larch-Miller made a 2-pt free throw with 6.6 seconds left to make it 59-56, and PG Justin Hebner stole the ensuing inbounds pass to secure the win for the Jets.
PF Jorey Scott had 10 pts, 6 rebs and 4 asts for Miramar, and Hebner had 9 pts, 7 asts and 3 steals. SF Shane McPherson also had 9 pts, all on 3-pointers. Ctr Desmond Floyd had 6 pts and a game-high 7 rebs.
For Pasadena, Brooks had 11 pts, 4 rebs, 4 asts and 3 steals. Bailely had 10 pts, while Swanegan had 6 pts, 6 rebs and 2 steals.
San Diego Mesa 60, Cypress 58
Cypress overcame deficits of 15 points in the first half and 14 points in the second half, but in the end it was a Tyreke Evans-like drive by Mesa SF Dee Hugie as the buzzer sounded that lifted the Olympians to a dramatic 2-point victory.
Mesa took a 28-13 lead midway through the first half, and after seeing the margin shrink to eight points at 34-26 at halftime, pushed its lead back to 14 points at 40-26 early in the second half and seemed to be on its way to an easy win.
But Cypress, which had shot 18% from the floor (7/38) in the first half, started making some shots, and rallied to tie the score at 48 with just under nine minutes to go. The game was close from that point on, and Cypress took a 58-56 lead on a steal & basket by PG Andre Winn with 1:10 left.
Mesa tied the score on a 2-pt free throw by Ctr Anthony Zeitounian, and got the ball back with about 30 seconds left. Hugie bounced the ball near midcourt until the clock reached about five seconds, then drove towards the basket, powering his way through the defense for the game-winning lay-up just ahead of the final buzzer.
Zeitounian led Mesa with 20 pts, and he also had 9 rebs. PF Otis Barrow had 15 pts and 6 rebs. Hugie had 10 pts on 5-for-7 from the floor and added 6 rebs and a game-high 7 asts. SG Travon Jones had 5 pts plus a game-high 10 rebs and a team-high 4 steals.
For Cypress, SF Chris Maheras had a game-high 21 pts and a team-high 7 rebs. Winn had 20 pts plus 6 rebs, 4 asts and a game-high 6 steals.
Long Beach 66, Santa Monica 62:
SG Devonte Norton had 19 pts including 5 3-pointers as Long Beach edged Santa Monica, 66-62, in the final game of the shootout's first day.
Long Beach jumped out to a 22-8 lead midway through the first half, but Santa Monica rallied to tie the score at 28 after a pair of emphatic slam dunks by Ctr Pat McCauley. LBCC led, 33-30, at halftime, and pushed its lead to 15 points at 56-41 early in the second half, but Santa Monica again rallied, cutting the deficit to five points at 58-53.
Santa Monica crept even closer, narrowing the gap to two points on a 3-pointer by SG Alex Brooks with 3.4 seconds left. But Ctr Robert Mandingo took an outlet pass from PF Jared Garber and scored the clinching basket for the Vikings just ahead of the final horn.
Norton led all scorers with his 19 pts and he also had 5 steals. Mandingo started at center and had 12 pts, 9 rebs and 5 steals. Ctr Tyler Tulian came off the bench for 9 pts and 6 rebs.
For Santa Monica, Brooks had a team-high 13 pts but was the only Corsair to reach double digits. McCauley had 8 pts and 5 rebs. SF Julian Wheeler had 8 pts and 3 steals before leaving with a minor injury early in the second half.
Citrus 76, Miramar 27:
SG Vaughn Autry had 15 pts while SF Brandon Parga and SG Kerry Carter had 11 pts each in what can only be described as a complete and thorough domination on every level of the game.
Citrus started out with a 6-0 spurt, but Miramar was within four points at 9-5 early on before an Autry 3-pointer made it 12-5. And it was still 14-7 before a steal & basket by Autry made it 16-7. And it was still just 18-9 before a 2-point free throw by Ctr Dominique Carr.
That free throw opened the floodgates, sending Citrus on an 18-0 run to end the half that saw the lead balloon to twenty-five points at 34-9. After that, it was only a matter of how many points the Owls would post and how ugly the margin was going to be.
Citrus shot 50% from the floor for the game; Miramar shot 19.6%. Citrus also had 16 steals while forcing 25 Miramar turnovers, and built a 50-30 rebounding advantage. And the Owls had 20 assists on their 31 baskets, compared to just 4 assists on 9 field goals for the Jets.
Ctr Desmond Floyd had 6 pts, 5 rebs and 2 steals for Miramar. SF Sean Orlando had 6 pts, 3 rebs and 3 blocked shots.
East LA 59, Orange Coast 40
East LA shot 59% from the floor and led virtually all the way in a 59-40 win over Orange Coast in the 2 pm game in Gym 2 Saturday afternoon.
The game was fairly even early on, but East LA took a 25-16 halftime lead. Then the Huskies used a 10-0 run early in the second half to build a 37-21 lead, and led handily the rest of the way.
SG Deon Geary and PF Fernie Morelos each had 11 pts for ELAC; Morelos also had 6 rebs. PF Rafael Morelos, Ctr Mark Torres and SF Evan Barr each had 8 pts; Torres also had a game-high 9 rebs. PG Gabriel Gamboa had just 2 pts but added 7 rebs and a game-high 6 asts.
For Orange Coast, PF Will Ligon led all scorers with 15 pts, including 3 threes, and also had 3 steals. But he was the only Pirate to reach double figures. Ctr John Russo had 7 pts and a team-high 6 rebs.
Kings Academy 54, Long Beach 53
PF Coltrane Powdrill drained a buzzer-beating 3-pointer, lifting the Kings Academy, a team of players from Moorpark College, to a most dramatic 54-53 comeback win over Long Beach City College.
If Powdrill's game-winning shot seemed pre-ordained, well, it was. The Basketball gods made sure his aim was true and that the ball went through the net, giving the Kings Academy the well-deserved victory.
During the game, there were a couple of errors at the scorers' table, both of which benefitted Long Beach. A Kings Academy basket that would have given the Kings a 14-10 lead was mistakenly credited to Long Beach; the scoreboard showed a 12-12 tie. Then, in the second half, two points were give to Long Beach for no apparent reason, giving the Vikings a 49-43 lead on the scoreboard though the actual score was 45-45 with just over five minutes remaining.
And it looked as if Long Beach would take full advantage of the confusion, building a 53-47 lead after a 3-point play by SG Brandon Moore. The Vikings still held that 6-point lead with less than a minute to play, and the Kings Academy certainly needed some divine intervention to recover.
They got it. First, Powdrill scored on a driving lay-up with 46.3 seconds left to make it 53-49. Then, after a Long Beach turnover on the inbounds pass, Ctr Sahdi Olaodu scored after a feed from Powdrill to make it 53-51. Then Moorpark got the ball back on a steal by SF Jamal McClerkin, but Powdrill missed a would-be game-tying shot.
However, the Basketball gods weren't quite through yet, and Long Beach turned the ball over one more time with 9 seconds left. The Kings Academy inbounded the ball in its own backcourt, and Powdrill drained his game-winning shot after taking a pass from McClerkin, much to the delight of the Kings on the bench, the gods in the heavens and seekers of justice everywhere.
McClerkin led the Kings with 12 pts, while Powdrill had 10 pts, 4 rebs and a game-high 7 asts. Olaodu also had 10 pts and 4 rebs.
For Long Beach, PG Jonathan Snaggs led the way with a game-high 16 pts on 8-for-12 from the floor. But he was the only Viking to score in double figures. PF Robert Mandingo came off the bench for 7 pts, plus a game-high 8 rebs and 3 steals.
Palomar 59, Riverside 46
In one of the more surprising results of the weekend, Palomar raced out to a 12-point halftime lead and led the entire second half over perennial power Riverside en route to a 59-46 victory.
Palomar finished the first half with 9-0 spurt to take a 37-25 lead at the break, and pushed its lead to 17 points at 46-29 early in the second half. Riverside cut the deficit to six points at 50-44 with just over ten minutes to go, but Palomar responded with a 9-2 spurt to put the game away, holding Riverside to just two points over those final ten minutes.
SG Stephen Caldwell had 13 pts and 4 asts for Palomar, and SG Chris Gorman had 13 pts and 3 three-pointers. PF Chamrom Morgan had 10 pts and a team-high 7 rebs. Overall, Palomar had just 8 turnovers for the game, a rarity against the ultra-athletic Tigers from Riverside.
For Riverside, SF Bernard Ireland had 13 pts, including 3 threes, and 5 rebs. He was the only Riverside player to score in double figures, however, and the Tigers shot just 31% from the floor. Riverside was without standout PG Corey Walker, who was away at Jerry Mullen's national JC camp.
And it should be noted that Palomar also won its next game against Long Beach - apparently without any outside intervention - to go 4-0 for the weekend.
LA Trade Tech 63, Victor Valley 50:
SF Clint Bozner had 14 pts and PF Josh Chatman had 10 to lead LA Trade Tech to a 13-point win over Victor Valley in a matchup of teams that had both gone 2-0 on their first day of the event.
Victor Valley started the game with a 7-0 spurt, but Trade Tech answered with 12-0 run to take a lead and held the advantage the rest of the way. Trade Tech built a 26-15 lead late in the first half, led by seven points at the break, and pushed the margin back to 11 points at 46-35 after a 3-pointer by SG Zeve Sanderson early in the second half. VVC never trailed by more than 15 points at any point but never really threatened after that.
Bozner led Tech with his 14 pts, while Chatman had his 10 pts and a game-high 8 rebs. PF Ravon Nunley came off the bench for 10 pts on 5-for-6 from the floor. PG Donte McFrazier had 8 pts, 4 asts and 3 steals off the bench while starting PG Randall Harris had 2 pts, a game-high 7 asts and no turnovers.
For Victor Valley, SF Katron Fields led the way with 15 pts, 4 rebs and 2 blocked shots. PF A.J. Mathis came off the bench for 10 pts. VVC went 3-1 in the event, a significant achievement after winning just 4 games in the 2010-11 season.
Rio Hondo 62, El Camino 57
PF Anthony Owens made six 3-pointers, including one that broke a 55-all tie with 27 seconds left, and scored a game-high 22 pts to lead Rio Hondo to a come-from-behind victory over El Camino.
El Camino jumped out to a 20-9 lead midway through the first half, but Rio Hondo rallied to take a 27-23 lead after 3-pointers from SG Omar Caro and PG K.J. Byrd with just under two minutes left in the first half. A steal & lay-up by Byrd in the final seconds of the half made it 29-23 in favor of the Roadrunners at the break.
But El Camino, buoyed by the halftime arrival of recent Westchester HS standout PG Joshua Wilson, took a 32-31 lead early in the second half after a pair of Wilson jumpers. The Warriors pushed the lead to as many as eight points at 51-43 and seemed to be in control of the game.
However, when Wilson went to the bench for some rest, Rio Hondo rallied to tie the score at 55 and even Wilson's return couldn't stop the Roadrunners. Owens' sixth 3-pointer made it 58-55. Then SG Justin Elliott made a 2-pt free throw with 16.3 seconds left to make it 60-55. After a lay-up by El Camino SG David Howard made it 60-57, Elliott iced the win with a 2-pt free throw for Rio Hondo with 7.2 seconds left that made it 62-57.
Owens finished with 22 pts on 6-for-12 from the floor plus 3 rebs and 4 steals. Byrd had 12 pts, 2 asts and 3 steals.
PF Chuck Gray led El Camino with 15 pts, 14 rebs and 4 blocked shots. Wilson had 11 pts and 2 asts, playing most of the second half. PF Laquan Augustine had 9 pts and 6 rebs.
East LA 64, Baseline To Baseline 51
SG Michael Carabes and Ctr Eduardo Gonzalez each scored 13 points as East LA topped Baseline To Baseline, a team of players from Oxnard College, in the weekend's penultimate game.
East LA led, 31-22, at halftime after a 3-pointer by PG Deon Geary just before the of the first half. The early in the second half, Carabes hit a 3-pointer and scored on a driving lay-up to push East LA's lead to a dozen at 40-28, and a driving lay-up by PG Albert Chavez made it 42-28. East LA led by double figures the rest of the way.
Carabes finished with 13 pts, including 3 threes, plus 4 rebs, 2 asts and 4 steals. Gonzalez had 13 pts, 4 rebs and 2 asts. PF Fernie Morelos had a strong all-around game with 9 pts, 8 rebs, 5 asts, 3 blocks and 3 steals. PG Terrell Robinson had 6 pts and a game-high 6 asts.
For the Baseliners, SF Stephan Thompson led the way with 14 pts, and SG Gary Johnson had 12 pts, 6 rebs and 2 asts. The Baseliners suffered from not getting a chance to practice together (no summer class at Oxnard), which also explains how they managed just 3 assists on 16 made baskets for the game.
Santa Barbara 72, Cypress 53
PG Alex DiManno scored his team's first 11 points and finished with 14 pts, 3 asts and 3 steals to lead Santa Barbara to a 19-point win over host Cypress in the final game of the 2011 Charger Summer Showcase.
The score was tied 9-9 when DiManno scored his 10th and 11th points of the game, and that sent SBCC on its way to a double-digit win. A steal and coast-to-coast lay-up by SF Michael Sabosky pushed the Vaquero lead to double digits at 26-15, and by halftime the margin was 16 at 38-22. A jumper by PF Matt McClenathan early in the second half pushed the SBCC lead to 21 at 49-28, and Cypress never threatened after that.
SF Jalani Davis had 10 pts and a game-high 9 rebs for Santa Barbara. Sabosky finished with 8 pts, 4 rebs, 2 asts, a block and a steal. Ctr Tanner Foster came off the bench for 8 pts as well.
PG Andre Winn led Cypress with 18 pts, 4 asts and 5 steals. SG Cassie Hough managed 12 pts but was the only other Charger to reach double figures. PF Jesse Lewis came off the bench and scored 8 pts.
Other results I noticed or was told about...
LA Harbor def. Miramar
Rio Hondo def. Cypress
El Camino def. Santa Barbara
Citrus def. Chaffey
El Camino def. SD Mesa
Citrus def. Pasadena
Palomar def. Santa Monica
Palomar def. Kings Academy/Moorpark
Riverside def. Kings Academy/Moorpark on last-second tip-in
Chaffey def. Miramar
LA Harbor def. Pasadena by a little
LA Trade Tech def. Baseline/Oxnard by a lot
Victor Valley def. East LA on a last-second shot in OT
Citrus def. LA Harbor by about 20
Victor Valley def. Baseline/Oxnard by more than 20
Riverside def. Santa Monica
LA Trade Tech def. Orange Coast by about 20
Palomar def. Long Beach to go 4-0 for the weekend
East LA def. Cypress by 25
El Camino def. LA Trade Tech by 15
Box Scores
LA Harbor 64, Chaffey 55
Miramar 59, Pasadena 56
San Diego Mesa 60, Cypress 58
Long Beach 66, Santa Monica 62
Citrus 76, Miramar 27
East LA 59, Orange Coast 40
Kings Academy (Moorpark) 54, Long Beach 53 (or 56-49)
Palomar 59, Riverside 46
LA Trade Tech 63, Victor Valley 50
Rio Hondo 62, El Camino 57
East LA 64, Baseline To Baseline (Oxnard) 51
Santa Barbara 72, Cypress 53
