The 2008 3 Stripes JC Shootout took place July 12 & 13 at the Galen Center on the campus of USC. Thirty-six teams from all over California were on hand for the event, including six of the eight teams that made the state tournament in 2008, and including both state champion Citrus and runner-up Fullerton.
I managed to see 13 games, which featured 24 of the teams. Here is the first in a series of features on the event: a game-by-game summary of those 13 games.
Orange Coast 57, Rio Hondo 39:
SG Andy Saharan and Ctr Kyle Pascual each had 10 pts and SG Larry Puente had 9 as Orange Coast expanded a 3-point halftime lead and won going away over Rio Hondo in the shootout’s first game.
Rio Hondo began the game on a 9-2 spurt, with PF Darryl Alexander scoring all of those points. But then Orange Coast rallied, tying the game at 11 and taking a 14-11 lead after a 3-point play by Puente. OCC opened the second half with a 24-6 extended run to take control of the game.
Alexander led all scorers with 14 pts for Rio Hondo. Ctr Jonathan Cutkelvin came off the bench to add 8 pts.
Canyons 75, Saddleback 57:
SG Jason Holzwarth had 23 pts and Ctr Justin Smith added 16 as Canyons raced past Saddleback in the day’s second game.
Canyons had four scorers to reach double figures, with PF Michael Cotton coming off the bench to score 13 and PF Behrang Bejoo adding 10. In addition, PG Terrez Scott had a strong game with 7 pts, 7 asts and 3 steals, and SF Brian Kimble had just 4 pts but grabbed a game-high 9 rebs and dished out 6 asts, second only to Scott.
Canyons began the game with a 3-pointer from Behrang and led wire to wire. COC built a 16-6 lead midway through the first half, led by 13 at 38-25 at the break and never saw the lead get below 10 in the second half.
SF Kevin Menner led Saddleback with 16 points. SG Franklin Session had 12 points and SF Eli York had 11. PG Perry Webster had 7 pts plus team-highs of 8 rebs and 5 asts.
LA Pierce 38, East LA 37:
PG Ever Lopez’ 3-pointer at the buzzer capped an amazing second-half comeback, lifting Pierce to a one-point victory over East LA.
Pierce trailed by 14 points at 29-15 early in the second half, but rallied to tie the game at 35 with 1:01 remaining after a steal & basket by SF Danial St. Hubert. East LA went back in front with a 2-point free throw by PF Damian Riley with 28.9 seconds left, but Lopez responded for Pierce with the winning shot as time ran out.
SG Justus Von Wright led all scorers with 15 pts, including a pair of threes that initially staked Pierce to a 6-0 lead in the game’s opening minutes.
But then East LA recovered, taking a 9-8 lead and holding a 22-15 edge at the break. That margin expanded to 14 as the Huskies began the second half on a 7-0 run. But from that point on, Pierce outscored ELAC, 23-8, to rally for the win.
Riley led East LA with 13 pts and 9 rebs. SG Derrell Wallace had 8 pts off the bench.
LA Trade Tech 63, Irvine Valley 61
In a rematch of a hotly-contested regional final contest from last year, Trade Tech edged Irvine Valley, 63-61, repeating its success from last year’s playoff showdown between two of the top teams in the Southland.
Ctr Nick Pacitti, the lone returning starter for LATT from last year, and SF Kevin McDowell had 12 pts each for the winners. McDowell also grabbed 7 rebs, and Pacitti had 4 of his points in the final minutes to help seal the win.
LATT took a 57-56 lead on a basket by SG Curry McKinney with just under three minutes remaining. A 2-point free throw by McDowell made it 59-56, and a revese lay-up by Pacitti made it 61-56. A final basket by Pacitti made it 63-58 before a 3-pointer at the buzzer by SF Carlos Pinto for Irvine Valley accounted for the game’s final points.
SG Uland Washington led IVC with 13 points, and he also grabbed 7 rebs. SF Brandon Hucks added 12 pts , 6 rebs, 3 asts, 2 blks and 2 steals in a strong overall performance. PF Kwame Alexander also had a strong overall game with 10 pts, 6 rebs, 4 asts, 2 blocks and a steal.
West LA 64, San Diego City 47:
Ctr Shakir Johnson had 16 pts while PF Josh Jordan and SG Chris Williams each had 12 pts as West LA pulled away from SD City in the second half to post a very impressive victory.
The five West LA starters combined to shoot 69% from the floor, with Johnson going 7-for-8 and Williams going 5-for-5. Johnson also added 6 rebs and 3 asts, while Williams added 6 rebs. Jordan added 4 rebs and 3 steals. Overall, West LA shot 54% from the floor for the game.
SD City led early, 18-13, but West LA went in front later in the first half and held a 30-26 advantage at the break. In the second half, the Oilers pulled away, building a 15-point edge at 46-31 with ten minutes left after consecutive 3-point plays from PG Elon Williams and Jordan.
For SD City, SG Desmond Jones led the way with 11 pts. Ctr Myles Luttman and SF Jamel McGuire each had 6 pts.
Fresno 40, Riverside 29:
In a battle of the swarming defenses, Fresno swarmed a little more ferociously, forcing 26 Riverside turnovers and coming away with a hard-fought 11-point victory.
It was an ugly game, with the teams combining for 42 turnovers and just 69 points for the game. But Fresno, by generating 16 steals and holding recent University of Washington signee Ctr Charles Garcia to just 4 points, controlled the tempo and came away with the win.
PG Sultan Toles-Bey, a member of Fresno’s 2007 State Champions, led the way for the Rams with 11 pts, 3 asts and 3 steals. SF Aaron Hill added 9 pts and 5 asts. SG Brandon Johnson chipped in with 7 pts and 4 steals.
For Riverside, SG Wayne Robinson led the way with 7 pts and 3 asts. PF Joshua “Byrd” Rayne had 6 pts and 8 rebs. Ctr Kevin Bradshaw came off the bench to add 6 pts.
Santa Barbara 54, Compton 51:
Santa Barbara got 26 points from SG Mark Keeten and rallied from a 12-point deficit in the final five minutes to stun Compton, coming away with a 3-point victory.
Keeten scored 17 of his points in the second half and helped jump-start the comeback, but it was PG David Lane who scored the go-ahead basket with 12 seconds left to make it 52-51. After a Compton miss, PF Bo Rodriguez grabbed the rebound, was fouled and made a 2-point free throw with 2.7 seconds left to help seal the win for the Gauchos.
Compton, which saw its 49-37 lead evaporate down the stretch, ws led by PF Adrian Sessions, who had 12 pts. SG Lamar Weldon added 10 pts and PF Malachi Harden had 8.
Keeten was the only player to score in double figures for Santa Barbara. Lane added 8 pts and 3 asts.
Fullerton 44, Yuba 34
In a rematch of a 2008 state quarterfinal, Fullerton again prevailed over Yuba, expanding a 3-point halftime lead and posting the 10-point win in one of the day’s featured games.
It was a tough, defensive and physical game, as the teams combined for 46 turnovers and 32 personal fouls. Fullerton used its depth – 15 players saw action and nine players scored for the Hornets – and a 30-22 rebounding edge to get the win.
Ctr Mike Cox, the only returning starter for the Hornets, had 8 pts, 4 rebs and 4 blocks in the win. SG Tre Brewer also had 8 pts, as did SF Tenacious Gibson, who came off the bench. SF Mitchell Barrett and SG Ahmaad Cook each had 6 pts as Fullerton’s balanced scoring proved to be the difference.
Yuba was led by returning all-state SG Tristan Wilson, who had 16 pts and 6 rebs in a very strong performance. But no other 49er scored more than PG Mayse Walker, who had 5 pts and 6 steals but also suffered 8 turnovers.
Antelope Valley 40, Citrus 35:
Host Antelope Valley got 14 points from SG Raymond Cody and edged defending state champion Citrus in a game ended early due to an injury to AVC reserve SG Chevy Wade.
AVC led much of the game, building a 4-point halftime lead and still holding to a 5-point advantage when Wade crumpled to the floor with 1:46 left after receiving an inadvertent elbow to the head. EMS was called and Wade was taken outside the building in a wheelchair, but after initially losing consciousness he was alert and coherent by the time EMS arrived, and he went home with his mother rather than to the hospital. Nonetheless, after the 20-minute delay, the game was called off.
Cody led all scorers with 14 pts and also had 4 rebs, 2 asts and 2 steals. Ctr Jerome Moten just missed a double-double with 8 pts and 8 rebs, and SF Jason West added 6 pts plus 8 rebs, 4 asts and 2 steals in a solid all-around game.
For Citrus, PG Steven Bennett came off the bench to spark the Owls and finished with a team-high 12 pts. PF Troy Payne had 9 pts, 6 rebs and 3 blocks, also off the bench. SG Justin Johnson added 7 pts and 4 steals.
Reedley 41, Mt. San Antonio 34:
PG Marquel Hoskins had 14 pts, 6 rebs, 4 asts and 3 steals to lead Reedley to a 7-point win over Mt. San Antonio in the final game Saturday evening.
Reedley led by just two points at the half after a jumper by Hoskins made it 17-15, but quickly built a double-digit lead at 33-21 in the first few minutes of the second half. Mt. SAC rallied to cut the margin to three points at 37-34 in the game’s final minute, but Hoskins made a pair of 2-point free throws after that to seal the win for the Tigers.
Ctr Richard Garcia had a strong game for the winners with 6 pts and a game-high 10 rebs. Ctr Winston Demmin also was strong inside with 4 pts and 9 rebs. That tandem allowed Reedley to post a 37-24 rebounding advantage for the game.
For Mt. SAC, PG Erick Ellis led the way with 9 pts and 4 asts. Ctr Keyshawn Ross had 8 pts, 5 rebs and 4 blocked shots, and SG Versia Hodges had 7 pts.
Foothill 66, Chaffey 64:
Ctr Terance Pellum had 22 pts, 16 rebs and 4 asts, and drained the winning free throw to lift Foothill to a 66-64 overtime win over Chaffey after rallying from an 18-point second-half deficit.
Pellum had a remarkable game, scoring 16 of his points and grabbing 13 of his rebounds after halftime. But Chaffey seemed to be in control most of the game anyway, building a 9-point halftime lead that expanded to 18 at 45-27 early in the second half.
After that, however, Foothill went on a 21-4 run to cut the margin to a single point at 49-48, and eventually tied the game at 54 with 5:22 remaining after a 3-pointer by SG Kevin Dinardi. Chaffey responded by taking a 61-56 lead after a 3-pointer by SF Nick Turner, but Foothill got a 2-point free throw by Pellum and a 3-ponter by PF Michael Weimer to tie the game at 61 with 25 seconds left and send the game to overtime.
In overtime, the first team to 5 would be declared the winner. Weimer knocked down a three to give Foothill a 64-61 lead, but SF Winston Robinson answered with a 3-pointer of his own to again tie the game at 64. Chaffey had a chance to win the game when Robinson went to the line after a rebound, but he missed the free throw and Pellum was fouled after corralling the rebound. Then Pellum went to the free throw line and knocked down the game-winning shot.
Weimer had 12 pts for the Owls, and Dinardi had 10. Overall Foothill finished with 9 threes, and had a 35-25 rebounding advantage.
For Chaffey, Robinson led the way with 14 pts, 5 rebs and 4 steals. PG Anthony Cammon added 13 pts, all in the first half as he made his first four shots of the game. Turner came off the bench to score 9 pts for the Panthers.
Sequoias 45, Santa Barbara 42:
SF Sam Osofsky had 12 pts on 4 threes, the last of which was the go-ahead basket as College of the Sequoias edged a game Santa Barbara squad, 45-42.
COS had a 10-point lead at the half, but SBCC rallied to tie the game at 40 with just over three minutes left. Then the Gauchos got a 2-point free throw from SF Brandon Green with 2:34 remaining to take a 42-40 lead. But Osofsky’s 3-pointer put the Giants back in front, and a 2-point free throw by SG Rocky DiAntonio with 12.1 seconds left gave COS its final 3-point margin.
SG Mark Keeten led SBCC with 10 pts though he was just 3-for-14 from the floor. Ctr Joshua Alce had 8 pts plus a game-high 8 rebs.
Pasadena 43, Citrus 33:
Ctr Edwin Edukere scored 10 pts to lead Pasadena to a 43-33 over his old team, albeit a split squad version, as the Lancers topped Citrus in the final game of the event.
Edukere, who played at Citrus in 2006-07, was the only Lancer to score in double figures. SG Jordan Block, who was an all-conference selection at Chaffey in 2007-08, had 8 pts for the winners. PF Joel Nolen added 5 pts and a game-high 10 rebs.
For Citrus, who played without four of its projected starters, SG Justin Johnson (the lone remaining starter) led the way with 11 pts and 8 rebs.
I’ll post full box scores from all of these game and more in the coming days…
What's Available
Showcase Summary
Game-by-Game Summary
Orange Coast 57, Rio Hondo 39
Canyons 75, Saddleback 57
LA Pierce 38, East LA 37
LA Trade Tech 63, Irvine Valley 61
West LA 64, San Diego City 47
Fresno 40, Riverside 29
Santa Barbara 54, Compton 51
Fullerton 44, Yuba 34
Antelope Valley 40, Citrus 35
Reedley 41, Mt. San Antonio 34
Foothill 66, Chaffey 64 (OT)
Sequoias 45, Santa Barbara 42
Pasadena 43, Citrus 33
