championship title in school history last fall, it sent a wave of unparalleled excitement throughout the Baron nation.
There are still tremors as a result.
“For three or four months, there was a buzz around the whole school,” BVHS athletic director Jason Murphy explained. “It was around the football team. Friday night was the place to be at Southwestern College.”
Bonita Vista High School was the place to be Tuesday night when the divisional basketball playoffs tipped off with a boys-girls double-header. Baron teams walked off the floor victorious in both games to the delight of satisfied fans. Their reward: a trip to the next round.
In the boys opener, fifth-seeded Bonita Vista topped 12th-seeded Monte Vista, 63-55, in an opening round Division III contest.
In the girls nightcap, the second-seeded Lady Barons eliminated 15th-seeded La Jolla, 57-45, in a Division II first-round game.
“Being the No. 1 or No. 2 seed, you are guaranteed three home games before you get to Jenny Craig (the University of San Diego’s Jenny Craig Pavilion, site of the section championship games),” BVHS girls team coach Wayne Wooten explained.
The Lady Barons’ road to the championship games appears to be paved with some definitely big obstacles to maneuver around. Bonita Vista (17-9) hosts 10th-seeded Carlsbad, last year’s Division II champion, Friday at 7 p.m.
The Lady Lancers, despite losing a half-dozen players to graduation off last year’s division championship squad, still appear to be dangerous after upsetting seventh-seeded Calexico, 54-52, in Tuesday’s opening round to improve to 12-12 on the season.
The winner of the Bonita Vista-Carlsbad quarterfinal match will face either third-seeded Scripps Ranch (20-8) or sixth-seeded Montgomery (22-6) in next Tuesday’s semifinals.
A potential showdown with top-seeded Imperial (25-3) looms in the championship round. The Lady Tigers handed the Lady Barons a 70-68 overtime non-league loss on Feb. 6.
“We had four players foul out in that game, and if the game went further, we would have had a fifth girl foul out,” Wooten noted.
Imperial defeated 16th-seeded El Camino, 51-36, in Tuesday’s playoff opener.
But first things first, however.
The Lady Barons, who finished in third place in the Metro-Mesa League standings, zipped out to a quick 7-0 lead over the Lady Vikings (7-15) in Tuesday’s playoff opener. Bonita Vista led 13-4 at the end of the first quarter and 28-15 at halftime.
The second half was not as dominating for the hosts, who managed to come up with a three-point bomb, steal or defensive block whenever the visitors crept too close for comfort.
“The first half we held them to 15 points,” Wooten said. “I think we let down mentally in the second half. I think teams at any level have a tendency to do that. But they (La Jolla) kept playing hard and scored some points in the second half. In the playoffs, you’ve got to keep playing hard, not stray from your game plan and execute.”
Shyla LaTone paced the Lady Barons with 30 points — 12 of them coming on three-point shots — while teammate Carol Schroeder dropped in 11 points.
Schroeder recorded team highs with 11 rebounds, six assists and three steals.
Sina Anae led the Lady Vikings with 12 points while Satori Roberson added 11 points in the loss.
The boys game remained close throughout the middle portions until the Barons (17-12) made a fourth quarter run with 21 points to widen a 42-38 third quarter edge.
Bonita Vista led 12-5 after the first quarter but the Monarchs (13-16) roared back to trail 27-22 at halftime.
Atoa Fox led Bonita Vista with 15 points while teammates Sage Crawford and Taylor Nelson dropped in 13 and 10 points, respectively. Arthur Anthony also contributed nine points in the victory.
Monte Vista’s Tre Owens led all players in the game with 17 points while teammates Shai Stevenson and Deondre McHale added 15 and 13 points, respectively.
“We played as a team, we hustled,” noted Fox, who indicated after the game that he has committed to play football (and possibly basketball) at Idaho State.
The win advanced the Barons to Thursday’s quarterfinal contest at fourth-seeded Christian (19-10). The Patriots bounded past Metro-South Bay League tri-champion Hilltop, 65-58, in Tuesday’s opening round.
Free throws
Montgomery, this year’s Metro-South Bay League champion, ousted 11th-seeded Brawley, 50-29, in Tuesday’s Division II opener. Murrellene Woodson (15 points) and Katherine Carnacite (13 points) paced the Lady Aztecs in scoring.
Ninth-seeded Olympian (11-14) upset eighth-seeded Fallbrook, 46-44, in another Division II first-round game on Tuesday. Colleen Murphy keyed the Lady Eagles with 16 points. Olympian faces top-seeded Imperial in Friday’s quarterfinals.
Crusaders edge Cougars in CIF playoff opener
Fouth-seeded Mater Dei Catholic (19-7) defeated 13th-seeded Steele Canyon (10-18) by a score of 47-44 in Wednesday’s opening round of the San Diego Section Division I boys basketball playoffs. Trey Anderson led the Metro-Mesa League champion Crusaders with 15 points while teammate Miles Norris scored 11 points and grabbed seven rebounds.
Also, Clifford Kidd contributed nine points, four assists and three steals.
Mater Dei Catholic, which finished 8-0 in league play, will host fifth-seeded Morse (21-7) in Saturday’s quarterfinals.
The Metro-Pacific League finished with a three-way tie for first place between Castle Park, Hilltop and Sweetwater. Both Castle Park (9-16) and Hilltop (13-16) dropped their playoff openers while SuHi (9-17) did not qualify for postseason play.
San Diego Section Playoff Scoreboard
Girls Basketball
Division I
First Round
Tuesday, Feb. 23
(1) Eastlake 85, (16) Our Lady of Peace 29
(4) Mater Dei Catholic 57, (13) Cathedral Catholic 40
Quarterfinals
Friday, Feb. 26
(1) Eastlake 68, (8) Santa Fe Christian 39
(5) Horizon Christian Academy 56, (4) Mater Dei Catholic 46
Semifinals
Tuesday, March 1
(5) Horizon Christian Academy at (1) Eastlake, 7 p.m.
Division II
First Round
Tuesday, Feb. 23
(9) Olympian 46, (8) Fallbrook 44
(6) Montgomery 50, (11) Brawley 29
(2) Bonita Vista 57, (15) La Jolla 45
Quarterfinals
Friday, Feb. 26
(1) Imperial 54, (9) Olympian 36
(6) Montgomery 50, (3) Scripps Ranch 47
(2) Bonita Vista 69. (10) Carlsbad 61
Semifinals
Tuesday, March 1
(6) Montgomery at (2) Bonita Vista, 7 p.m.
Division III
First Round
Tuesday, Feb. 23
(2) Hilltop 62, (15) Tri-City Christian 20
Quarterfinals
Friday, Feb. 26
(2) Hilltop 59, (7) Valley Center 31
Semifinals
Tuesday, March 1
(3) Lincoln at (2) Hilltop, 7 p.m.
Division IV
Play-in Round
Monday, Feb. 22
San Ysidro 46, Vincent Memorial 27
First Round
Tuesday, Feb. 23
(1) Grossmont 49, (16) San Ysidro 31
(3) Valhalla 42, (14) Southwest 33
Quarterfinals
Friday, Feb. 26
(2) Hilltop 59, (7) Valley Center 31
Semifinals
Tuesday, March 1
(3) Lincoln at (1) Hilltop, 7 p.m.
Division V
Quarterfinals
Tuesday, Feb. 23
(1) Rock Academy 47, (8) Calvary Christian Academy 36
Boys Basketball
Division Iii
First Round
Tuesday, Feb. 23
(5) Bonita Vista 63, (12) Monte Vista 55
(6) Granite Hills 55, (11) Otay Ranch 46
(4) Christian 65, (13) Hilltop 58
Quarterfinals
Thursday, Feb. 25
(5) Bonita Vista 83, (4) Christian 60
Semifinals
Tuesday, March 1
Bonita Vista vs. TBA, 7 p.m.
