The prospect of another undefeated season for the Sweetwater High School boys basketball team was nixed when the Red Devils dropped their season opening game to the host Valhalla Norsemen on Dec. 8 in the Mt. Miguel Invitational tournament.
“We’re not chasing that this year,” SuHi coach Jesse Aguirre quipped following Wednesday’s 70-64 Sweetwater Host Lions Classic match-up against the Serra Conquistadors.
Sweetwater won its opening 28 games last season before finally tasting its first loss in the Division III San Diego Section championship game against the Kearny Komets.
Fast forward to the ensuing season and the Red Devils are 4-3 following Wednesday’s tourney loss.
Four players, including three starters, return from that magical 2013-14 Sweetwater team. While there is some continuity to bridge the two seasons, there are also some gaping holes in the lineup this season.
“We’re missing that leadership in the locker room and on the floor that Spencer (Mattox, now at San Diego City College) gave us last year,” Aguirre said. “We’re young – that’s what’s different. I had a freshman and a sophomore out there tonight. We’ll have to deal with the mistakes they make.”
Not all has gone afoul for the Devils so early in the season, however.
Sweetwater bounced back with wins against Lincoln (75-51), Kearny (67-65) and Crawford (83-71) before dropping its Mt. Miguel tourney finale, 76-39, to Vista last Friday. The Red Devils then topped Hoover, 77-58, on Monday to tip off play in its own tournament.
Sweetwater lived by its vaunted press defense last season, but that has been inconsistent so far this season.
“It worked against Hoover, so go figure,” Aguirre said. “We’re going to make adjustments. If we have to go half-court, we’ll do that. We’ll do whatever works for us. I think we’re going to have to make adjustments earlier in games, to see what’s working for us. And we were in this game until the very end.”
Though the Devils trailed for stretches during the opening quarter, the teams were tied 17-17 at the end of eight minutes. Serra held a 34-32 lead at halftime but SuHi’s C.J. Cadua evened the score with the opening bucket of the second half.
The Conquistadors led 49-45 entering the final quarter and pretty much held the Devils at arm’s length during the waning minutes, winning by six points.
Cadua led all scorers in the game with 26 points while Serra’s Jerome Sherman tallied 24 points and pulled in 10 rebounds. Also for the Q’s, Josh Moran had 18 points.
Raven Middleton poured in 23 points for Sweetwater. Next up for the Devils was Oscar Picazo with eight points.
That’s too much of a mismatch on the scoresheet. Of SuHi’s 64 points, Cadua and Middleton combined for 49 of them.
“The biggest difference is losing our leading scorer Spencer,” Middleton said. “He helped open up the court. With (us) having one main guard, C.J., it’s easier for other teams to stop him, so the other players have to step up.”
Cadua is averaging 29.5 points per game in five appearances on the court while Middleton is averaging 14.6 ppg and Picazo is averaging 9.4 ppg. Middleton is averaging nearly 11 rebounds per game.
Pool play in the 14-team Sweetwater Host Lions tourney continues through Saturday, with tournament finals scheduled for Monday, Dec. 22.
The Red Devils next face El Camino in pool play.
Following the Sweetwater tournament, the Devils will participate in the Torrey Pines Holiday Classic Dec. 26-30.
“We’re facing some tough teams,” Aguirre said. “If this doesn’t get us ready for league play, I don’t know what will.”
“Our goal is to get better each week and better each game,” Middleton noted.
It will be interesting to see what develops. It could be good.
Tournament update
The Red Devils closed out tourney play with a 67-55 loss to Mira Mesa (7-3). Cadua pumped in a team high 23 points in the loss to earn a berth on the all-tournament team.
Free-throws
Fifth-ranked El Camino upended third-ranked Torrey Pines, 51-49, in Monday’s championship game to improve to 9-1 on the season. The Wildcats barely squeaked out the win as a last ditch shot by the Falcons was ruled a half-second late in dropping through the net.
Quen Meadows led El Camino with 16 points while Torrey Pines’ Timmy Saunders led all scorers in the game with 18 points. EC’s Sam Bockman had 12 points, eight rebounds and three blocks while teammate Sean Birk and TP’s Jack Beach each had 11 points.
The loss was the first of the season for the Falcons (10-1).
Mission Hills (7-2) dropped Serra, 50-43, to capture third place in the tournament. Serra’s Moran led all scorers in the game with 14 points while teammate Isaiah Harris had 12 points. Mike Gale led the victorious Grizzlies with 12 points while teammates Connor Kennedy and Cameron Wagner each had 11 points.
In other games on Monday, Steele Canyon (6-2) topped Abbortsford (Canada), 63-46, behind 20 points from Dominick Wood-Anderson, 15 points from Emari Brooks and 10 points from Dylan Hamlett, while Helix (4-6) bombed Madison, 81-41, behind 28 points from Gary Linson.
Bonita Vista (9-3) closed out tourney play with a forfeit win over Hoover while Southwest fell short of Point Loma 67-16.
James Ottey led Mira Mesa with 25 points in the win over Sweetwater.
All-tournament team
Chase Claypool (Abbostford), Qrizjiah Mobley (Helix), Anthony Jensen (Madison), James Ottey (Mira Mesa), C.J. Cadua (Sweetwater), Josh Moran (Serra), Connor Kennedy (Mission Hills), Timmy Saunders (Torrey Pines). Most Valuable Player: Quen Meadows (El Camino)
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Hilltop tournament
The Eastlake Titans and Otay Ranch Mustangs both finished 3-2 in the annual Hilltop tournament (Dec. 5-12).
The Mustangs won three of their opening four games to advance to meet Army-Navy Academy in the Dec. 12 finale.
Otay Ranch clubbed Hoover, 72-43, in its season opener on Dec. 5, then dropped a 69-57 decision to Army-Navy, before scoring wins against Helix (55-46) and Westview (51-32) to draw a rematch with Army-Navy, which closed out the tourney with a 79-51 victory.
The Titans tipped off the season with a 49-48 setback to Westview but then won their next three games, defeating Helix (48-39), Hilltop (64-47) and Hoover (59-57), then closing out the tournament with a 58-28 loss to Army-Navy on Dec. 10.
Hilltop finished 2-3 in its own tournament with wins against Hoover (2-0 by forfeit) and Monte Vista (60-55) and losses to Helix (57-45), Westview (59-38) and Eastlake.
Army-Navy went 5-0 in the tournament, topping Monte Vista (82-45), Otay Ranch (69-57). Hoover (73-43), Eastlake and, in the finale, Otay Ranch again.
Olympian tournament
Defending San Diego Section Division II champion Mater Dei Catholic tipped off its season with a 4-1 showing at the Eagle Classic, Nov. 29 to Dec. 6, at Olympian High School.
The Crusaders defeated Del Norte, 50-35, to open tourney play on Nov. 29, then dropped a 45-39 decision to Mira Mesa on Dec. 2. Mater Dei Catholic then won its next three games to cap tourney play, defeating La Jolla Country Day (61-59 on Dec. 3), Caste Park (64-47 on Dec. 4) and Del Norte (70-43 on Dec. 6).
Olympian defeated Chula Vista, 72-41, in an Eagle Classic tournament game on Dec. 5 after absorbing previous losses to LJCD (88-44 on Nov. 29), Del Norte (63-52 on Dec. 2) and Grossmont (65-43 on Dec. 3). Olympian concluded tourney play with a 53-44 loss to LJCD on Dec. 6.
Castle Park finished 1-4 in the Olympian tournament with a 54-40 win over Chula Vista and losses to Grossmont (69-36 on Nov. 29), LJCD (84-48 on Dec. 1), Mira Mesa (75-41 on Dec. 3) and Mater Dei Catholic.
Chula Vista finished 0-5 in the Eagle Classic with losses to Mira Mesa (75-25 on Dec. 1), Grossmont (77-45 on Dec. 2), Del Norte (66-38 on Dec. 4), Olympian and Castle Park.
Grossmont went 5-0 in the Eagle Classic, defeating Mira Mesa, 49-34, in the tournament finale. Tommy Rutherford led the Foothillers with 26 points in the title game win. Mira Mesa finished 4-1 in tourney play.
Holiday hoops
Play tips off Friday, Dec. 26, in both the Chula Vista Spartan Classic and Montgomery Aztec Holiday Classic.
