Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Vista stifles Mission Hills late to tighten Avocado East race

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7DxNGoDyEA

VISTA – Defense didn’t win the Avocado East League championship for Vista on Wednesday night, but it kept the Panthers’ hopes of hanging a banner alive. Trailing league leader Mission Hills by five entering the fourth quarter, Vista turned up its defensive pressure to beat the Grizzlies 61-51 and force a first-place tie with one game left.

“We decided we needed to buckle down as a team and play team basketball,” said Vista point guard John Fletcher. “We knew that a league title was on the line.”

Fletcher was at the front of a Vista trap defense that forced nine Mission Hills turnovers in the final quarter and put the Panthers ahead by five points midway through the quarter. After handling Vista’s defensive pressure well for most of the game, Mission Hills (16-10, 8-1 Avocado East) struggled with it late.

“It wasn’t just turnovers – it was turnovers that led directly to baskets,” said Mission Hills head coach Curtis Hofmeister. “When it’s one-on-none your chances of winning aren’t very good.”

Mission Hills guard Hunter Moore converted a three-point play to make it 53-51 with 3:02 left, but the Grizzlies didn’t score after that and Vista (18-9, 8-1) put the game away by sinking eight free throws in the final minute. The Panthers outscored Mission Hills 21-6 in the final quarter played at their desired fast pace.

“Part of our game plan was to get the game a little bit faster. We want to get out and run and when we can do that it’s to our benefit,” said Vista head coach Charlie Mercado.

With the win, Vista earned a split with Mission Hills and denied them the outright league title. Both teams have 8-1 records heading into their final league contests on Friday.

“They were fighting for a piece of the league, so we knew we were going to get their best effort,” Hofmeister said. “They didn’t sneak up on us – we knew they were going to bring their ‘A’ game and they did.”

Forward Sedrick Childress led Vista with a game-high 18 points, including eight in the first quarter. Fletcher (17 points) and forward Terrance Walker (15) also finished in double figures for the Panthers, who avenged an overtime loss at Mission Hills on Feb. 2.

“We had a couple great days of practice and it kind of led to us doing what we had to do tonight,” Mercado said. “We doubled up yesterday – we practiced in the afternoon and in the evening – and it really paid off.”

Guard Kyler Kennedy scored 12 points and center Kameron Rooks added 10 to lead Mission Hills offensively. The Grizzlies had a 29-26 halftime lead and ended the third quarter on an 8-0 run to take the lead headed into the fourth quarter.

“We figured that we could get them at home,” Fletcher said. “We are excited because we had to get the win for a shot at the league title.”

On Friday night, both Vista and Mission Hills will try to win the Avocado East League championship on the road. The Panthers play at Fallbrook (18-9, 6-3) while the Grizzlies face rival San Marcos (10-14, 2-7) – and both teams like their chances to win and end up co-champs.

“We know what’s at stake and we’ll be ready to go,” Mercado said. “There’s an 11-year gap on that banner up there and we need to get it filled up.”

“We’ve got our crosstown rival, which is always a barnburner up for grabs,” Hofmeister said. “I think we’ll bounce back and come out and play well.”

Vista – 61 (17-9-14-21)

Childress 18, Fletcher 17, Walker 15, Miller 9, Thompson 0 (starters) Nyenhuis 2

Mission Hills – 51 (11-18-16-6)

Kennedy 12, Rooks 10, Moore 8, Woldemichel 8, Miller 6 (starters) Ngiyulu 7

Vista guard John Fletcher elevates for a finger roll in front of Mission Hills center Kameron Rooks

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all

Previous article

San Diego Reader 2024 Music & Arts Issue

Favorite fakers: Baby Bushka, Fleetwood Max, Electric Waste Band, Oceans, Geezer – plus upcoming tribute schedule
Next Article

Croome Brothers Trio, Jack Tempchin, Ricky, Swami & the Bed Of Nails, Kahlil Nash

Acoustic and electric in Del Mar, La Jolla, Little Italy, and City Heights

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7DxNGoDyEA

VISTA – Defense didn’t win the Avocado East League championship for Vista on Wednesday night, but it kept the Panthers’ hopes of hanging a banner alive. Trailing league leader Mission Hills by five entering the fourth quarter, Vista turned up its defensive pressure to beat the Grizzlies 61-51 and force a first-place tie with one game left.

“We decided we needed to buckle down as a team and play team basketball,” said Vista point guard John Fletcher. “We knew that a league title was on the line.”

Fletcher was at the front of a Vista trap defense that forced nine Mission Hills turnovers in the final quarter and put the Panthers ahead by five points midway through the quarter. After handling Vista’s defensive pressure well for most of the game, Mission Hills (16-10, 8-1 Avocado East) struggled with it late.

“It wasn’t just turnovers – it was turnovers that led directly to baskets,” said Mission Hills head coach Curtis Hofmeister. “When it’s one-on-none your chances of winning aren’t very good.”

Mission Hills guard Hunter Moore converted a three-point play to make it 53-51 with 3:02 left, but the Grizzlies didn’t score after that and Vista (18-9, 8-1) put the game away by sinking eight free throws in the final minute. The Panthers outscored Mission Hills 21-6 in the final quarter played at their desired fast pace.

“Part of our game plan was to get the game a little bit faster. We want to get out and run and when we can do that it’s to our benefit,” said Vista head coach Charlie Mercado.

With the win, Vista earned a split with Mission Hills and denied them the outright league title. Both teams have 8-1 records heading into their final league contests on Friday.

“They were fighting for a piece of the league, so we knew we were going to get their best effort,” Hofmeister said. “They didn’t sneak up on us – we knew they were going to bring their ‘A’ game and they did.”

Forward Sedrick Childress led Vista with a game-high 18 points, including eight in the first quarter. Fletcher (17 points) and forward Terrance Walker (15) also finished in double figures for the Panthers, who avenged an overtime loss at Mission Hills on Feb. 2.

“We had a couple great days of practice and it kind of led to us doing what we had to do tonight,” Mercado said. “We doubled up yesterday – we practiced in the afternoon and in the evening – and it really paid off.”

Guard Kyler Kennedy scored 12 points and center Kameron Rooks added 10 to lead Mission Hills offensively. The Grizzlies had a 29-26 halftime lead and ended the third quarter on an 8-0 run to take the lead headed into the fourth quarter.

“We figured that we could get them at home,” Fletcher said. “We are excited because we had to get the win for a shot at the league title.”

On Friday night, both Vista and Mission Hills will try to win the Avocado East League championship on the road. The Panthers play at Fallbrook (18-9, 6-3) while the Grizzlies face rival San Marcos (10-14, 2-7) – and both teams like their chances to win and end up co-champs.

“We know what’s at stake and we’ll be ready to go,” Mercado said. “There’s an 11-year gap on that banner up there and we need to get it filled up.”

“We’ve got our crosstown rival, which is always a barnburner up for grabs,” Hofmeister said. “I think we’ll bounce back and come out and play well.”

Vista – 61 (17-9-14-21)

Childress 18, Fletcher 17, Walker 15, Miller 9, Thompson 0 (starters) Nyenhuis 2

Mission Hills – 51 (11-18-16-6)

Kennedy 12, Rooks 10, Moore 8, Woldemichel 8, Miller 6 (starters) Ngiyulu 7

Vista guard John Fletcher elevates for a finger roll in front of Mission Hills center Kameron Rooks

Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

No. 8 Poway uses big fourth quarter to drop Vista

Next Article

Defensive-Minded Mission Hills Shuts Down Monte Vista

Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.