Sports
Win Gives Santana Boys Share of GVL Hoops Title
Packed gym sees Sultans use a 13-0 run in the third quarter to pull away from El Cap 68-56.
For the first time since 2006, the Santana High boys basketball team can raise a championship banner — albiet a co-champions one, sharing Grossmont Valley League laurels with Mount Miguel.
Ironically, the last time the Sultans earned a league crown they were co-champions of the now defunct Grossmont North with El Capitan.
Six-foot-8 center Ryan Bickford banged in 18 points and senior guard Trey Bass rolled a triple-double of 11 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists in guiding Santana (19-8, 6-2) to a season-ending 68-56 victory over visiting El Capitan Friday night before full house in Santee.
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“I sat there in my catcher’s position (in front of the Santana bench) for the last 90 seconds looking at the people here and just smiled,” Santana coach Tim Barry said of the unusually large crowd in the Sultans’ gym. “I told my kids before the game that school is about community, your friends and people here. That was what showed tonight. What an experience to have played in front of an excited crowd like that.”
The first half was a scoring frenzy that ended up at 38-all by intermission.
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Santana embarked on a 13-0 run in the second half to turn a 53-49 advantage into a 17-point cushion.
“I think we wore them down in the second half,” said Bass. “It felt great to play in front of such a supportive crowd.”
Santana hopes to secure a top-four seed in the Division III San Diego CIF playoffs. Pairings are to be announced on Saturday.
El Capitan 20 18 11 7 — 56
Santana 23 15 18 12 — 68
Santana scoring: Bickford 18, Bass 11, Lozoya 10, Khalaf 9, Barry 8, Corbisez 7, Rosolino 5.
El Capitan scoring: T.Kygar 27, C.Kygar 12, Ramirez 6, Agunat 6, Betts 2, Digenan 2, Brown 1.
Special to Patch.com from East County Sports.com
