SAN DIEGO PREP BASKETBALL : Boys’ Roundup : Johnson, Buechler Keep Poway on Playoff Pace

The Poway Titans, ranked No. 1 in the county, continued to roll Friday night with an 82-56 boys’ basketball win over Vista in a Palomar League game at Vista.

Dominick Johnson scored 24 points and Jud Buechler added 21 to help the Titans (7-0, 16-3) win their seventh straight game. Vista (3-4, 7-10) was led by Mike Jones, who scored 14 points.

Poway, which has won two consecutive San Diego Section 3A championships, appears to be on course for another appearence in the playoffs.

“We’re just taking them one at a time,” Poway Coach Neville Saner said. “Of course, you want to peak at playoff time.”

Against the Panthers, Poway trailed, 16-15, after one quarter before asserting itself. Guard Andy Byrne led a Titan defense that forced 22 turnovers with 7 steals. Byrne also added 14 points, mostly from outside.

“Andy’s really been asserting himself on the offensive end lately,” Saner said. “He was struggling a bit from outside earlier this season, so that’s helping us out. He’s always been good on the defensive end.”

Poway outscored Vista, 23-13, in the second quarter and 24-14 in the third quarter to turn the game into a rout. Johnson helped the surge by pulling down a game-high 14 rebounds. With Byrne and point guard Gary Anderson (14 points) hitting from outside, the Titans were able to shoot 56% (29 of 52) from the floor in the game.

Elsewhere in the Palomar League:

Mount Carmel 67, Torrey Pines 62--Jim Tejcek scored 22 points to lead the No. 9-ranked Sundevils (6-1, 13-6) past the Falcons (2-4, 7-11) at Mount Carmel. Torrey Pines led 47-42 after three quarters before the Sundevils rallied for the win. Scot Thompson scored 21 points and Mike Radcliffe added 18 to lead Torrey Pines.

CITY EASTERN LEAGUE Patrick Henry 66, Madison 62--Myron Mitchell scored 25 points and Mike Hoover added 11 to lead the Patriots (1-4, 8-7) past the Warhawks (1-4, 10-7) at Madison. The Warhawks led 37-24 at halftime but scored just six points in the third quarter as Patrick Henry rallied. Eric Jackson led Madison with 23 points. Jimmy Dean, the Warhawks’ second-leading scorer, was held to 8 points.

Morse 69, Serra 64 (Overtime)--The No. 3-ranked Tigers (5-0, 13-3) knocked off the No. 4-ranked Conquistadors (3-2, 15-3) at Serra to expand their lead to two games in the City Eastern League. It was Morse’s seventh straight win.

Point Loma 68, Mira Mesa 61--The No. 10-ranked Pointers (3-2, 12-8) defeated the No. 6-ranked Marauders (2-3, 12-7) at Point Loma to move into a second-place tie with Serra two games behind Morse.

METRO-MESA LEAGUE Montgomery 77, Bonita Vista 57--Ken Thompson poured in 25 points and grabbed 19 rebounds to lead Montgomery (6-2, 10-6) over Bonita Vista (5-3, 9-8). The Aztecs, who led by seven at the half, dominated the boards, out-rebounding the Bonita Vista, 45-15, for the game. Doug Piper kept Bonita Vista close in the third quarter, when he scored 12 of his 23 points. However, Montgomery put the game away with 29 points in the final period. Rudy Rodriguez contributed 22 points and seven assists to the Montgomery cause and teammate Daryl Crawford scored 18.

Sweetwater 86, Hilltop 66--Mahlon Williams and Matt Simmons each scored 21 points to lead the Red Devils (7-1, 13-6) past the Lancers (4-4, 10-12) at Hilltop. Sean Styles added 14 points to help Sweetwater, which opened a 45-33 lead at halftime. David Mossman scored 14 points to lead Hilltop and James McCurdy added 12.

AVOCADO LEAGUE San Pasqual 76, Carlsbad 60--Jeff Baglio and Rich Pruzinski scored 20 and 19 points, respectively, to lead San Pasqual (5-2, 10-6) to victory at Carlsbad (2-5, 5-12). The Golden Eagles jumped out to a 14-4 lead early in the game and were up 49-26 at the half. Pruzinski, who appeared headed for his second straight 30-point game with 17 in the first half, finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds. Scott Porter led Carlsbad with 17 points and 11 rebounds.

Escondido 73, San Marcos 61--The Cougars (2-5, 8-10) rallied from an early 12-2 deficit to beat the Knights (0-7, 1-14) at Escondido. The Cougars trailed, 20-12, after one quarter, but led 42-37 at halftime and never trailed in the second half. Arnie Spiker came off the bench to lead Escondido with 21 points and 12 rebounds, and teammate Kevin Ahern added 17 points. Mike Peyroux scored 18 to lead San Marcos.

METRO-SOUTH BAY LEAGUE Mar Vista 68, Southwest 62--The Mariners trailed by five points after one quarter, rallied to lead, 55-41, going into the fourth period, then held off a late Raider rally to win at Mar Vista. Jim McClusky scored 31 to lead the Mariners (2-6, 4-13), and teammate Arlyn Daugherty added 10. Southwest (1-7, 1-17) was led by Johnny Walker’s 21 points.

Castle Park 79, Marian 57--The No. 5-ranked Trojans, who led through most of the game, came on strong in the fourth quarter to score 29 points and defeat visiting Marian (1-7, 4-14). Javiar Nunez paced Castle Park (8-0, 17-1) with 18 points.

CITY CENTRAL LEAGUE Christian 54, Crawford 53--Guard Marvin Harrison of Christian (2-3, 11-7) sank a 15-foot jump shot with five seconds remaining to squelch a comeback attempt by the Colts (0-5, 7-10) at Crawford. The Colts trailed until the fourth quarter, when Dondi Bell, who led all scorers with 19 points, gave them a one-point lead with 32 seconds to go. However, a missed shot by Dewie Brown allowed the Patriots to reclaim the lead and the game as guard Steve Grant, Christian’s leading scorer with 18 points, hit Harrison to set up the climatic shot.

GROSSMONT LEAGUE Valhalla 47, Mount Miguel 35--The Norsemen claimed their fifth consecutive win, easily handling visiting Mount Miguel. Valhalla (5-6, 9-9) overcame Mount Miguel’s man defense early to jump to a 19-9 edge after the first period. The Valhalla defense, which hasn’t given up more than 50 points in its last six games, kept Mount Miguel (8-3, 11-7) in check most of the game, allowing the Matadors the lead only once. Troy Toolson led Valhalla with his 11 points. Marcus Edge and James Hanna each scored 11 for Mount Miguel.

Monte Vista 48, Helix 47--The Monarchs (7-4, 8-9) trailed by one point in the closing minute, then rallied to beat the Highlanders (5-5, 7-9) at Helix. Chris Marshall’s basket put Monte Vista ahead, 46-45. After a Helix turnover, Feliz Parra made two free throws to give the Monarchs a 48-45 lead. Eric Mobley (14 points) scored to pull Helix within one, but Monte Vista held on. Marshall scored 16 points for Monte Vista.