Week in Sports
By Gideon Rubin
Boys basketball:
A clear pattern has emerged with Torrey Pines showing a tendency to start slow and finish strong.
That pattern held true to form in a decisive 55-41 San Diego Section Division I championship game victory over Vista on March 3 at Jenny Craig Pavilion.
The Falcons didn’t really look much like a section championship team more than halfway through the season in mid January when they were 10-9 after losing seven of 10 games during a stretch that included losses in their first two Palomar League games.
But then they went on to win 12 of their next 13 games including all eight remaining league games. Their title game victory was their 10th straight win.
The title game was a similar story.
The Falcons trailed 29-24 at halftime and looked like they were about to get blown off the court during a stretch in the first half when they were outscored 21-3.
But the Falcons stepped up their game defensively, a pivotal factor in their outscoring Vista 31-12 the rest of the way.
Garrett Galvin scored 27 points to lead the Falcons, and Joe Rahon added 19 points.
The Falcons section title was their first since 2001.
The Falcons advanced to the finals after defeating San Ysidro 60-54 in a Feb. 28 semifinal.
Rahon led the Falcons with 28 points and Sam Worman added 13 points and 12 rebounds. Galvin contributed 10 points.
The Falcons improved their overall record for the season to 22-10 heading into the state tournament.
Cathedral Catholic captured the Division III championship with a thrilling 65-64 title game victory over Mission Bay on March 3.
The Dons section championship was their first since 2000, when they were University High.
Brandon Michel scored 22 points to lead the Dons, and Nick Prunty added 12 points.
The title game victory followed a 65-61 win against St. Augustine on Feb. 28.
Michel led the Dons with 25 points, and Xavier Williams added 11 points.
The Dons improved their overall record for the season to 28-3 heading into the state championship tournament.
Santa Fe Christian lost to Francis Parker 62-55 in a Division V semifinal on Feb. 28.
Justin Byrd scored 26 points to lead the Eagles and Grant Corsi added 14 points.
The Eagles concluded their season with an 18-11 overall record.
Boys soccer:
Torrey Pines won the San Diego Section Division I title in dramatic fashion, as the Falcons defeated San Pasqual 3-2 on penalty kicks after the two teams played to a scoreless tie in regulation and an overtime period.
Eduardo Bazua scored the decisive penalty kick for the Falcons.
The victory followed a 2-1 semifinal win against Poway on Feb. 28.
Austin Freel scored both goals for the Falcons off assists from Chandler Bleakley and J.T. Esquibel.
The Falcons improved their overall record for the season to 21-5-3 heading into the Southern California regional championships.
Cathedral Catholic lost the Division III championship game to St. Augustine on March in heartbreaking fashion, as the Dons were outscored 5-4 on penalty kicks after the two teams were locked in a 1-1 tie after regulation and an overtime period.
The Dons advanced to the finals after defeating San Dieguito Academy 2-0 in a Feb. 28 semifinal.
Michael Turner and Brendan Pottier each scored one goal for the Dons, and goalie Giovanni Garbella had six saves.
The Dons fell to 18-5-3 overall for the season.
Girls soccer:
Cathedral Catholic left nothing to chance in the Division III championship game as the Dons defeated Del Norte 4-0.
Brittany Doan scored two goals to lead the Dons and Tara Young and Ellie Tvedt each added one goal.
Dons goalies Hanna Macauley and Lizzie Stabile combined for the shutout.
The victory followed a 1-0 win against University City on Feb. 29.
Brittany Doan scored the game’s only goal off an assist from Mikaela Kraus.
Macauley and Melissa Lowder each had three saves to combine for the shutout.
The Dons improved their overall record for the season to 17-6-5 heading into the Southern California regional championships.
Baseball:
Torrey Pines opened its season with a decisive 21-3 victory over San Diego in a nonleague Falcon-Pirate tournament game on March 3.
Morgan Oliver went 2 for 3 with a home run and five RBI to lead the route, and Kyle Johnson had two hits including a double and drove in three runs.
Cole Jaczko also homered for the Falcons.
Luc Rennie pitched five innings of one-hit ball for the win. He struck out six batters and allowed one walk.
Santa Fe Christian is off to a 2-0 start after outscoring its first two opponents by a combined 16-2.
The Eagles defeated Clairemont 9-0 in their season opener on March 1 and then beat Calvary Christian in a Falcon-Pirate tournament game two days later.
Bobby Zarubin homered and drove in three runs to lead the Eagles in the Clairemont game.
Graham Gomez had two hits and two RBI to lead the Eagles against Calvary Christian.