http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lykBva3G5sc
With Escondido guard Joe Hudson out for the final two quarters, El Camino pounced to keep their section title defense alive. The fifth-seed Wildcats used a physical effort to knock off the fourth-seed Cougars 67-51 in the Division I quarterfinals on Friday.
“Coming into the playoffs, we wanted to show everybody that we’re the team to beat,” said El Camino guard Chris Gorman. “No matter what league we’re in we’re the team to beat.”
El Camino led 27-22 when Hudson sprained his left ankle landing on another player’s foot underneath the basket with two minutes left in the second quarter. He had to be helped off the floor and did not return for the rest of the game.
“For somebody that had a career like he had here, I’m disappointed for him more than anything,” said Escondido head coach Paul Baldwin. “It’s just a shame for Joe. Not a good way to go out.”
After Hudson’s injury, El Camino (18-10) scored the final six points of the second quarter. Escondido (18-11) struggled to score in those closing minutes and looked deflated heading into the break.
“There’s nothing you could really do. You just have to keep playing hard,” Gorman said. “It’s bad that he got hurt but you can’t stop playing.”
Even before Hudson went down, El Camino set the tone physically. The Wildcats led by eight after the first quarter, dominating the boards and feeding the ball inside to center Mookie Beard, who scored 12 of his 14 points in the first half.
“He played great,” Gorman said of the sophomore big man. “He noticed the double teams, he got fouled when we needed them and he was using the board.”
El Camino had control of the game in the third quarter when Escondido went on a run to make it a six-point game. The Cougars used full court pressure to close the gap.
“They left everything on the floor and that’s what we talked about,” Baldwin said. “We made that run and then they got us on the glass.”
The Wildcats called a timeout to regroup and finished the third quarter on an 8-0 run. El Camino extended their lead at the start of the fourth quarter and led by as much as 22 points on their way to a decisive victory.
“It means a lot. The whole team thought we deserved that [four] seed,” Gorman said. “We wanted to come out there and show them what we have – show them we deserved it.”
Dayton Boddie led El Camino with a game-high 15 points and was one of three Wildcats in double figures. The Wildcats advance to play at top-seeded Torrey Pines (26-3) on Tuesday in the semifinals in a rematch of last year's title game.
“I think it’s going to be a good game,” Gorman said. “I’m excited to play and we’re going to show them what we’re made of too – just like we did tonight.”
For Escondido, guard Nathan Urquhart scored 11 points and Hudson had 10 before his injury. The Cougars saw a three-game winning streak snapped.
“I told them we could win without him and that everybody has to step up,” Baldwin said. “My kids sure fought like hell without Joe.”
El Camino forward Preston Butler tries to keep the ball in bounds in front of Escondido forward Jesse Sahagun
El Camino – 67 (20-13-14-20)
Boddie 15, Beard 14, Mitchell 13, Butler 8, Gorman 8 (starters) Tucker 5, Cox 4
Escondido – 51 (12-10-11-18)
N. Urquhart 11, Hudson 10, Dunn 9, Moore 1, Thompson 0 (starters) Sahagun 7, J. Urquhart 6, Bridges 5, Kane 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lykBva3G5sc
With Escondido guard Joe Hudson out for the final two quarters, El Camino pounced to keep their section title defense alive. The fifth-seed Wildcats used a physical effort to knock off the fourth-seed Cougars 67-51 in the Division I quarterfinals on Friday.
“Coming into the playoffs, we wanted to show everybody that we’re the team to beat,” said El Camino guard Chris Gorman. “No matter what league we’re in we’re the team to beat.”
El Camino led 27-22 when Hudson sprained his left ankle landing on another player’s foot underneath the basket with two minutes left in the second quarter. He had to be helped off the floor and did not return for the rest of the game.
“For somebody that had a career like he had here, I’m disappointed for him more than anything,” said Escondido head coach Paul Baldwin. “It’s just a shame for Joe. Not a good way to go out.”
After Hudson’s injury, El Camino (18-10) scored the final six points of the second quarter. Escondido (18-11) struggled to score in those closing minutes and looked deflated heading into the break.
“There’s nothing you could really do. You just have to keep playing hard,” Gorman said. “It’s bad that he got hurt but you can’t stop playing.”
Even before Hudson went down, El Camino set the tone physically. The Wildcats led by eight after the first quarter, dominating the boards and feeding the ball inside to center Mookie Beard, who scored 12 of his 14 points in the first half.
“He played great,” Gorman said of the sophomore big man. “He noticed the double teams, he got fouled when we needed them and he was using the board.”
El Camino had control of the game in the third quarter when Escondido went on a run to make it a six-point game. The Cougars used full court pressure to close the gap.
“They left everything on the floor and that’s what we talked about,” Baldwin said. “We made that run and then they got us on the glass.”
The Wildcats called a timeout to regroup and finished the third quarter on an 8-0 run. El Camino extended their lead at the start of the fourth quarter and led by as much as 22 points on their way to a decisive victory.
“It means a lot. The whole team thought we deserved that [four] seed,” Gorman said. “We wanted to come out there and show them what we have – show them we deserved it.”
Dayton Boddie led El Camino with a game-high 15 points and was one of three Wildcats in double figures. The Wildcats advance to play at top-seeded Torrey Pines (26-3) on Tuesday in the semifinals in a rematch of last year's title game.
“I think it’s going to be a good game,” Gorman said. “I’m excited to play and we’re going to show them what we’re made of too – just like we did tonight.”
For Escondido, guard Nathan Urquhart scored 11 points and Hudson had 10 before his injury. The Cougars saw a three-game winning streak snapped.
“I told them we could win without him and that everybody has to step up,” Baldwin said. “My kids sure fought like hell without Joe.”
El Camino forward Preston Butler tries to keep the ball in bounds in front of Escondido forward Jesse Sahagun
El Camino – 67 (20-13-14-20)
Boddie 15, Beard 14, Mitchell 13, Butler 8, Gorman 8 (starters) Tucker 5, Cox 4
Escondido – 51 (12-10-11-18)
N. Urquhart 11, Hudson 10, Dunn 9, Moore 1, Thompson 0 (starters) Sahagun 7, J. Urquhart 6, Bridges 5, Kane 2