ARCHIVES

ARCHIVES

SY boys carry hot hand into league

By Kenny Cress/Sports Writer

Buy this photo now
Santa Ynez High’s Dane Bolitho (13) shoots over Channel Islands’ Cesar Rivera (15) during the boys championship game at the VCA Holiday Tournament. //Bryan Walton/Staff

Junior Wyatt Garley has had a banner scoring and rebounding season so far for the 4-7 Pirates boys basketball team, which kicked off league play on Wednesday.

And if the Pirates hope to make a splash in the LPL, Garley will be a big part of the equation. His Pirates are looking for a return to the playoffs.

Santa Ynez enters league play fresh off a second-place finish at the VCA Holiday Tournament.

Santa Ynez did not finish in one of the top four league guaranteed slots last year, but the Pirates went to the playoffs as a wild card team. Every LPL team, in fact, went to the playoffs with an automatic, or a wild-card, bid.

Garley currently averages 15 points and 10.7 rebounds per game. Junior Connor Reck, second-year coach Jeff Reck’s son, is second on the team in scoring at 11.3 points a game.

Dan Bolitho has backed those two by averaging 3.2 assists a game.

Here’s a look at the other LPL teams:

St. Joseph

The 4-9 Knights’ usual demanding December tournament schedule had them playing four games in a tournament co-hosted by Morro Bay and San Luis Obispo High Schools, four more in the prestigious Mission Prep Christmas Classic and three in the Torrey Pines Tournament, a fairly tough San Diego-based tourney.

The Knights’ leading scorer last season, Jacob Cano, is back. He averaged 12.8 points a game.

Santa Maria

Most of the regulars from the Saints squad that finished 8-4 in the Los Padres League last season are gone.

Veteran coach John Jimenez retired for good after another stint with the Saints, this one lasting three seasons. Jimenez coached parts of four decades, and most of his coaching time was with Santa Maria. Angel Pacheco leads the Saints in scoring at 10.8 points a game.

Cabrillo

The Conquistadores have established themselves as a favorite in the race for the league title. They’re 9-5.

Cabrillo has a solid core of seniors under veteran coach Gary West, including David Terrones, TC Webb,

6-foot, 4-inch center Curt Rosson, Balfour Brown and Brian Engler.

Lompoc

Graduation devastated the 2008-09 LPL co-champs, the only league team to win a playoff game. The Braves went out in the second round. The Braves are 0-10. They do have Trae Vernon, the team’s leading rebounder and second-leading scorer from last year, back.

Morro Bay

Case Bruton and Edward Griley average 13 and 9.6 points a game. They are the leading scorers for 5-8 MB.

Templeton

Sharp shooter Jordan Hattar is back. He leads the 5-6 Eagles in scoring at 15.5 points a game.