Bulldog boys finish third at Tri-City basketball tournament
By Bill Tamburrino
For the second straight year the Ramona Bulldogs finished third in the 16-team Tri-City Christian Holiday Basketball Tournament before dropping two non-league tilts to Carlsbad and San Pasqual.
The Dawgs go into the final week of non-league action with a 6-8 record.
The Dawgs opened the Tri-City tourney by beating an under-manned Calvary Christian Academy of Chula Vista. Calvary Christian (4-8) only suited up six players for the game. Ramona opened with a 19-3 run in the first quarter and never looked back.
Dylan Fieger outscored Calvary Christian’s entire team as he poured in 21 points. Fieger also played strong defense and had five steals in the game. Zach White scored 14 points and Ryan Heiar also tallied in double figures with 11 points. Scott Stransky (3), Riley Hubbard (4), Marco Cobian (4), Matt Lawler (8), and Alex Rogers (4) also scored in the game. Heiar led the team with eight rebounds.
The Bulldogs beat Kern Valley High School 58-29 to advance to the semifinal game for the second year in a row. The Dawgs again got off to a fast start and outscored their foe 14-5 in the first period. The Dawg defense limited Kern Valley (7-7) to single digit scoring in the first, third and fourth quarters.
White had the scoring honors with 13 points followed by a 12 point effort by Fieger. Davis Windes led the team with eight rebounds as Ramona completely dominated the boards with a season high 44 rebounds. Every Bulldog on the roster had at least two rebounds. Stransky (2), Hubbard (2), Heiar (9), Fieger (2), Cobian (8), Windes (4), Lawler (4), and Rogers (4) all scored in the win.
It appeared that Ramona was going to advance to the championship game in the Tri-City Christian tourney.
The Dawgs got off to another fast start against Saint Margaret’s of San Juan Capistrano and led 15-9 at the end of one period. Ramona added to its lead in the second quarter and appeared to be going into intermission with a 17-point lead. However, on the last shot of the half—a desperation heave at the buzzer—Ramona was called for a three-shot foul. The Saint Margaret’s player hit all three free throws and the score at half was 37-23. Those free throws started a 17-2 run by Saint Margaret’s. The Tartans (9-5) would outscore the Dawgs 49-31 in the final two quarters and hand the Dawgs a 72-68 loss and a ticket to the third place game.
Rogers led the Dawgs in scoring with 15 points. White (13), Heiar (11), Cobian (10), and Fieger (10) also scored in double digits. Lawler grabbed nine boards, dished off a game high three assists, had two steals and scored 2 points. Stransky (4) and Hubbard also scored in the game.
The Dawgs finished the tourney by beating Fairmont Prep of Anaheim (9-7) 74-46 for third place. Cobian came off of the bench to lead the Dawgs in scoring with 18 points. White (14) and Rogers (13) also scored in double figures as every player on the roster scored. Stransky (5), Hunter McHargue (2), Hubbard (4), Heiar (6), Fieger (6), Windes (4), and Lawler (2) all scored in game. White led the team with nine boards. Fieger and Windes both grabbed eight rebounds as Ramona had 42 rebounds.
Coach David Reichner had words of praise for his team’s win over Fairmont Prep: “The team played a good game against a very good team and bounced back spectacularly after facing adversity the night before. This game could have turned out like the one last night, but the boys trusted the offense and themselves and executed with confidence. Fairmont is ranked higher than Ramona and could easily be one of the top teams in the Valley League. This was a good test to see where we stand come league play.”
The Dawgs lost a non-league game to Carlsbad High School 64-51 on the road. White took the scoring honors for the Dawgs as he scored 15 points and seven rebounds. Lawler also scored in double digits with 10 points as he led the team with eight rebounds. The Lancers are 8-7 on the season.
Ramona finished the holiday break with a loss to San Pasqual (5-7) on the road in a cross league tilt. Heiar led the Dawgs in scoring with 12 points. Lawler and Heiar shared rebounding honors with five boards apiece. The only other Dawg that scored in double figures was White with 11 points.
Del Norte (8-7), Orange Glen (7-4), and Valley Center (10-2) are the only Valley League teams with winning records in non-league play. The Dawgs have the third best record of Valley League teams. Mission Vista (0-7) and Oceanside (4-9) have losing records.