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Camarillo hangs tough
The Scorpions, known for their size with key players such as 6-foot-6 seniors Dan Rasp and Gordon Galloway, and 6-foot-3 senior Mike Tobin, will be matched up against a Warrior squad that's just as big. "They have good size on their team," Camarillo head coach Mike Prewitt said. "I think we will be pretty close to them on size, but in order to win we will need to do a good job on the boards. And that is everyone- not just our big men- and we need to do it on offense and defense." The players Camarillo will have to stop in the paint are 6foot-5 junior Randy Hunter and 6-foot-6 senior Ryan Davis. Hunter led Righetti in points with an average of 17.8 per game. Davis led the team in block shots with 64. Senior Todd McConnell will look to be a factor as well. He's averaging 9.3 points a game. Scorpion senior Mike Diacos, who transferred this year from Oaks Christian, is confident that the big men on his team will be able to handle the Warriors. "Not only are they big, but they also have great hands and are able to handle anything inside," Diacos said. "They definitely make my job easier as a point guard." ACHS is hoping that all the traffic in the lane can lead to some open matchups in the perimeter shooting game. The inside game "definitely opens it up for us," senior Derek Ramos said. "All the defenders seem to collapse on our inside tall players, and then we get open looks outside. It's nice having them on the team." For Camarillo to get a win tonight, Prewitt said the two most important factors are that his team rebounds well and that they take care of the ball on offense, something Prewitt said ACHS uncharacteristically did a poor job of against Valencia. Although Camarillo led for the majority of the game against Valencia, Diacos said the team had to get through a tough third quarter before the Scorpions pulled out the victory. "We did a good job of keeping our composure, especially in the third quarter when they started to make a run at us," Diacos said. "Coach called a timeout and told us to do a better job of getting our sets running on offense. We switched up our defense and did a good job holding them off." Prewitt agreed with Diacos, although he believed the real turning point was a key 3-point shot. "We really needed a basket and Isaac Alonzo hit a big 3pointer for us late in the third quarter," Prewitt said. "That basket changed the momentum of the game, and after that we made some defensive changes. We did a better job of finding where their shooters were." Although the Scorpions are glad they advanced in the playoffs, many players said the days spent between games could be tough, knowing that if they lose their season is over. "It can be pretty nerveracking knowing that a practice may be your last practice or a game may be your last game," Diacos said. "All you can do is hope for the best. Just go out and play hard and try not to think about the consequences." Ramos echoed his teammate's statements. "Coach for years has been telling us that we should play every game like it's our last," Ramos said. "Now that really is true. After we win we are just itching to play our next game." After playing on the road against Valencia, the Scorpions will be glad to get Righetti in the friendly atmosphere of their home gym. "It's going to be huge for us," Ramos said. "I love our crowd. All season long they have come out strong for us, this year more than ever while I've been here. It should be loud again Friday." Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. |
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