SoCalHoops High School News

Clovis West Beats Carmichael Jesuit
In North-South Duel--(Feb. 4, 2001)

Clovis West, currently ranked No.1 in the Central Section of CIF (which is actually a SoCal region, even though geographically Fresno happens to be in the North) and also ranked among the top teams in the country by Fox Sports and No. 3 in the State by Cal-Hi Sports right behind Mater Dei (1) and Westchester (2), loves to set up these high-profile, intensely competitive games. . .and they played one last night at Clovis, against Jesuit HS from Carmichael, a team which also features some pretty talented players. . .guys like Maurice Tyree (6'-7" Sr. F). . but then Clovis features Chris Hernandez (6'-2" Sr. PG) the best player in the country who won't be a McDonald's All-American, and a great supporting cast of players like Nick Debban, Jason Wallberg, Danny Parker, Tyrone Jackson. . .   Not surprisingly, Clovis West won at home, once again proving how difficult it is to stop the Hustlin' Eagles in their own gym. . . . Here's the story of the game which was carried by the Fresno Bee in today's edition, by Lisa Burnett one of the Bee's best staff writers.  This is for all the other D-I teams in SoCal who are likely to see Clovis in the Southern California State Regionals, so pay attention:

Eagles let Jesuit learn the hard way

Clovis West stays tough at home, winning 81-63.

By Lisa Burnett
The Fresno Bee
(Published February 4, 2001)

Clovis West High gave Jesuit boys' basketball coach Hank Meyer just what he wanted Saturday night -- almost.

The Golden Eagles provided the hostile environment Meyer was hoping to expose to his Marauders from Carmichael, complete with in-your-face defense and a gym full of Clovis West fans.

Of course, the Eagles, ranked No. 1 in the Central Section, No.3 in the state and No. 16 in the nation, couldn't be the perfect host. They sent their guests home with an 81-63 drubbing.

"I wanted this type of game," Meyer said. "I would have liked the score to be closer, but we need this kind of game to get ready for the playoffs. You need to experience that hostile environment."

The environment got especially hostile just after halftime. Leading 39-32, the Eagles opened the third quarter with a 17-0 run, basically putting the game away.

"We had three straight turnovers, and they went on a 17-0 run. That really hurt us," Jesuit point guard Adam Harper said. "They were very up-tempo and very aggressive. They're the first team that's actually done that to us full court."

That would be Clovis West's trademark trapping defense, which helped cause 17 turnovers in the first half and eight in the third quarter.

"We fell apart," Meyer said of the second half. "We had a real tough game last night. But you have to give Clovis West credit; their pressure really bothered us. We didn't do what we needed to do."

The Eagles did, especially during the third-quarter run. Tyrone Jackson scored nine of his 17 points, and Jackson, Jason Walberg and Tyson Parker each made a 3-pointer during that stretch.

"They couldn't come back from that," said Clovis West point guard Chris Hernandez, who added to his section career-assists record with six. "We penetrated, got some good looks and got some good rebounds.

Eagles forward Nick Debban, who scored 14 of his team-high 18 points in the first half added, "That's what we usually do -- the third quarter is our strong quarter. We're usually in better shape than the other team. We come out of halftime, and we're energized, and they're tired."

Maurice Tyree, a 6-foot-7 post player, kept Jesuit in the game, scoring a game-high 29 points and grabbing 21 rebounds. His rebound putback to open the fourth quarter pulled the Marauders to 60-44, but Clovis West responded with eight consecutive points to push its lead to 68-44 with 5:57 left.

Even Eagles coach Vance Walberg said the victory was, "A lot easier than I thought."

©Copyright SoCalHoops 1997-2001
Questions? Comments? Need Information?
Contact: jegesq@SoCalHoops.com