Many of the local boys basketball teams began competition in the Nordhoff Tournament on Thursday.
The three-day competition is the longest-running tournament in the Southern Section, with this being its 80th year.
San Marcos 75, Nordhoff 31
The Royals dominated the tournament’s host to open the weekend of competition.
Ryken Hammond dropped 17 points to lead San Marcos while Koji Hefner and Josh Hahs each ended in double digits as well with 12 and 10 points, respectively.
“We are grateful for the chance to be a part of this tournament and proud of our guys and the effort they gave,” Royals coach James Kinzler said. “I thought we moved the ball well and were really aggressive on the offensive glass.”
Rio Mesa 48, Carpinteria 26
The Warriors opened their tournament with a double-digit loss to Rio Mesa.
Despite the loss, Carpinteria turned in a solid effort against a Spartan team that has secured multiple blowout victories throughout the season.
Micah Smith, Aiden Alcaraz and Carlo Suarez limited the team’s turnovers against Rio Mesa’s full-court press defense.
Alcaraz led the way with nine points while Sebastian Reed followed up with seven points. Rounding out the scoring were Suarez and Sawyer Kelley with six and four points, respectively.
Carpinteria (1-3) will continue competition in the Nordhoff Tournament on Friday.
Camarillo 69, Cate 26
Cate struggled offensively in a loss to Camarillo, the defending champions of the Nordhoff Tournament.
“[Camarillo] was tough and controlled the offensive boards and beat us in transition for most of the game,” Rams coach Andrew Gil said.
Marcus Sudder led Cate with 16 points while Quinn Pullen provided a solid spark off the bench.
“Tonight we never gave up,” Gil said. “Our team bench energy was high but unfortunately, we couldn’t recover from a slow start.
“It was a good opportunity for us to grow and learn from playing against a big basketball school like Camarillo.”
Cate (2-1) returns to the court on Friday in the consolation bracket of the tournament.
Fillmore 45, Bishop Diego 41
The Cardinals couldn’t overcome a slow start and ultimately fell to Fillmore by four points in the Nordhoff Tournament.
“Slow starts have been killing us, and we tried to make it a game at the end but it was way too late,” Bishop Diego coach James Coronado said. “We have no cohesion right now, and that, above all else, is hurting us.
“We are not playing as a team, for various reasons, but that’s on the coach and I take full responsibility for that.”
Dame Krautmann turned in 14 points to tie the game high and lead the Cardinals’ offense.
“After the extremely slow start, I felt we played hard but you can’t spot teams 15 point leads, build them up with confidence and then expect them to hand the game right back to you and that’s what happened tonight,” Coronado said.
Santa Barbara @ Arizona Tournament
The Dons fell to a strong Chaparral opponent by a score of 57-47 in Arizona on Thursday.
Despite the final score, Santa Barbara jumped out to a 12-5 lead to begin the game. However, a 20-10 second quarter by Chaparral gave them the lead.
The Dons then managed to cut the lead to one point in the middle of the fourth quarter. Trailing by just three with two minutes to go, Santa Barbara failed to convert shots down the stretch and couldn’t come away with a stop.
Chaparral got 17 points off the bench en route to the win.
Luke Zuffelato turned in a dominant performance in the loss with 26 points and 10 rebounds. Meanwhile, Finn Whipps collected 14 rebounds and seven points.
Santa Barbara (3-1) will stay in Arizona and take on Notre Dame Prep on Friday at 7 p.m.
Santa Ynez @ Morro Bay Tournament
The Pirates dropped both of their games to begin the Morro Bay tournament on Thursday.
In a 70-60 loss to Garces, Santa Ynez got double-digit scoring performances from a trio of players.
Hale Durbiano ended with 16 points, Jayden Mendoza tallied 14 and Mason Skidmore rounded out the attack with 12 points.
The second game of the day ended in an 80-57 loss at the hands of Atascadero.
Mendoza had another solid scoring night with 13 points while Luke Gianis followed with 11.
The Pirates will take on Nipomo on Friday at 5:30 p.m.
