San Diego Prep Basketball Insider: Francis Parker boys basketball team the surprise of the section
Every week during the 2019-20 basketball season, Scorebook Live California reporter Bodie De Silva will highlight the top performers and the most intriguing storylines in San Diego Section high school basketball.
NOTABLE RESULTS
Cathedral Catholic made the trip south last Tuesday to take on longtime rival and top-ranked St. Augustine in a battle of unbeaten Western League teams. The Saints held a small lead throughout the game and benefited when talented Cathedral junior forward Obinna Anyanwu fouled out early in the 4th quarter. The Saints held an eight-point lead with four minutes to play when the Dons began their run. Cathedral proceeded to knock down four three-pointers, two from Thomas Notarainni and one each from Beon Riley and Dominic Muncey to grab the lead for good and hold on for a 59-57 victory. The two teams will meet up again on February 4th at Cathedral in a game that will likely have an impact on determining home court advantage in the open division playoffs.
After back-to-back CIF Championship appearances the past two seasons, Francis Parker was expected to take a step back this season with the loss of a few key seniors. The Lancers have been the surprise of the section to-date, sitting with a 15-2 record and a 5-0 record in the competitive Coastal League. Parker was ranked 18th in my preseason rankings, but have made their way up to 6th in this week's rankings and have a big opportunity on the road against top-ranked Foothills Christian on Wednesday. The Lancers received a big boost in the off season when Miles Williams decided to return to Parker for his senior season, after attending Christian as a junior. Parker lacks size and only has eight players on the roster, but their shooting ability combined with their willingness to play an uptempo style has given teams fits all season and isn't likely to stop anytime soon. Not only have the Lancers put themselves in position to make the open division playoffs, it's not out of the question for them to get a first round home game.
TOP PERFORMERS
In three games last week, Francis Parker senior guard Kimo Ferrari averaged 22 points, 8 rebounds, and 6.5 assists per game as the Lancers won by a combined 59 points.
In two road league games last week San Ysidro was without star freshman Mikey Williams, but the Cougars scored triple digits in both games. Freshman Jurian Dixon had 50 points against Southwest San Diego and 44 points against Chula Vista. Cal State Northridge-signee Kailen Rains had 38 points against Southwest San Diego and 49 points against Chula Vista.
RECRUITING UPDATES
- 2020 Christian F Patrick Roberts took an unofficial visit to Point Loma Nazarene.
- Princeton was in town to see 2021 Torrey Pines PG Chris Howell and 2022 San Marcos PG Devon Arlington.
TOP COLLEGE PERFORMANCE
2018 Canyon Crest grad Aaron Acosta had 21 points in Colorado College's 85-82 loss to Trinity University. Acosta is averaging 19 points per game and shooting 41% from three-point range.
