La Jolla Country Day holds off Mission Bay 63-56, gets redemption at San Diego Section Division 1 title
SAN DIEGO— La Jolla Country Day came up short in the 2022 San Diego Section Division 1 championship game, leaving a bad taste in the mouth of a team that returned nearly everyone.
“It just sparked a fire,” senior guard Jake Altman said of last season’s championship game loss to Carlsbad.
Back in the same game for the second consecutive season, the Torreys, seeded third in the bracket, made the most of their opportunity on Friday night. They grabbed the lead from top-seeded Mission Bay in the first quarter and never trailed again, holding on for a 63-56 victory. The win earned La Jolla Country Day their first CIF title in boys basketball since the 2016 season.
“We worked so hard this year, put in the work, put in the sweat,” Altman said.
Friday’s win was the 13th for La Jolla Country Day in their past 14 games but their playoff run did not come easily. The Torreys edged out six-seed Mission Hills 48-44 in the quarterfinal round and needed double overtime to grab a 61-59 road win at Del Norte earlier in the week.
“Collectively they started to buy in defensively,” first-year head coach Mike Ricchiuti said of the current run. “The boys are smart, they’re skilled, they play together, they listen. All the credit to them.”
The Torreys knocked down seven first half three-pointers, finishing with 10 for the game. Mission Bay put together several small runs in the second half but were matched by the Torreys each time.
Mission Bay senior guard Angelo Gil, who rejoined the Buccaneers midseason after originally transferring to San Ysidro during the summer, led all scorers with 32 points, but no other Buccaneers player was able to reach double digits.
Sophomore Ely Elegado came off the bench to lead the Torreys with 19 points, including 10 in the final quarter.
“This is the best group of kids I’ve ever had the pleasure of coaching,” Ricchiuti said.
Both the Torreys and Buccaneers will play in next week’s CIF State playoffs with brackets set to be released on Sunday afternoon.
Check out the photos from Friday's game below.
(All photos by Justin Fine)
