Los Osos stuns Upland in basketball league opener
Considering last year he beat the most advanced stage of colorectal cancer after being given a few years to live, Dave Smith may be the perfect person to coach the 2010-11 Los Osos High School boys basketball team. Having graduated 50 points a game in Kendall Williams, Khalil Kelly and Chinedu Amajoyi, what did Smith believe were the Baseline League's expectations for his team this season?
"To roll over," Smith said, "and die."
Los Osos is alive and kicking after a Tuesday night's 68-63 defeat of Upland, the team most expected to challenge three-time outright league champion Etiwanda for the title. Barry Cheaney scored 19 points for Los Osos (11-5, 1-1) and Omar Ajanovic in added 18 points.
After trailing the entire second half, Upland (12-4, 1-1) pulled within a point on Anthony Fitzpatrick's pair of free throws with 16 seconds to play but Los Osos' senior Michael Walker made two pressure-packed free throws a second later to restore the Grizzlies' lead to three.
Upland point guard Myles Pearson, who scored 14 points, including five straight prior to Fitzpatrick's free throws, missed an open look at the potential game-tying 3-pointer with 10 seconds to play to seal the Highlanders' fate.
"We just missed too many easy shots," Upland interim coach Anthony Mason said. "It's early though, we've still got nine games to play."
Los Osos never trailed after a 12-3 run in the second quarter that broke a tie at 23. Upland's John Gilliam, who finished with 10 points, scored at the second-quarter buzzer to pull the Highlanders within 33-28 but the senior guard made just one field goal in the second half.
"We were going to do anything we could to not let Gilliam beat us," Smith said. "Credit him for not forcing it. He let his teammates take the open shots but I think we did a good job on him in the second half."
Roderick Evans-Taylor led Upland with 20 points but didn't score in the final 4:25. Nevertheless, Upland and began a final push after the Highlanders trailed 53-46 following a Cheaney basket with 6:19 left in the fourth quarter.
While Cheaney paced Los Osos early, Ajanovic carried it late with nine consecutive fourth-quarter points that kept Upland at arm's length. The senior forward's fadeaway 3-pointer as the shot clock expired gave Los Osos a 62-57 lead with 1:40 to play.
"He's our emotional leader," Smith said of Ajanovic. "Other than him and Barry Cheaney, we don't have a lot of experience on this team. But when we play together we can do some things, especially defensively."
Los Osos held a high-powered Upland offense nine points under their average.
"Everybody is talking about Etiwanda, and rightfully so, and everybody is talking about Upland," Smith said. "I think us, Rancho (Cucamonga) and Glendora are afterthoughts. The tough thing is, I don't think (Upland) will take us lightly next time."
About Clay
Clay Fowler has been covering high school sports for six years in California and Texas. He was born in Dallas, attended the University of Texas and worked in Central Texas before joining the Daily Bulletin staff in 2006.
Email Clay here
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