Boys’ basketball: Granada Hills is back to pulling off upsets

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Last season, Granada Hills, despite its lack of height, was one of the surprise teams in the City Section, knocking off the likes of Santa Monica and Valencia while winning two tournaments.

Well, the Highlanders haven’t gotten any bigger, but they are still showing heart and determination. They won a three-day tournament at San Diego State over the weekend, beating San Diego Lincoln in the semifinals and Torrey Pines in the final.

‘We had to be 100 to 1 to win,’ Coach Don Loperena said. ‘We played so hard.’

They start three guards -- 5-foot-6 J.J. Caballero, 5-8 Trevor Medina and 5-8 Greg Parker. The starting forward is 5-10 Nick Bullock and the center is 6-2 Jacob Grayr.

‘I was mind-boggled by the effort,’ Loperena said.

-- Eric Sondheimer