2nd-Quarter Rolling Hills Burst Silences PV, 69-50

Trying to find a turning point in Rolling Hills’ 69-50 victory at Palos Verdes Saturday night?

Look no further than the second quarter at the Sea Kings gymnasium when the Titans netted the first 14 points of the period and outscored their hosts, 29-11. The run, which lasted more than five minutes, silenced the Palos Verdes contingent in the standing-room-only crowd of 2,000 and paved the way for an easy victory for Rolling Hills, which was also well supported in attendance.

The victory solidified the Titans’ first-place hold in Bay League competition as they improved to 7-0 in league play and 16-3 overall, while Palos Verdes fell to 1-6 in league and 3-12 overall.

Rolling Hills scored the first 5 points of the game but fell behind, 10-9, midway through the first period when Palos Verdes forward Cris Castello completed a 3-point play. The Titans reclaimed the lead seconds later on Mark Tesar’s 3-pointer and led, 18-14, at the end of the quarter.

Center John Hardy and guard Ron Dinnel scored 7 and 5 points respectively in the first three minutes of the second quarter as Rolling Hills built a 32-14 lead, and Tesar’s 3-pointer at the buzzer capped off the second-quarter blitz.

Palos Verdes could get no closer than 15 points thereafter, and the Titans never looked back.

“When we’re running and making those shots, we look like a different team,” said Rolling Hills Coach Cliff Warren. “At first our shots weren’t going in, that’s all.”

He added: “I think Tesar’s 3-pointer just before half-time really gave us a boost, too.”

Both teams were somewhat sluggish in the third quarter, but a 10-0 Palos Verdes run pulled the Sea Kings to within 49-35 with 5:10 remaining. But Tesar and Rick Judge scored easy lay-ups and Dinnel swished two free throws to again pad Rolling Hills’ lead.

“We came out wanting to win the third quarter and play like the score was back to 0-0 again,” said Sea Kings Coach John Mihaljevich. “We wanted to establish our offense and get some good shots. I think we did that, but we just weren’t hitting them.”

Hardy led all scorers with 21 points, and Tesar contributed 20, including three 3-pointers. Dinnel chipped in with 14 points.

Palos Verdes was paced by junior forward Scott Wilson’s 14 points. Guard Craig Nagle scored 9.