Lofton Lifts El Camino Real to Title

Before El Camino Real and Chatsworth highs met Wednesday for the West Valley League title, Conquistadore Coach Mike McNulty stressed swiftness to his team, while Chatsworth’s Gary Shair emphasized intelligence.

But it was El Camino Real that finished at the top of the class, throttling visiting Chatsworth, 59-42. The Conquistadores are 8-8 overall, 5-4 in league play; Chatsworth is 12-8, 4-5.

And it was senior forward Brent Lofton who truly made the grade. The senior forward scored a game-high 17 points and took charge midway through the third quarter, scoring eight consecutive points to give El Camino Real a 45-29 lead. Had the game been a classroom test, Lofton’s scores would have blown the curve for everyone else.

“It felt good,” Lofton said of his third-quarter splurge. “I was looking for the ball. Thanks to Charlie Crow, I got it.”

Crow, a senior, finished with 13 points and five assists, including a buzzer-beating layup that extended El Camino Real’s halftime lead to 28-24.

“We can beat anybody at anytime,” Crow said. “Our record isn’t indicative of how tough we can be.”

After a 12-12 first quarter, Chatsworth was not nearly as hardy. In fact, in the third quarter, the Chancellors all but wilted, managing only five points, and trailed, 49-29, entering the final period.

A five-point quarter?

“What can I say,” a downcast Shair said, “we played really bad.”

The Chancellors played well down the stretch, however, making a brief rally near game’s end.

Chatsworth, which was led by Ramon Purvis with 10 points, outscored El Camino Real, 13-10, in the fourth quarter and closed to within 13 at 55-42. Unfortunately for the Chancellors, Lofton already had provided El Camino Real with too much of a cushion.

“The team looks to Lofton for leadership,” McNulty said. “When Lofton plays well, he brings up the level of our other players.”

And the Conquistadores’ level is at the top of the league.