3rd-Quarter Firepower Lifts Rio Mesa to 96-66 Victory

It was a case of firepower--or the lack of it.

Rio Mesa High came into the second-round Southern Section 4-A Division playoff game Friday night with plenty of it.

Crescenta Valley, meanwhile, came into the game minus its biggest gun in guard Raffie Eskandarian, who led the Falcons in scoring with an average of 21 points a game. Eskandarian was declared academically ineligible this week.

After a sputtering first half, the big guns of Rio Mesa, namely Jeff Garner and Eric Thomas, fired away to score 25 and 23 points, respectively, to lead the Spartans to a 96-66 victory at Rio Mesa.

Crescenta Valley (16-8) made 15 of 28 shots in the first half, but the Falcons managed to make only three of 14 free throws and trailed the Spartans, 35-33, at intermission. But it was Garner who hit three quick three-point shots to get Channel League champion Rio Mesa (21-4) off and running as the Spartans outscored the Falcons, 26-10, in the third period.

“That kid hit those three pointers in the quarter and that was it,” Crescenta Valley Coach John Goffredo said. “That forced us into something we don’t have, a press, and before you know it, it’s a 20-point game.”

Rio Mesa, ranked second in The Times’ Valley poll, last appeared in the playoffs in 1986. Coach Steve Wolf attributed the close first half to that inexperience.

“It wasn’t so much that we were nervous, but that we were unsure of what to do in the first half,” Wolf said.

Lamar Breeding, promoted from the junior varsity last week, led the Falcons in scoring with 17 points, and 6-8 forward Paul Matijasevic added 12.

Garner led the Spartans on the boards with 10 rebounds and senior point guard Lester Smith added 19 points.