Kofa routs San Luis in region opener
Miller (22 points) steps up for Kings
San Luis went into last night’s 6A Southern boys basketball region opener with a game plan designed to shut down the Kings top two scorers, senior guards Chuy Ortiz and Jeremy Smith.
The Sidewinders succeeded in that regard, but it turned out the Kings had plenty of other players that could beat them.
Senior forward Zac Miller led the way for the Kings in their 53-32 victory with 22 points, while senior guard Ariel Beal (11 points, 8 rebounds) and junior forward Tayzon Johnson (11) also finished in double figures.
“It kind of gives us a different dimension,” Kofa coach Jeff Frazine said of the balanced scoring.
Kofa (4-3 AIA, 1-0 region) led from early in the first quarter on, and used a 13-2 run to turn what was a 10-point lead at the start of the fourth quarter into a 21-point rout.
The Kings did it with only little scoring contributions from Ortiz and Smith, who entered the evening averaging 15.3 and 11.9 points per game, respectively. Both players finished with only three points, with neither — particularly Ortiz, who only attempted three shots all game — forcing the issue.
“Jeremy and Chuy have really embraced their role of facilitating and helping other people get offense,” Frazine said. “It takes pressure off of them because they draw a lot of the attention.”
“Our game plan (against Ortiz and Smith) worked, but unfortunately we forgot about that other dude (Miller) down low,” San Luis coach Tim Morrison said. “I mean, I told them that he was dangerous; it’s not like I don’t bring him up in practice.”
Miller scored eight points in the first quarter to help Kofa build a 16-6 lead, and was up to 13 points when