Santa Rosa caps off strong tournament performance

Dylan Steenhoek starts a fast break against the River Springs defense Friday night. Photo by Liam Quinn

By Joe Quinn, Correspondent

The Santa Rosa Academy boys basketball team made a valiant effort before losing to Temecula Prep, 62-57, in the finals of the SoCal Classic tournament Saturday afternoon.

It was a tight game at the half ,with the Rangers down by only five at 31-26. They outscored the Patriots of Temecula Prep in the third quarter, closing to within one point at 46-45. The effort, though valiant, was to no avail at the final buzzer.

Michael Hazzard led all scorers, putting up 27 points with five 3-pointers. Isaiah Ramos continued his all-around consistent play, contributing 9 points and William Henry had 7 in the losing effort.
Hazzard and Caden Frutos made the All-Tournament Team. In three of the four games, in which he played extensively, Hazzard averaged over 26 points with a sharp 3-point eye. Frutos contributed with substantial points as well but could be seen all over the opponents on defense and successfully hustling for loose balls.

The Rangers get another shot at the Patriots when they come visiting to Menifee on Dec. 17.

On Friday night, Santa Rosa could not be beaten, running away from River Springs High to a final score of 58-17. Coach Gabriel Flores worked his substitutions early, getting great support from his bench while resting key starters for most of the game.

Dylan Steenhoek led with 15 points and was a rebounding force. Jacob Demos was also in double figures, adding 11 points, mostly from underneath, where he used his size against the smaller River Springs players.