The start of the La Jolla boys basketball season had been perfect coming into last week. Through 10 games, the Vikings stood at 10-0 to start the season. Anchored by an aggressive defense that averaged 9.8 steals per game while holding opponents to just 54.2 points, La Jolla looked to extend their winning streak to 11 games in a row on Friday night. 

Is the team looking to end that 11-game heater? La Jolla’s crosstown rival, El Bishop’s School. 

In last year’s rivalry game, La Jolla easily handled the Knights in a double-digit beatdown. However, in this year’s edition of the Battle for Pearl Street, Bishop’s would get the best of the Vikings as they handed La Jolla their first loss of the season by the final of 67-59. 

This year’s edition of the Battle for Pearl Street certainly lived up to its name and billing, as while Bishop’s would win by nine points, the two rivals would go blow for blow with one another. 

For La Jolla, most of the offensive output on the night would come from their cornerstones in, Leo Hawkinson and Lance Barga. The junior-senior duo would combine for 37 of the Vikings’ 57 points on the night. 

For Hawkinson, the junior guard would go 7-19 from the field, which included a pair of three-pointers in the second quarter that spearheaded an 8-0 Vikings run that tied the game at 18-18; just when it appeared that the Knights might be pulling away. Along with his 20 points, which led all scorers, Hawkinson would also add three rebounds and an assist in the loss. 

As for Barga, the 6 Feet 6 inches tall forward was a menace in the paint as he collected 17 points. His play down low saw him draw four fouls and go 5-10 from inside the arc. Along with the 17 points, Barga collected seven rebounds, five of which come on the offensive glass. 

In addition to Barga and Hawkinson’s big nights, Bordy Sessa and Wyatt Olmert did their part to keep La Jolla close. Sessa scored 10 points, shooting 33% from the field, while Olmert was persistent on defense, collecting two first-quarter steals that both led to early La Jolla buckets. 

The real issue La Jolla ran into was their inability to control Bishop’s pagserimeter shooting. 

In the late stages of the game, Knights Center Romeo Wright took over, shutting down the paint and coming away with five fourth-quarter rebounds. His effort on the glass in the fourth prevented La Jolla from getting much-needed second-chance opportunities. 

Meanwhile, down the stretch, Bishop’s would get elite defense from Lucas Myer as he would record three of his four steals in the second half.  

As for the offense, Bishop’s shot well from beyond the arc all game as a team, hitting at a 32% rate all night. But Jacob Tasi would come away with a pair of threes in the third and fourth quarters. His third-quarter three helped Bishop’s regain a 38-35 lead, while his fourth-quarter three-ball with under three minutes to play was the final Dagger, as it put the Bishop’s up 62-50.

With the win, the Knights pushed their record to 6-2, while the Vikings would drop to 10-1. Both teams will be back in action this week with Bishop’s set to take on St. Joseph Academy on Dec. 21, and La Jolla set to take on Army-Navy on Dec. 17, then High Tech High on Friday, Dec. 20.