On Wednesday, Feb. 14, Mission Bay boys basketball, the No. 2 seed in the CIF Div. I playoff bracket punched their ticket to the CIF quarterfinals by routing the Poway Titans 74-45. Mission Bay would start behind the eight ball, going down 10 to 5 three minutes into the first quarter, largely due to simple mistakes and a few sloppy turnovers. But those uncharacteristic first three minutes of play would be quickly washed away, as the Bucs would respond with a 23-2 run over the next nine minutes of play, giving them a 28-12 lead with 2:55 to play in the second quarter. Spearheading the massive run was Mission Bay’s aggressive defense led by Marcos Korch, Isaah Whitehurst, and Charlie Hutchinson, who would combine for five steals and three blocks during the run. 

“The goal was to make them uncomfortable. We knew they could not handle pressure, so we went a little bigger, got physical with them, and pushed the pace,” said Mission Bay head coach Marshawn Cherry. “Our press and traps were effective in speeding them up. They’re a North County team, and up there, it’s all about sets and execution, so we wanted to take them out of half-court sets and have them scramble and be forced to make basketball plays. The guys executed the game plan perfectly.”

The massive run would quickly be expanded as Mission Bay continued to play with pace and take a 33-19 lead to the half. Coming out of the break, the Bucs’ pacing and effectiveness inside the paint would remain persistent, with forward Hutchinson creating the most chaos down low. 

The 6 feet 7 inches tall big man would tie Caleb Newton for a team-high 15 points, while also logging four rebounds, four assists, and three steals. His play was critical in the winning effort and helped put the game out of reach early. 

“With [Hutchinson], he’s just a tough guard. He can shoot it inside and outside effectively,” Cherry said. “ When he is in rhythm, he is damn near impossible to guard because he’ll get to his elbow shot, the rim, and from beyond the arc. He was a catalyst for our offense tonight.”

The Buccaneers had five players who scored in double figures. Whitehurst, Korch, and Gavin Girouard would all drop 10 points each in the first-round victory. Also providing quality minutes, and eight points in the fourth quarter, was Clay Grebing. 

It’s this kind of depth, play-making, scoring ability, and aggressive play style that stretches from the starters and down their bench that makes Mission Bay special. It’s why many view them as the favorites to take home the CIF Div. I title. 

Mission Bay now sails onto the CIF quarterfinals, where they’ll match up against the No. 7 seeded Del Norte Nighthawks. The two teams met once this season on Nov. 25, where Mission Bay clobbered Del Norte 64-48. 

“Del Norte is another tough North County team, so we are going to want to pressure them and take them out of their sets as well,” Cherry said. “It will probably be a similar game plan as we had vs. Poway. Just play big and strong, get downhill, turn up the intensity, and make them play fast.”

Tip-off vs. Del Norte will be on Saturday, Feb. 17, at 7 p.m. at Mission Bay High School. 

Photo by Steve Sidell