W. BASKETBALL: Comets 58, Grossmont 32

ABOVE: Palomar's Nyla Bailey scores with 13:41 left in the game to put the Comets up 35-13. No. 30 is Lauren Metheney. BELOW RIGHT: Melanie Wilkerson goes up for two points. -- Photos by Hugh Cox

Showdown isn't much of one

as Palomar rolls by 26 points

SAN MARCOS (2-5-10) -- Friday evening's "showdown" between the Palomar and Grossmont women's basketball teams turned out to be more of a beat-down than a showdown.

The state No. 17-ranked Comets jumped out to a big early lead and never let up as they blew the 13th-ranked Griffins out of the Dome 58-32. With the win, coach Sheri Jennum's club all but clinched a third straight Pacific Coast Athletic Conference championship.

The Griffins were tied for first place with the Comets entering the game and could have all but clinched a conference title for themselves with a win.

Nyla Bailey (14 points, 13 rebounds, two blocks) led four Comets in double figures as Palomar advanced to 18-5, 9-1 in the PCAC and the Griffins, which had snapped the Comets' conference win streak at 33 games last month at Grossmont, fell to 20-5, 8-2.

Lauren Matheney (12 points, eight rebounds), Amber Glasser (10 points, all in the second half, and seven rebounds) and Kiara Stinson (10 points) joined Bailey in double figures.. Stephanie Bishop contributed  nine points and 10 rebounds off the bench.

The Comets led 25-11 at halftime and played outstanding defense as the Griffins made only 14 of 60 field goal attempts.

Grossmont also self-destructed by making only one of 17 free throws.

COMETS APPLY VICE GRIP TO GROSSMONT -- (North County Times)

M. BASKETBALL: Comets 73, Griffins 63

ABOVE: Mike Brown delivers one of his three dunks against Grossmont on Friday night. BELOW LEFT: Craig Levinson scores for the Comets. -- Photos by Hugh Cox

Palomar makes it two in row

after return of Brown (24 pts.)

SAN MARCOS (2-5-10) -- Palomar's men's basketball team made it two straight wins by a total of 31 points after the return of leading scorer Mike Brown on Friday night, this one a 73-63 triumph over visiting Grossmont.

Brown, the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference's second-leading scorer, led the way with 24 points, giving him 52 points in his two games since returning to the court. He had three big dunks.

Kevin Deeb had 15 points, six rebounds, five assists and seven steals. He had a crucial 3-pointer in the final minute when the Griffins were coming back.

Craig Levinson added nine points, and Elijah Marshall contributed nine rebounds.

The win avenged a first-round loss to Grossmont and kept the Comets' hopes of finishing at .500 both on the season and in the conference alive with three games to play.

Palomar is 10-13, 5-8.

FOOTBALL: Signing

Lavea signs with Murray State,

will play in Kentucky next Fall

MURRAY, Kentucky (2-4-10) -- Palomar running back Tyler Lavea signed with Murray State University on Wednesday, giving the Racers' recruiting class a huge boost. Murray State, a member of the Ohio Valley Conference, averaged only 67.9 yards per game rushing during the 2009 season.

Lavea, whose 2009 season was severely curtailed by an injury, still rushed for 1,090 yards on 202 carries and caught 26 passes for 202 yards during his two seasons at Palomar. He was an All-CIF-San Diego Section selection at Oceanside High School, served a Mormon mission to Peru and is a two-time All-PCAC Academic selection.

BASEBALL: Palomar 3, Saddleback 1

Smith out-duels U of A transfer

& Martinez goes 3-for-3 in win

MISSION VIEJO (2-3-10) -- Sophomore right-hander Patrick Smith won a pitching duel from University of Arizona transfer Cody Lewis and Victor Martinez went 3-for-3 on Wednesday as Palomar downed host Saddleback 3-1 in its 2010 baseball opener.

Smith (above left), who signed early with the University of San Diego, worked his way out of a first-inning jam and wound up stopping the Gauchos on two hits over five innings.

The Comets also got outstanding relief pitching from Adam Mott, Tim Hill and Ryan Wilkins, who struck out three batters in the bottom of the ninth to pick up the save. The Palomar pitchers scattered six hits.

Martinez (above right) doubled twice, singled to drive in two runs to break a 1-1 tie in the fifth inning and reached base at a hit batter. B.K. Santy singled in a run to tie the game at 1-1 in the fourth inning.

Jeremy Cline, Terrence Buchanan, Derek Baum and Zach Gage added singles as the Comets got to Lewis, who pitched for Arizona last season as a true freshman, for six hits over five innings. Palomar finished with eight hits off five Saddleback pitchers.

Palomar benefited by being able to execute -- Buchanan with a bunt single and Ty Afenir and Gage contributing successful sacrifice bunts.

Along with shutout innings by Mott and Wilkens, Hill allowed back--to-back base-runners to open both the seventh and eighth innings, then worked his way out of trouble both times. He used a variety of effective pitches to strike out three batters.

For Saddleback, Lewis struck out eight batters in the first 3 1/3 innings before the Comets started to get to him.

Palomar is slated to play Allan Hancock on Friday at 10 a.m. at Santa Ana College in a game that has been moved up a day from  Saturday to attempt to beat an expected storm. Weather permitting, Palomar also will play Santa Ana at 2 p.m. in another game that originally was scheduled for Saturday.

BOX  | SEASON

MEN'S TENNIS: Comets 7, Saddleback 2

Palomar rebounds into win

column to even 2010 record

SAN MARCOS (2-4-10) -- Palomar evened its men's tennis record at 1-1 on Thursday, defeating Saddleback 7-2 in a non-conference match in its home opener.

Micah Groom (left, file photo by Hugh Cox) won for the Comets in No. 2 singles, defeating the Gauchos' Kemaun Latifi 6-0, 7-6 (6). Andrew Buckner won for Palomar in No.3 singles, Pepe Chalan in No. 4 singles, Kyle Klebarra in No. 5 singles, Wesley Shinto in No. 6 singles.The Comets also won in No. 3 doubles.

W. BASKETBALL: Comets 93, SD City 45

ABOVE: Stephanie Bishop drives for two of her 21 points in Comets' 93-45 victory over San Diego City College at the Dome on Wednesday. BELOW LEFT: Amber Glasser scores from the middle of the key. -- Photos by Hugh Cox

Six reach double figures and

set up showdown on Friday

SAN MARCOS (2-3-10) -- State No. 17-ranked Palomar put six players in double figures on Wednesday evening at the Dome, resulting in a 93-45 rout of visiting San Diego City College.

The result sets up a showdown with No. 13-ranked Grossmont on Friday at 5 p.m., which could decide the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference championship.

Stephanie Bishop led the Comets (16-5, 7-1) with 21 points. Lauren Matheney tallied 15 points, Amber Glasser 14, Meagan O'Farrell 13, Nyla Bailey 12 and Melanie Wilkerson 12.

MEN'S BASKETBALL: Comets 84, SD Mesa 63

Brown back with 28 points;

Palomar rolls to 21-point win

SAN DIEGO (2-3-10) -- Mike Brown returned to the Palomar line-up with a flourish on Wednesday night, scoring 28 points to lead the Comets to an 84-63 win on the road over San Diego Mesa.

Brown (left) went 10-for-14 from the field and made six 3-pointers. He added four assists and four steals.

Kevin Deeb (right) had 16 points and 10 assists. The Comets are 9-13 overall, 4-8 in the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference.