Looking out on the floor during warmups, Torrey Pines High School basketball coach John Olive said “Mission Bay has a bunch of men.”

After a slow start Saturday, Mission Bay’s men ran away, beating the host Falcons 67-44 in a semifinal of the American Division of The Holiday Classic at Torrey Pines.

Mission  Bay (12-3), ranked No. 6 in San Diego, advances to Monday’s American Division title game against the winner of Stockton Lincoln-San Marcos. Tipoff is 5:25 p.m. Monday at Torrey Pines,

“I don’t know if it was men against boys, but we do pride ourselves on playing hard, playing strong and playing together,” said Mission Bay’s Clay Grebing, who — at 6-foot-8 — was the biggest man on the floor.

Mission Bay led by 12 points at the half and by 20 after three quarters.

Torrey Pines, 10-3, and ranked No. 4 in San Diego, cut the deficit to 51-39 with 4:36 to play, but Mission Bay’s Pablo Balderas scored the next nine Bucs points to stretch the lead back to 20 with 3:01 to go.

“Two years ago, Torrey Pines beat us by about 20 in this tournament, so we knew to expect a tough, hard-fought game,” Balderas said.

“Torrey Pines plays a grind-it-out style. They jumped on us in that fourth quarter, but we pride ourselves on being the best-conditioned team in San Diego. So we had something left when they made their charge.”

Bucs coach Marshawn Cherry said his team runs on the track, does stadium stairs and takes part in basketball-specific conditioning.

“And no one complains,” Cherry said. “We run a trapping defense, so we have to be in shape. The players understand conditioning will come into play in the game.

“I’m not an easy guy to play for. I get on the kids, yell a lot, but they don’t take it personally. Really, I have a good group, a group that likes playing together, and winning.

“It’s a group that has bought into working hard.”

Mission Bay outscored Torrey Pines by eight in the third quarter, then withstood Torrey Pines’ best run in the fourth quarter.

“This tournament, four tough games in four days, is all about conditioning,” Balderas said.

Balderas and Caleb Newton led Mission Bay with 19 points each.

Grebing added 15 points and led all rebounders with nine.

Nine of Grebing’s points came on 3-point shots.

“If I’m able to hit from outside, it opens up the lanes for the other guys,” Grebing said. “If I can drag the defense out to me, Pablo and some of the other guys have more room to play.”

Tevaris Green of Torrey Pines led all scorers with 20 points. Amir Sadeghi added 10.

Mission Bay, which has now won 11 in a row, lost to No. 2-ranked Carlsbad (63-52), No. 5 Santa Fe Christian (56-49) and to 12-3 Rancho Verde (63-58).

Torrey Pines has losses to No. 7 Cathedral Catholic (78-65) and No. 3 San Marcos (63-59).

“One of the reasons you get in this tournament is to play top-flight teams, teams that get you ready for league play,” said Cherry, who’s Bucs beat Sacramento Inderkum (60-40) and South Carolina Greer (61-53) before playing Torrey Pines.

Added Balderas: “And, of course, we want to win a championship.”

Originally Published: December 28, 2024 at 7:48 PM PST