What else is new? Devil boys break 100-point mark in win

VACAVILLE — Hayden Russell scored 26 points and Kevin Sorensen added 19 as Davis High was up to its usual throw-fuel-on-the-fire tricks in a 103-85 victory over Vanden in Thursday’s opening round of the Honk Williams Memorial Tournament.

The game marked the third time in five outing that the Blue Devils have surpassed the century mark and they now lead all California schools in scoring, averaging 98 ppg.

As most local fans know, DHS plays a style called The System — a run-and-shoot brand of offense that hopes 90 shots and a monsoon of 3-point tries will out-distance a pittance of defense.

The Vikings (2-2) are solid a Division-III squad that owns seven section titles. Other Davis victims like Yuba City and conference rival Franklin are accomplished basketball schools, too, begging the question: How good are these Devils?

“I’m not sure where we are,” DHS head coach Dan Gonzalez told The Enterprise. “We’ll get to the end of December and look back at who we played … and what our record is then.”

With a 4-1 record and much of their 16-player roster contributing in key fashion, Gonzalez’s dandies are a fan favorite in tournaments like the Williams gathering and last week’s Bronco Roundup.

On Thursday, Davis rolled to a 55-39 first-half lead. It increased to 77-56 after three periods before the Blue Devils went into mix-and-match mode with its lineup.

In addition to Russell and Sorensen providing their typical eye-popping numbers, Ben Crook tallied 10 points, Brandon Strong and Grant Dickerson added nine each, Brett Bloomfield and Adam King had seven apiece, C.K. Hicks and Hayden Duer both canned five, Daniel Bonetti added a bucket and James Kilkenny sank a free throw.

But the highlight of the night — at least for the Blue Devils themselves — came when senior Mikie Schlosser hit a trey in the fourth period.

“The whole bench exploded,” Gonzalez reported.

Schlosser, an accomplished lacrosse player who is headed for Michigan after June, is a first-year basketballer. The 3-pointer marked his first points of the season.

“He works so hard,” Gonzalez. “He gives us such energy. Everyone was happy for him.”

On Friday, Davis meets Armijo in the feature 8 p.m. game. The Indians are 5-0 after their Thursday win over Vallejo.