The Week that was...and the Week that Is, Take 2

Two weeks into the season, and the surprises have come fast and furious. No. 1ranked San Ysidro goes down, Carlsbad blitzes a competitive field at the Bucs Thanksgiving Classic and San Diego makes noise.

Here's your week recap and a look to the week ahead;

1 . Down Goes Ysidro

In a game that I didn't attend, No. 1 ranked San Ysidro played a showcase game at the Madison Regional Rumble against No. 8 El Camino, and all the Wildcats did was open their season with a massive upset. After trailing 60-44 entering the fourth quarter, the Wildcats held the Cougars to 10 points and went on a 30-10 run to win 74-70 in front of a packed gym.

Granted, the Cougars were without key starters Angelo Gil and Gerardo Guerrero, the final outcome was still a surprise.

2. Carlsbad dominates Bucs Thanksgiving Classic

The No. 7 ranked Lancers played like they had a point to prove Thanksgiving week at the Bucs Thanksgiving Classic. They thrashed Hoover, San Diego and Eastlake before facing the host Buccaneers in the championship.

The result wasn't much different, as the Lancers jumped on Mission Bay with a dominant second quarter en route to a 78-61 championship win. The margins of their victories: 27, 17, 26 and 18.

3. Cavers hold their own

You could argue that save for one quarter in the Carlsbad game, the Cavers were the third best team in the field. Playing with only 7 players and a 6-man rotation, the Cavers opened up with a 28-point win over Coronado in a game they led by 38 at one point, then beat No. 10 Santa Fe Christian 57-42 before beating Del Norte 75-66 in a game they led for three quarters.

The Cavers have a tiny margin of error: one injury or foul trouble can quickly derail them. But that first six of seniors Noah Marte, Miles Harris and Baron Noble, and sophomores Jayden Wade, Trey Degrate and Isaiah Marte is as connected and good of a six as we have in SD.

4. Saints continue to roll

Five up. Five down. Five blowouts.

St. Augustine will move back up to No. 1 when our rankings are updated on Dec. 4, barring a loss this week. Facing an outmanned field at the Madison Regional Rumble, the defending CIF champs rattled off wins of 47, 44, 39 and 32 points over Westview, Helix, Poway and Otay Ranch, respectively. But suddenly, the Dec. 3 home opener against El Camino becomes that much more intriguing (more about that later).

Player of the Week: Jake Hall, Carlsbad

Hall, the unquestioned MVP of the event, has picked up where he left off last season – scoring the basketball at an efficient and prolific clip. He is a three level scorer that does it without over handling due to his precise footwork and touch around the basket and ability to move without the ball. He scored 31 points in the championship blowout of Mission Bay – on 16 shots. He's averaging 25.3 points per game to start the year - ahead of last year's blistering pace.

Play of the Week: Vince Hillman slams shut Orange Glen's victory hopes

In a game that had some incredible runs, it was the Wolfpack's - no misprint - 50 to 24 run over the final 14 minutes of the game that propelled the team to an 84-73 win. The punctuation mark on the win was Hillman's transition slam that electrified the crowd and essentially closed the door on the Patriots' last-quarter comeback attempt. It also solidifies the Wolfpack as one of the surprise teams in the early season, as they are 4-0 headed into tonight's matchup against Canyon Hills.

Freshman of the Week: Jayden Gray, Victory Christian

The 6-0 freshman guard has been on an absolute tear, averaging 25.25 points per game to lead his team to a 4-1 record. He's also averaging 5.25 assists, 4.75 rebounds and nearly 3 steals per contest

Now for the upcoming week:

Games of the Week: (6) Torrey Pines vs (9) Cathedral Catholic, Dec. 3 @ 7:30; West Hills HS

For another year, the battle for Del Mar Heights road will be won in a gym in Santee.

Both the Falcons and Dons dropped their openers, but have responded with solid wins, but the game will give them another opportunity to battle a potential Open Division foe.

(7) El Camino at (2) St. Augustine, Dec. 3 @ 6 p.m.

After taking down San Ysidro, the Wildcats get a chance at the presumptive new No. 1 in San Diego. St. Augustine looks to separate itself from the rest of the SD field.

Other important games

LCC @ Santa Fe Christian, Nov. 29 at 7 p.m. - Big bounceback chance for the Mavs and another shot at a Top 10 opponent for the Eagles

West Hills @ Coronado, Nov. 30 at 7 p.m. - The Wolfpack get their first crack at a Top 25 opponent in the Islanders, who might be without their star, Justin Ayubi.

Mission Vista @ High Tech High SD at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 1 - Battle of two quietly unbeaten teams

Montgomery @ Mission Hills at 5 p.m., Dec. 3 - Open Division implications for both squads