Fountain Valley 7th-graders third at State tournament

The Fountain Valley 7th-grade boys All-Star basketball team earned

third place at the 2000 National Junior Basketball State Tournament by

defeating South Huntington Beach, 53-40.

Fountain Valley won the game behind center Scott Grant’s third key

performance of the tournament, in addition to a complete team effort.

It was the third win in four tournament games for the All-Star team,

which also defeated Scripp’s Ranch, 56-44, and Corona/Norco, 52-36. Their

lone loss came at the hands of Anaheim, 50-40. In that game, guard Chris

Debowski hit five of this shots from three-point range.

Other members of Fountain Valley’s 7th-grade All-Star team include Jeff

Millard, Evan Ocepek, Robert Hansen, Jeremy Johnson, Viet Nguyen, Matt

Derocili, Matt Bitar, Ahmad Abdelmuti, and Coach Dick Bunnell.

The Fountain Valley National Junior Basketball Division 1 All-Star

team captured the Area championship Sunday, defeating South Huntington

Beach in the final, 62-49.

Drew Peterson scored 15 points and had 10 rebounds, Nguyen Dau hit four,

three-point shots and finished with 13 points, Nico Caputo nabbed 11

rebounds, and Kia Koko blocked three shots to send Fountain Valley into

this weekend’s Sectional Tournament.

Fountain Valley began its march to the title by whipping Newport Mesa,

77-62, with Paul Youseff’s 13 points, which included three consecutive

three-point baskets, leading five Fountain Valley players in double

figures.