Stroup named MVP in Fillmore hoop tourney
by Jesse Phelps

The Nordhoff boys' varsity basketball team traveled to the Fillmore tournament last week and walked away with the hardware.
Forward Micah Nylander and point guard Garrett Stroup garnered all-tournament honors and Stroup was named MVP after averaging 10 points and seven assists for the three games.
In round one, Nordhoff (5-3) outscored Village Christian 13-5 in the fourth quarter to earn a tough 57-46 victory. Center T.J. Murphy led the team in scoring with 16 points. Nylander added 12 and the two combined for 10 rebounds.
Stroup contributed eight points and six assists in the win.
In the semifinals, Stroup came up big with 16 points and five assists, Nylander added 13 and nine boards,and sophomore inside force A.J. Maulhardt pitched in six points and eight rebounds to lead Nordhoff past St. Bonaventure. The Rangers used a 12-4 first quarter to build a lead they never relinquished.
Nylander notched a double-double in the final game against L.A. Baptist. His 18 points were more than half the 27 scored by the entire L.A. Baptist team. He also added 12 boards. Ben Bower scored 11 in the win and Stroup had his best all-around game statistically with seven points, seven boards and seven dimes.
The Rangers followed up their tournament victory with a 56-49 defeat of Santa Ynez on Dec. 17. Nylander was huge again, this time contributing 13 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Murphy added 12 points and five rebounds. Stroup scored 10, Bower nine, Mike Bensley five, and Maulhardt five. Reserve point guard Ryan Whitcomb added two points and seven rebounds.
A string of four consecutive victories ended at the hands of Westlake on Dec. 21. Despite outscoring the opposition 21-15 in the final quarter, the Rangers weren't able to make up for the third, in which they were outscored 26-7.
Stroup and Andy Doyle each had 11 points to lead the Ranger attack and Murphy and Nylander contributed nine each. Nordhoff coach Mike Probyn says his team's strengths to this point in the season are "balanced scoring, team play, and defense."
The Rangers played Monday at Buena as part of the Ventura Kiwanis Invitational, but results were unavailable as of press time. Next up is Antelope Valley tomorrow and Rio Mesa on Dec. 27.

© 2002 The Ojai Valley News

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