THOUSAND OAKS BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT : Thousand Oaks Gets Lift From Hartman

THOUSAND OAKS —  With the loss of standout twins Nick and Paul Foster to graduation, the success of the Thousand Oaks High basketball team rests on the shoulders of Jason Hartman.

Tuesday night, Hartman showed he can carry a lot of weight.

Hartman scored 21 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and added six assists, leading the Lancers to a 64-56 victory over Huntington Park in the opening round of the Thousand Oaks tournament.

“I was really trying to get the other guys involved,” Hartman said. “We have a lot of young guys on the team this year and they’re not 100% sure of what we’re doing on offense.

“Some of the guys were rushing shots, but we’ll get better.”

The 6-foot-7 senior forward, who has signed to play next season for Washington, showed that he might be the region’s most versatile player as the Lancers took control of the game in the third quarter.

Hartman scored eight points and contributed two assists as the Lancers (4-1) outscored Spartans, 21-12, to take a 51-33 lead. He helped advance the ball downcourt throughout the game and was strong on the defensive end.

Thousand Oaks led by as much as 53-33 in the fourth quarter. Lancer Coach Ed Chevalier began removing his regulars with about three minutes to play.

Guard Peter Lauer added 13 points for Thousand Oaks, which will play Washington in the semifinals at 8 p.m. Thursday.

Guard Joe Covarrubias had 26 points with five steals for the Spartans (0-3), who will play Rio Mesa in the consolation semifinals at 4:30 p.m. Thursday.

In another tournament game:

Washington 59, Rio Mesa 57--Gregory Gales made two free throws with one second remaining, lifting the Generals to a victory in the opening round.

Rio Mesa (0-4) had the ball with 13 seconds to play and the score tied, 57-57. But the Generals (2-2) trapped Spartan guard Don DiDomizio and stole the ball.

Gales, who scored 20 points, was fouled by Rio Mesa’s Dorian Carson, who scored 16 points.