The University City High School (UCHS) boys basketball team defeated the La Jolla Vikings 53-37 in a Western League game at La Jolla High on Jan. 28. Behind the performances of 6-foot-4-inch junior forwards Amir Hicks and Tim Patrick, and 5-foot-9-inch junior guard Stephen Rivera, UC jumped to a quick 7-4 lead and opened it up to 15-10 early in the second quarter. By halftime, the Centurions were enjoying a 21-13 cushion. Led by the play of 6-foot-5-inch senior forward Nick Reynolds, the Vikings outscored UC 18-6 to take a 31-27 advantage at the end of the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, Patrick raced in for three dunks and Hicks hit four of six free throws from the charity stripe as the Centurions outscored La Jolla 26-6 down the stretch to pull away for the victory. “When Tim (Patrick) dunks the ball the way he’s capable of doing, it gives the rest of our team the energy to pull through,” said Rivera. “Sometimes there’s some trouble with free throws, but Amir [Hicks] was awesome in the clutch.” Hicks finished with a game-high 18 points and 15 rebounds, and Patrick added 14 points and eight rebounds for UC. For La Jolla, Reynolds tallied a team-high 11 points. En otra acción: • In a Western League girls contest played prior to the boys game, the UC Lady Centurions were victorious over the Lady Vikings of La Jolla by a score of 41-22. • In Coastal League basketball action, the tenth-ranked La Jolla Country Day (LJCD) boys team suffered a tough 72-65 loss to the eighth-ranked Francis Parker Lancers. • Six-foot sophomore guard Sage Burmeister totaled 17 points to lead the Torreys.