BY MATT JOCKS
SAN JACINTO — Hemet High’s Bulldogs may have been on the road, but they made themselves a cozy home Wednesday. In basketball, it was prime real estate and it came with a full coat of paint. The Bulldogs’ ability to dominate under the basket in the first half spelled the difference in their 68-54 Mountain Pass League victory over San Jacinto. Five nights earlier, against Beaumont, Hemet’s offense never came together. The Bulldogs (14-5, 4-1 in league) were held to 33 points in that game. By halftime Wednesday, they had 39, including 26 in the second quarter. The difference was inside, where Hemet’s size advantage, coupled with slick interior passing, led to the offensive outburst. “Well, that’s pretty much what we do,” Hemet coach Jared Wells said. “We’ve got some guards and some big guys who can post up. And we did a good job of getting the ball to them.” It was a nearly flawless quarter for the Bulldogs. After shooting just 29 percent for the game against Beaumont, Hemet hit 12 of 19 in the quarter, including eight in a row at one stretch. The Bulldogs also outrebounded San Jacinto 14-7 in the quarter and committed just one turnover. Hemet spread the offense around, with seven players scoring in the quarter. Leading by one entering the quarter, Hemet left the floor at halftime atop a 17-point lead. “We couldn’t stop them,” San Jacinto coach Chuck Peebles said. “And we weren’t making our own shots. When that happens, it can affect your intensity at the other end.” San Jacinto (8-12, 2-3) made its voice heard in the second half. Sealing the middle and harassing Hemet all over the court, San Jacinto forced nine turnovers in the third quarter, enabling the Tigers to get as close as seven points. It got no closer in the fourth quarter and Hemet’s Ian Randle sealed the verdict, leaking downcourt for uncontested layups on consecutive possessions. San Jacinto was hampered by the inability to get its outside game going. The Tigers were just 6 of 23 from 3-point range. “That kills us,” Peebles said. “We need to have that. But give Hemet credit. Jared’s done a great job building that program. We’re young. That’s not an excuse but we should get better. And we’ll see if we can find a way into the playoffs.” Hemet had four players score in double figures, led by Devin Wilson with 14 off the bench. Andrew Pendleton had 12 rebounds. P.J. Murrieta had 14 points for San Jacinto, 12 on 3-pointers.