The Ballard High School boys basketball team flew south for the winter Dec. 28 for the Surf 'N Slam Tournament in California. But, it wasn't all fun in the sun for the Beavers, who went 0-3 against teams from California and Arizona.

"We were shorthanded, and three games in three days is not easy," coach Billy Rodgers said. "We are a team where we need contributions from everybody. If we don’t have that, we will struggle."

During the tournament, Ballard was led by junior Salim Gloyd, who scored a team-high 48 points in three games. Freshman Seth Berger made his presence felt with 30 points in the tournament.

"Seth is playing great," Rodgers said. "We knew he had great potential, but he is getting better every day. This is a kid that Beaver fans will enjoy watching over the next four years."

Upon returning to Seattle, the Beavers started 2010 off right with a 59-57 win against conference opponent Newport Jan. 5.

After the underclassmen shined in California, it was time for Ballard's seniors to take over against Newport.

Senior Marcus Heim had a game-high 17 points, and senior Gary Smith had 16.

"I thought he played hard, but we really need to improve our overall execution and freethrow shooting," Rodgers said. "We also have to do a better job of taking care of the ball."

Ballard has won two of its last three games against KingCo opponents for a 2-3 conference record and 3-6 record overall (3-3 outside of California).

The Beavers take on Bothell at 8 p.m. on Jan. 8 at Ballard High School.