At 5'4", a towering figure in Saints basketball

Football? Yes. Baseball? That too. Soccer? Of course.

And what about basketball?

Well, yes, Johnny Flores also is a basketball star.

He's 5'4" -- not the most towering figure out on the court.

But against Beacon Hill Classical Academy of Camarillo, the diminuitive Lighthouse Christian Academy junior was a force to be reckoned with Wednesday. He used a diabolical speed and brain surgeon's hand skills to be the Saints' ball carrier.

"My dad actually taught me when I was young," Johnny said. "The quickness comes from soccer, actually. Practicing my footwork, getting around people. I'm smaller, so I have to take advantage of people with my speed. My ball handling skills? I actually have a friend whose dad is Penny Hardaway. He helped me with ball handling and little bit of shooting."

It was not enough. Lighthouse's nascent boys basketball was easily dismembered by the Gryphons. (Yup, that's their mascot). The Beacon boys went undefeated this season to clinch the league championship. The mid-table Saints were no match and lost 44-73.

Still, the Saints took pride in standing up to their taller opponents (one player measures 6'5").

"We didn't win, but we definitely earned respect out there. We played with heart the whole game," said Coach David Horowitz. "We could've made some more shots. We could've made some more stops. But we did not play a bad game. Our energy was good, our togetherness was good. We shut them down a few times and in some ways. To win it, we got to shut them down all the time, and we didn't do that."

The Lighthouse, which shut down its soccer program and in its place started basketball just this year, plays its last game against SCVi in Valencia Thursday.

What's the next sport in the Saints season? Golf.

Does Johnny also play golf?

"You could teach me," he quips.

Here are the previous Lighthouse Christian Academy basketball games:

• Smarter against Summit View
• Jellyfish Ball
• Gotta keep your cool
• God and basketball in LCA loss
• Lighthouse point guard doesn't disappoint
• Saints pass chemistry class on court
• No gift for Christmas
• Skater sinks shots