orange county ssec 214.htm

SoCal Prep & High School Report

Southern Section: Orange County
Pre-Playoff Last Of League--(February 14, 1998)

We've featured just about every other part of SoCal from the games last night (Friday) which in some instances (i.e., those not continuing into playoffs) were the final games of the season. For all though, they were the end of the regular season, and the beginning of that limbo period between regulation play and the playoffs known as "pairings" waiting time, the day when the Southern Section office determines the playoff matchups and seedings for those teams lucky enough to finish first, second, and in some cases third and lower in their leagues who automatically qualify for playoffs. We'll have the matchups as soon as we can get them from the Southern Section office tomorrow; the LA City matchups we understand won't be available until during the week, due to the President's Day holiday, but if we get anything before Tuesday, you'll certainly see it here.

Anyway, here are the Orange County scores from Southern Section play from last night. If you notice a missing score, or one we got wrong, let us know about it and we'll correct it or add it.

ACADEMY LEAGUE

CVC 53, St. Michaels 47

CVC's McChesney had 14, while Allen scored 13, and Lund 11 to help CVC finish the season at 5-5 in league and 11-13 overall.

ARROWHEAD LEAGUE

Sherman Indian 95, SCC 63

Sherman's Banham scored 44 points, including 7 three pointers to lead SI to a 10-2 league record adn a 14-3 overall finish. SCC was led by Lee with 18, and White with 16 as they finished 5-18 overall and 3-9 in league.

CENTURY LEAGUE

Villa Park 54, El Modena 47

The No. 9 ranked Spartans (19-7, 9-1) clinched their third consecutive league title.

Foothill 59, Santa Ana Valley 56

Zack Smith and Ben Rubin combined for 28 points to helf the Knights clinch third place and a playoff spot. Rubin had 13 while Smith had 15. Foothill finished 5-5 in league. Santa Ana Valley finished the regular season at 8-17 overall and 4-6 in league play. Felice had 16 points for SAV.

Canyon 69, Orange 45

Canyon finished 18-8 overall and 5-5 in league play as Drew Gaulden scored 18 points in last night's win. Hammad had 16 points but no other Canyon players scored in double digits. Orange ended its season 1-9 in league and 4-20 overall.

EMPIRE LEAGUE

Katella 63, Cypress 52

Robert Abercrombie scored 22 points as No. 7 ranked Katella clinched a share of the league title with Loara. Katella is 22-4, 7-3. Trent Weaver scored 12 points for Cypress (7-18, 2-8).

Century 36, Kennedy 33

In an equally unimpressive and low scoring contest, Paul Feretti had 12 points and Mike Zepeda had 11 points and 14 rebounds as Century clinched it's eighth straight playoff spot, finishing 6-4 in league and 19-7 overall. Kennedy concluded its season finishing 13-11 overall and 4-6 in league.

Loara 58, El Dorado 51

Martin Banda had 15 points and Brian Brennan added another 12 to help the visiting Saxons beat the Golden Hawks and earn at least a share of a league title for the first time in 33 years. Loara finished 20-6 overall and 7-3 in league, while El Dorado finished at 15-10 overall and 4-6 in league.

FREEWAY LEAGUE

Troy 68, Buena Park 47

Jerry Inzunza scored 32 points as No. 4 ranked Troy clinched a share of the league title with Sonora. The Trojans finished the regular season at 20-4, 9-1.

Sonora 63, Fullerton 48

Marqui Worthy and Deric Hilliard each scored 16 points to power the fifth-ranked Raiders to the win. Sonora finished the regular season at 22-4 overall and 9-1 in league, while Fullertonfinished at 9-17 overall and 3-7 in league. Fullerton's Akachi Azubuike led all scorers with 18 points.

La Habra 75, Sunny Hills 51

Josh Fischer scored 19 points and Shaun Beutner added another 12, all on three pointers, to give La Habra the win. La Habra finished 14-12 overall and 6-4 in league in regular season play, while Sunny Hills finished at 11-15 overall and 2-8 in league play.

GOLDEN WEST LEAGUE

Ocean View 56, Servite 50

Ocean View guard Tony Dow wasn't as sharp as he wanted to be the first time the Seahawks squeaked out a Golden West League victory over Servite. On Friday night, he wanted to make amends. Dow scored 22 points, including four free throws in the final minute, to lead the top-ranked Seahawks over the third-ranked Friars, 56-50. It was Servite's first home loss this season and the second consecutive year that Ocean View (21-4, 10-0) has won at Servite (20-6, 8-2). Both teams await Sunday's release of the Southern Section playoff brackets. Off-guard David Hatch had 10 points and center Kevin Hanson blocked seven shots for Ocean View, but it was Dow's slashing drives to the basket and leadership that helped the Seahawks win their first league title since 1988.

Thanks to Ocean View's suffocating defense, Servite lost its poise early in the game. The Friars missed their first 14 field-goal attempts in a 12-minute span, committed six turnovers and found themselves trailing, 18-3. Steve Shea, who finished with 11 points, didn't get his first basket--a three-pointer--until a little more than 3 1/2 minutes remained in the first half. Forward Rafael Zielonka, who also scored 11 points, missed his first seven shots and had only two free throws in the first half. Servite was six of 24 from the floor in the first half. The Friars cut Ocean View's lead to four points early in the third quarter. But Dow's three-pointer and driving layup enabled the Seahawks to regroup before taking a 36-23 lead.

Tustin 105, Westminster 44

Matt Horvath scored 16 points as Tustin clinched third place. Carnell Harrell had 12 rebounds and four points for the Tillers (19-7, 6-4). The Tillers had five players score in double figures. Westminster finished winless the entire season, at 0-21, overall and 0-10 in league. Tustin will qualify for the Divisino II-AA playoffs.

Saddleback 73, Santa Ana 39

T.J. Foster scored 23 points with 11 boards and Derrick Barnes scored another 18 points and grabbed 13 boards as the visiting Roadrunners beat the Saints. Saddleback finished at 9-16 overall and 4-6 in league, while Santa Ana closed out it's regular season at 9-17 overall and 2-8 in league. Neither team qualified for the playoffs. CIF rules require a minimum of 10 victories to be eligible for an "at-large" playoff spot.

OLYMPIC LEAGUE

Calvary Chapel 78, Orange Lutheran 53

Joe Ortiz scored 26 points to lead Calvary Chapel (20-6, 10-0) to its third consecutive league title. Teammate Brett Baker had 17 points and 10 rebounds and Brett Baker scored nine points and 10 rebounds. Orange Lutheran (14-11, 6-4) finishes tied for second place with Whittier Christian.

Brethren Christian 52, Valley Christian 49

Senior forward Justin Miller hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key with seven seconds left to put the Warriors up for good in a tense battle with the visiting Crusaders (11-12, 4-6). Miller finished with 13 points and Kevin Thomas had 19 for Brethren Christian. Junior center Erick Streelman paced Valley Christian with 17 points and eight rebounds.

Whittier Christian 87, Ontario Christian 68

W.C. was led by Stofle with 16 and Martinez with 17 to finoish at 15-11 overall and 6-4 in league, while O.C. finished at 9-14 overall and only 2-8 in league to close out the season. OC was led by Fuqua with 12 points.

ORANGE LEAGUE

Brea Olina 96, Western 57:

Chris McMillian scored 13 of his 28 points in the thrid quarter to help the No. 6 ranked Wildcats to beat the host Western Pioneers. Brea went on a 29-12 scoring run which broke open the game for Brea, which improved to 22-4 overall and 8-2 in league play. Western remained without a win this season in league at 0-10, and didn't do much better overall either at only 4-20.

Valencia 80, Anaheim 59

Mike McCowan recorded 37 points including seven three's to lead the Tigers, who finished at 11-15 overall and 5-5 in league past visiting Anaheim, which finished at 4-6 in league. Valencia clinched third place in league play with the win, and also a playoff spot.

Magnolia 75, Savanna 65

No. 8 ranked Magnolia set a school record with its 22nd victory and Zamiro Bennem also set a record for career points. Bennem scored 34 to finish with 604 career points, surpassing the mark set by Mike Goff in 1988-89. Magnolia finished the regular season at 22-4 overall and 9-1 in league, also a school record for the most wins in a season. Anthony Zaragoza had 14 oints and 15 rebounds for Magnolia as well.

PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE

University 80, Estancia 72

Point gurard Eric Palmer scored a team high 31 points as University pulled out the win over visiting Estancia, the two-time defending PCL champions. The Trojans, who finished the regular season at 15-9 overall and 7-3 in league, and who finished in second place in league, won seven of their final eight league games to finish.Estancia also qualified for the playoffs by finishing third in league. Sam Nelson scored a game-high 33 points for Estancia, who even with the loss finished the regular season with an impressive 17-9 overall and 6-4 league record. Nelson scored 12 in the second quarter in cluding two threes, as Estancia cut the leadu to only three, 39-36 at the half. Estanci'as Peter Anderson made a free throw with only 5:40 to play in the third quarter to ti the score at 41-41, but then Palmer scored back-to-bak layups as Uni went on a 7-2 run and retook the lead 48-43. Jeff Groendal of Uni scored 14 and also hit four threes, while Larry Johnson and Ali Omid added another 13 for the Trojans. For Estancia Brett Valbuena and James Dawkins finished with 16 and 13 each.

Laguna Hills 55, Aliso Niguel 52

Josh Pierson scored 15 points and Saia Makakaufaki had 14 for Laguna Hills, which won its first Pacific Coast League boys' basketball title. LH finished at 21-5 overall and 8-2 for the regular season. Pierson made three three-pointers. The Hawks of Laguna Hills trailed 14-11 after the first quarter but used a 20-10 second quarter scoring run to take thelead at the half. J.J. Sola scored a game-high 26 points for Aliso Niguel (12-14, 4-6).

Laguna Beach 82, Costa Mesa 55

Laguna Beach outscored Costa Mesa in the second period 29-13 to take a 14 point lead at the half, and senior B.J. Jameson scored 14 of his game-high 27 points in the fourth quarter Friday night as Laguna Beach High defeated Costa Mesa, 82-54, in Pacific Coast League boys basketball action to conclude the season for the Mustangs who finished at 4-20, 0-10 in league. The Artists finished at 16-8 overall and 5-5 in league, anticipating a berth in the CIF Southern Section Division IV-AA playoffs, outscored the Mustangs in the second quarter, 29-13, after Mesa held a 14-12 edge by first quarter's end. Jameson, Kurt Beimfohr (with 26 points) and Chris Sirianni (with 16) scored in double figures for Laguna Beach, while senior center Todd Hylton led Costa Mesa with 14 points and six rebounds. James Bryant had five boards for Mesa.

SEA VIEW LEAGUE

Santa Margartia 57, Woodbridge 53

The second-ranked (according to the OC Register) Eagles finished at 24-2 overall and 9-1 in league with the win. Senior Ryan Forehan-Kelly finished with 22 points, while Scott Barlow had 18 points for Woodbridge, which finished at 12-14 overall and only 3-7 in league to close out the regular season.

Newport Harbor 61, Irvine 53

The victory Friday night for Newport Harbor, gives the Tars an 18-8 overal and 7-3 league record, and tied for second place in the league with El Toro going into the CIF Southern Section Division I-AA playoffs. The Sailors jumped out to a 14-3 first-quarter lead. But Irvine, which finished 13-13 overall, but only 2-8 in league, rebounded to claim a 20-19 halftime edge. Irvine then posted the first four points after intermission to silence the home Harbor crowd. Newport, however, rallied to tie it at 32 and 34, but four unanswered layins to close the third, allowed Irvine to feed its upset appetite. But Dustin Illingworth's putback with 5:12 remaining capped an 8-0 Harbor run to forge a 42-42 deadlock, which was eventually broken by Harbor for good. Harbor hit 6 of 8 field-goal attempts in the final period and made 14 of 18 foul shots, while Irvine cooled going from 17 of 28 shots during the second and third, connecting on just 2 of 11 in the final quarter. Newport junior center Adam Hearlson (6'-7" Jr. C) put the Tars on top, 44-43, with a pair of free throws with 4:48 left. Irvine pulled even, before Gary Robinson converted the first of two foul shots and Illingworth rebounded and scored on the subsequent miss to give Harbor some breathing room. Illingworth assisted Hearlson's 17-foot jumper and Alan Limon followed a Matt Jameson free throw with a high-arcing three-pointer to make it 53-48 with 1:37 left. Jameson converted a needle-eye pass from Illingworth into a layin to up the lead to seven, and Limon and Hearlson dropped in three free throws apiece to preserve the win. Jameson finished with a game-high 17 points, while Limon had 11 and Illingworth 10. The 6-foot-7 Hearlson hauled in a team-high nine rebounds, while Illingworth added four boards and four assists. Junior standout Chris Ferguson paced Irvine with 14 points, but was just 1 of 7 from the field in the fourth quarter.

El Toro 59, Corona del Mar 45

Eight members of the Corona del Mar High boys basketball team closed out their prep careers by combining for 39 points as the Sea Kings suffered a 59-45 loss to El Toro Friday night. After jumping out to an 8-2 lead, on two back-to-back three-pointers by seniors Cameron Conover and Nick Gabriel, the Sea Kings allowed the hosting Chargers back into the game via a 13-6 run before the end of the first period. CdM, which finishes the year with a 6-20 overall mark, 2-8 in Sea View League play, watched El Toro jump out to a 10-point lead midway through the third quarter. But the Sea Kings did not relent, closing the margin to four points at 44-40 with 3:45 remaining as Eric Halfacre found 6-foot-9 senior Alex Jekeli in the lane for a 4-footer. After an El Toro timeout, however, Charger Luke Johansen connected with consecutive baskets for the final surge. CdM failed to help itself by missing the majority of its chances from the free-throw line. The Sea Kings converted just 4 of 15 attempts at the charity stripe and scored just three points -- a Tim Thurman trey -- after Jekeli's bucket at the 3:45 mark. Jekeli, a senior foreign-exchange student from Germany, turns his Sea King uniform in after scoring nine points and grabbing seven rebounds. Junior Dennis Alshuler also snagged seven boards. El Toro, which ties Newport Harbor for second place, was paced by Mark Wulfemeyer's 19 points and 10 rebounds.

SOUTH COAST LEAGUE

Mission Viejo 47, Capistrano Valley 42

Jake Fitch made two free throws with seven seconds left to give last-place Mission Viejo (9-16, 2-8) a four-point lead and the upset of first-place Capistrano Valley (18-8, 7-3). The Cougars used a 9-2 run at the end of the first quarter to take a 17-13 lead. They kept the four-point lead until the third quarter when the Diablos turned to their defense. Mission Viejo held the Cougars to seven points and took a 35-34 lead when Jerry Bolton connected on a three-pointer. Mike Stowell answered with a three of his own, and the Diablos took the lead for good by scoring the next 8 points. Bolton led all scorers with 17, while Fitch and John Sanchez scored 13 and 11 respectively for MV. Capo was led by Stowell's 16, nine of which came in the first half.

Mater Dei 75, San Clemente 64

Steve Scoggin scored 21 points and Mike Bayer had 16 for the Monarchs (18-7, 7-3), who shared the title with Capistrano Valley.

Trabuco Hills 64, Dana Hills 59

Ryan Webster scored 21, and Brandon Martin added 19 as Trabuco Hills won. TH is now 14-12 overall and 5-5 in league, while Dana Hills finished a lttle better in league (6-4) and a little worse overall (13-13). The game was tied entering the fourth quarter but Webster sank seven of eight fouls shots in the fourth. Tim McKee has 17 points for Dana Hills.

SUNSET LEAGUE

Edison 59, Marina 55 (OT)

Edison won to finish the regular season at Edison 14-9 overall and 6-4 in league. The Chargers suffered through a woeful first quarter, charged back in the second half, then withstood one last Marina assault in overtime to subdue the Vikings, 59-54. In a frantic finish to a game which bore little resemblance to its tame beginnings, Edison outscored Marina, 9-5, in the extra session. The Chargers finished second to league champion Los Alamitos with the win, after losing to Los Al on a last-second desperation shot in a very close game last week.

Friday, the Chargers must have experienced a sense of deja vu, clinging to a one-point lead, 50-49, and in possession of the ball out of bounds with 0.5 seconds left when disaster struck -- again: Junior guard Steve Shwam was called for a technical foul for shoving Marina's Dustin Kaatz on the in-bounds play. Kaatz went to the foul line to shoot two for the lead and a possible victory, but the sophomore's first free throw attempt danced off the back of the rim. He made the second to tie the game at 50-50, but time expired on Marina's in-bounds pass. In overtime, Logan Saito's first basket of the night put the Chargers up, 52-50. Scott Rivera's free throw narrowed Marina's deficit to one, but Charger guard Jeff Harrell scored on a driving lay-in, and then Zach Kilian sank a pair of free throws to give Edison its biggest lead of the night, 56-51, with 2:36 to play. But Marina, which ended its season at 11-15 overall and 4-6 in league play continued to threaten: Rivera converted a three-point play and Austin added a free throw to bring the Vikings again within one, 56-55. From there, Raden Sami scored on a driving hook shot to put Edison back up three with 44 seconds left and, after Marina's Jeff Hung had his three-point shot attempt go in, then pop out, Kilian grabbed the rebound and was fouled by Austin. He hit one free throw with 15 seconds left to make it 59-55, and after Kaatz and Rivera both missed three-point shots, Saito tucked the rebound into his chest, then heaved the ball skyward as the buzzer sounded. Harrell led the Chargers with 14 points, while Shwam and Sami each finished with 13. Nehrig had a game-high 14 rebounds. Kaatz came off the bench to score 12 points to go along with four steals for the Vikings, who also received nine points and 10 rebounds from Austin.

Los Alamitos 86, Huntington Beach 40

Senior guard Joel Haas had 21 points and 11 rebounds as the Griffins (17-8, 8-2) captured their third straight league title with an easy victory over the visiting Oilers (8-17, 3-7).

Fountain Valley 76, Esperanza 54

Eric Edmunds scored a game-high 24 points and Ryan Moreau added 19 more for the host Barons (14-11, 6-4), who tied Edison for second place. Fountain Valley lost a coin flip Friday afternoon to Edison, however, and will enter next week's playoffs as the league's third-place team.