Edison opens with win
With the Edison High football team still playing this late in the year, the boys’ basketball team was without its starting point guard in Tuesday’s season opener.
While it would have been a plus to have David Atencio on the court, the Chargers didn’t need him to get past Brea Olinda in the first round of the Corona del Mar Beach Bash.
Randall Walker handled most of the point guard and scoring duties, finishing with a game-high 18 points to lead Edison to a 64-52 win.
The Chargers, who have reached the CIF Southern Section finals the last two seasons, will not have the services of Atencio while they’re competing this week during the tournament. They might not have the junior the following week either.
Atencio is catching balls on the football field instead of distributing them on the basketball court. The two-sport standout helped Edison win the CIF Southern Section Division 3 title last Friday at La Mirada, prolonging the football season for at least another week.
Rich Boyce, Edison’s basketball coach, is rooting for Atencio to keep playing football, all the way to the CIF State Division 1-A final at Sacramento State on Dec. 17. The Chargers first have to beat San Clemente in Saturday’s CIF State Southern California Regional Division 1-A Bowl Game at Cap Sheue Field to advance.
“Unfortunately, the day they play [for the state crown], we fly out to Hawaii [for the Maui Invitational], so we’ll have to fly out David a day late,” said Boyce, who isn’t worried about Atencio’s transition from football to basketball. “He’s not the kind of kid that needs that much time. He’s the kind of kid that keeps himself in great shape. Even on his Sundays off, he’s goes in the gym and shoots and shoots and shoots. There won’t be much adjustment time for him.”
When Atencio returns, he will have to get used to playing with three key transfers.
Josh Phillips, who played at Newport Harbor last season, and the Serven brothers from Fountain Valley, Matt and Spencer, made their debuts with Edison on Tuesday. It took the new and old players some time to get things going against Brea Olinda, which trailed Edison, 29-27, at halftime.
“They might not be as talented as us, but they play hard, and we need to be ready for that,” Boyce said of the Wildcats, who went 5-22 last season. “[In] the first half we were just walking through the motions, [like] a typical team that thinks its better and its going to win.”
Edison took control a minute into the second half. Nate Matthews sparked a 13-0 run with a three-pointer, putting the Chargers up, 42-30.
Matthews, who finished with 14 points, along with Walker and Atencio, are the three returning starters off last season’s section runner-up finish in Division 2AA. Walker, a senior, had six points during the spurt, which also featured two of the newcomers.
Phillips, a 6-foot-8 junior, had a putback, and Matt Serven, a senior, hit a jumper. Serven finished with 10 points, his younger brother, Spencer, a junior, added nine points, while Phillips had eight points.
“I thought both Servens played outstanding,” Boyce said. “They give us good energy. Matt’s a good shooter, but Spencer does the dirty work for us, and of course, Josh, he’s a difference maker inside for us. He’ll alter shots and he’ll get rebounds for us. It’s not something we’ve really had at Edison in a long time.”
Phillips’ length created problems for Brea Olinda (1-1), yet the Wildcats managed to make it close with about 3½ minutes to go.
Maceo Reddick, who led Brea Olinda with 11 points, all in the second half, knocked down his third three-pointer, starting a 7-0 run. The Wildcats cut the deficit to 53-48, forcing Edison to call a timeout.
Out of the timeout, the Chargers scored the next nine points. Matthews, Walker and Phillips each had a layup, and Matt Serven made a three-pointer to put the game away and set up Edison with a quarterfinal date with University at Newport Harbor High on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
“A lot of threes and a press,” Boyce said is what he expects out of University, which defeated Westminster in the first round on Monday. “We have to do a little bit better of a job than we did tonight handling the pressure.”
CdM Beach Bash
First round
Edison 64, Brea Olinda 52
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Edison 11 – 18 – 21 – 14 — 64
Brea Olinda 14 – 13 – 14 – 11— 52
E – Walker 18, Matthews 14, M. Serven 10, S. Serven 9, Phillips 8, Palma 3, Tuato 2.
3-pt. goals – Matthews 2, M. Serven 1, Palma 1.
Fouled out – None.
Technicals – None.
BO – Reddick 11, Clark 9, Reese 7, Tyson 5, Yun 5, Riley 3, Delgado 3, Solis 3, Natividad 2, Saena 2, Armendariz 2.
3-pt. goals – Reddick 3, Tyson 1, Delgado 1, Solis 1, Clark 1, Riley 1, Yun.
Fouled out – Riley.
Technicals – None.
