Edison picks up first win by beating Canadian team

One minute into the first quarter, the Edison High offense swung the ball to senior point guard David Atencio on the left side of the perimeter.

Atencio stepped back for a moment, eyeing the defense, then appeared to set the offense with a pair of crossovers as he re-approached the three-point arc. Then, with a seemingly effortless toss to the right side of the rim, Atencio found senior big man Josh Phillips on an alley-oop for the first points on Tuesday.

The thunderous slam by the 6-foot-8 University of Portland signee sparked a strong start for the Chargers in a showdown with Tamanawis, from British Columbia, Canada, in pool play of the Corona del Mar Beach Bash. They would never let the momentum stop rolling throughout the rest of the evening.

An Edison rout would be in the works within minutes, as the boys’ basketball team cruised to a 58-36 victory for its first win of the season.

“I was just looking to get the team excited, and trying to catch someone under me when I’m dunking it,” Phillips said. “It just brings your team’s energy up.”

A stifling defensive effort from the Chargers (1-1) was on display all night long, with coach Rich Boyce constantly reminding his team to not let up. The players took heed of their coach’s request, and the byproduct was apparent almost immediately.

Following a competitive first few minutes, Edison took complete control midway through the first quarter. Holding an 8-5 lead, the Chargers proceeded to go on a 26-0 run, holding their opponent scoreless until the 4:02 mark of the third quarter.

Edison’s David Atencio draws a foul against Tamanawis in the first half of the CdM Beach Bash tournament on Tuesday.

(Kevin Chang / Staff Photographer )

The duo that got the evening started with a crowd-pleasing alley-oop would also help set the tone on the defensive end. Phillips recorded eight rebounds and five blocks to go along with 10 points, while Atencio harassed the Tamanawis backcourt on his way to a team-high 19 points.

Boyce hints that the relentless defensive effort witnessed on Tuesday should be a staple of Edison basketball going forward this season.

“We spend most of our time on defense,” Boyce said. “We’ll come around offensively. We have some good kids, but defense will trigger our offense. We stress that a lot, and the kids performed really well tonight.”

Although the Chargers managed to stretch their lead during the third quarter, their flawless defensive stretch would eventually end. Senior guard Miguel Tomley erupted for 20 points in a span of less than four minutes to close out the quarter for the Wildcats.

Tomley, a Cal Baptist commit, recorded all of his game-high 26 points in the second half.

Part of Tomley’s outburst can be attributed to Atencio focusing his energy heavier on offense down the stretch. Atencio amped up his offensive aggressiveness to the tune of 15 points in the final two quarters, keeping the Chargers’ lead in double digits for the entire second half.

“In the first half, all of my energy was on defense,” said Atencio, before adding that in the second half he “put some energy on offense, too, and it sparked my game a little bit.”

In a game where defense undoubtedly set the tone, Atencio’s all-around contributions on offense, whether attacking the basket or setting up teammates, spurs optimism for an Edison team that lost last season’s leading scorer, Randall Walker, to graduation.

Spencer Serven also picked up the scoring slack for the Chargers, finishing with 11 points.

Edison, which reached the tournament final last season, will most likely finish second in its pool and face the loser of Wednesday’s game between Santa Margarita and Manhattan Beach Mira Costa on Friday.

As Edison awaits its next opponent in the 12-team tournament, the Wildcats, hailing from Surrey, British Columbia, will search for their first win of their trip abroad on Wednesday against Trabuco Hills. The Mustangs beat Edison 60-57 in overtime on Monday, the opening day of the six-day CdM Beach Bash.

“It’s always good to get away with the team early in the season for some bonding,” Tamanawis coach Mike McKay said. “Hopefully we can learn a little different style down here that we don’t usually play at home, and bring that back for the rest of the season.”

*

Edison 58, Tamanawis 36

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Edison 14 – 8 – 21 – 15 — 58

Tamanawis 5 – 0 – 20 – 11 — 36

E – Atencio 19, Serven 11, Phillips 10, Palma 7, Sale 3, Horton 3, Garnett 3, Fix 2.

3-pt. goals – Atencio 1, Sale 1, Horton 1, Garnett 1.

Fouled out – None.

Technicals – None.

T – Tomley 26, Sidhu 4, Pacatang 3, Dhaliwal 3.

3-pt. goals – Tomley 4, Pacatang 1.

Fouled out – None.

Technicals – None.

JOSH CRISWELL is a contributor to Times Community News. Follow him on Twitter: @joshccriswell