Chargers coming together nicely

Team work. It's what led the Edison boys' basketball team to the Irvine World News Gary Raya Classic title.

In the tournament championship game Saturday at University High, Edison defeated Tesoro, 65-51. The Chargers outscored the Titans by 20 points (38-18) during the second and third quarters to take control. Dylan Garrity posted a game-high 26 points to lead four Chargers in double figures. Dreon Barlett scored 13 points and Zach Bauer and Kris Wolfe each scored 12.

Edison advanced to the title game by defeating North Torrance, 69-57, in Friday's semifinals. Garrity lit up the scoreboard for 30 points and Barlett and Bauer scored 17 and 13 points, respectively.

Garrity was named tournament's Most Valuable Player and Barlett and Bauer both made the all-tournament team.

"I think we are really doing a great job right now of playing as a team," Edison Coach Rich Boyce said. "Everyone is contributing, all 13 players, in some way or form, and it's great to watch. We're just a very good team right now."

Edison (9-0) takes on Tustin at 3:30 p.m. today in the Orange County North/South Challenge at El Toro High. Next week, the Chargers are in Palm Desert to compete at the Desert Heat Invitational. They'll take on Desert Hot Springs in a first-round game at 7 p.m. Monday.

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In other boys' basketball action:

Brethren Christian: The Warriors collected two more nonleague victories last week, defeating Eastside Christian, 55-31, on Dec. 15, and Pacifica Christian, 68-48, on Friday. Senior guards Danny Healy and Riley Thomas led the way during the two wins. Healy had 21 points, eight steals, five assists and three blocks against Eastside and followed with 15 points, 13 assists and six steal against Pacifica Christian. Thomas had 13 points and seven steals against Eastside and 20 points against Pacifica. He is still shooting 90% from the free throw line on the season.

Senior forward Bobby Frisch had 12 rebounds in each of the two victories.

Brethren Christian, now 9-1, takes on Saddleback Valley Christian today at the North/South Challenge at El Toro High. The Warriors leave the day after Christmas to play in the Kona (Hawaii) tournament that begins Monday and runs through Dec. 31.

Fountain Valley: The Barons had their nonleague game Monday at Katella cancelled due to a "leaky roof," Coach Roger Holmes said.

Fountain Valley will take on San Clemente at 2 p.m. today at the Orange County North/South Challenge at El Toro High. Next week, they'll be in Prescott Valley, Ariz., for the Alvarez Tire Classic. The Barons, the lone team from California in the 18-team tournament, open pool play Monday against two Arizona schools, Camp Verde and Catalina.

"I have been to this tournament before and they do a great job," Holmes said. "The whole community comes out to watch the games and really supports the tournament."

Huntington Beach: The Oilers whipped former Sunset League foe Esperanza, 70-44, Saturday, the final day of the 24-team North Orange County Championships tournament. Three Oilers scored in double-figures, led by Dirk Cason's 19 points. Rory Aldana had 16 points and Jordan Reise scored 11 points.

Oilers Coach Fabian Luna called his team's performance a "complete team effort and definitely our best game of the year to this point."

Huntington began the tournament with an 83-67 victory against Bell Gardens, with Reise leading the way with 23 points and Cason adding 12 points. The Oilers then fell, 65-56, to Ayala, despite 20 points from Aldana, 11 from Andrew Tenbrink and 10 from Reise. Following the tough loss to the Bulldogs, Luna said the Oilers came out "really flat" against Long Beach Wilson and fell, 56-52, to the Bruins.

Luna shook up his starting lineup for Huntington's next game against Compton Centennial, starting a few players who hadn't played a minute in their three previous tournament games. The Oilers, he said, played ragged for three quarters but "turned it on" in the fourth quarter, where they outscored the Apaches, 24-8, to pull out a 61-49 victory. Aldana led Huntington with 22 points and Reise had 10 points.

"The way we played that fourth (quarter) is what we can play like. We defended and got into transition offense," Luna said.

The Oilers compete next week at the Orange Holiday Classic at Chapman University and take on Westminster in a 9 a.m. first-round game Monday.