ORANGE COUNTY PREP BASKETBALL : Sea View League : University Tops Tustin, Moves Into 2nd Place

The Sea View League has to be one of the most competitive leagues in the county, and that point was driven home Friday night as University High School came from behind to defeat Tustin, 82-78, before a capacity crowd in the Trojans’ gym.

The victory moves the Trojans into a second-place tie with Tustin in the league and one game behind first-place Estancia. It also was the second time in less than a month that University has defeated Tustin.

“This league is unbelievable,” said Trojan Coach Steve Scoggin. “This is a huge win for our school, but I’ll tell you there is no better balance than this league has to offer.”

The lead changed hands 10 times in the first half, with Tustin taking a 36-32 lead at halftime.

Tustin (5--1, 17--3), the fourth-ranked team in the county, opened a 48-38 lead with 1:52 remaining in the third quarter only to see University come back and score 10 consecutive points and tie the score at 57 early in the fourth quarter.

Down the stretch, it was free throws and the shooting of Steve Stolzoff and Eric Olin that made the difference. The Trojans made 13 of 14 from the line and both players added nine points in the final quarter.

Rog Middleton kept the game close for Tustin as he added 15 of his game-high 27 points in the second half, but it wasn’t enough.

Stolzoff had 27 for the Trojans, making 10 of 15 from the field.

“This is a great win,” said Scoggin. “We came back from 10 points down with some fine free-throw shooting and a half-court trap that created problems for Tustin and they just couldn’t handle it.”

Corona del Mar 62, Saddleback 61--The Sea Kings blew a 20-point lead in the second half but came back to win when Kevin O’Neil made a layup with 15 seconds left at Corona del Mar. Darren Morris had 17 points and 7 assists to lead the Sea Kings while Chris Hook added 16 points and Markus Muller Stach had 15 points and 8 rebounds.

Gylan Dottin led the Roadrunners with 19, and Erik Hanson had 18.

Estancia 64, Newport Harbor 48--Kyle Mooney scored 17 points, Brian Tift had 13, Paul Markel had 15 rebounds and John Drake had 7 assists as the Eagles defeated the Sailors at Costa Mesa.

Newport Harbor’s Jon Alstrom was held to six points. Estancia outscored Newport, 16-5, in the third quarter.