Fountain Valley Basketball Tournament : Lack of Depth Doesn’t Deter Fountain Valley, 61-56

Despite a depleted bench, Fountain Valley High School defeated Compton, 61-56, Saturday night to win the Fountain Valley High School boys’ basketball tournament in front of about 200 at Fountain Valley.

It was a tight game most of the way, with neither team leading by more than 5 points until the final 6 minutes, when Fountain Valley (4-0) pulled away.

The Barons went into the game without Mike Cook and Doug Weaver, who are members of the football team and had the evening off after winning the Southern Section Division I football title Friday night.

Tom Weaver was sick and played very little and Mike Merli was “unavailable,” according to Coach Dave Brown. Brown wouldn’t elaborate, saying only that Merli would return next week.

“It took a real good effort, considering our situation,” Brown said. “You need depth. We are hoping to get all our sickness out of the way now.”

Fountain Valley’s Tuan Nguyen made a 3-pointer as time ran out in the third quarter to put the Barons ahead, 44-39. Compton then came right back and tied it on a 3-pointer by Curtis Thomas and a steal and layup by Terrance Adams with 6:55 left in the game.

Fountain Valley’s Carter Hogan scored 2 consecutive short baseline jumpers but Thomas made another 3-pointer and the Barons led, 48-47, with 5:08 left.

After a steal, Derrick Corcoran made a 3-pointer that started a 7-0 run, giving Fountain Valley a 55-47 lead with 2:57 left.

Corcoran, a 5-11 junior guard, made five 3-pointers--including three in the second quarter--and had a game-high 19 points. He was voted the most valuable player of the tournament. Hogan, who scored 14, was voted to the all-tournament team.

“We hit that little hot spurt,” Brown said. “We just sort of sucked it up and put a lot of pressure on them.”

Fountain Valley has now won the championship of its tournament the last 2 years and 3 times in the last 8 years.