THE PREPS : Tournament of Champions : Capistrano Valley’s Victory Over Dominguez an Inside Job

Capistrano Valley High School found the lane to its liking Wednesday night, driving its way to a 76-59 boys’ basketball victory over Dominguez in the 17th Tournament of Champions at Ocean View High.

Capistrano Valley repeatedly drove through the lane for high-percentage shots, leaving Dominguez a step behind in a fast-paced game.

“They exposed a weakness we weren’t aware of,” said Russell Otis, Dominguez coach. “We thought we played pretty good man-to-man defense, but that wasn’t the case tonight.

“They took it to us on the baseline and in the lane, and we didn’t take it to them. I can see why they were ranked No. 1 in the CIF (Southern Section).”

The loss was the first for Dominguez (5-1) this season and seemed to catch everyone on the losing side by surprise. Capistrano Valley improved to 3-2 after losing two consecutive games in the Fountain Valley tournament last week.

As usual, forward Scott McCorkle led Capistrano Valley in scoring. He had 30 points, which is his average.

McCorkle started slowly, making 3 of 10 field goal attempts in the first half. But the junior made 8 of 10 after halftime, including a stretch of seven consecutive shots.

“I felt better in the fourth quarter,” McCorkle said. “I’ve been feeling weak in my legs . . . no spring at all. My game will come later.”

McCorkle was sidelined last week because of the flu, but appears to be reaching his stride at just the right time. Capistrano Valley will meet undefeated Ocean View in the semifinals at 8:30 Friday night.

“We felt a lot of pressure starting the year with the ranking,” McCorkle said. “A lot of teams were out to get us, but the team is coming along.”

Mark Thornton, Capistrano Valley coach, also liked what he saw Wednesday. Thornton used a 2-3 zone for the first time, and his players responded with their best effort of the season.

“I had been asking the kids to play a full-court, pressure defense, and it was taking its toll,” he said. “I wanted to give the kids a break, and they responded. We broke their press pretty easy and got some easy baskets.”

Capistrano Valley broke open the game in the third quarter. The Cougars took a 44-33 lead following a dunk by McCorkle, who took a fine pass from point guard Chris Kostoff on the play.

Capistrano Valley was at its best in the final quarter, making all nine of its field goal attempts and scoring 26 points. Guard Bill Mazurie also was impressive, scoring 19 points.