THE PREPS : Boys’ Basketball Roundup : Fullerton Tops Garden Grove to Advance in Own Tournament

Pete Bach scored 25 points and Scott McBride added 15 to lead Fullerton High School to an 86-49 victory over Garden Grove in a Fullerton tournament first-round game Tuesday.

Bach, who made 7 of his 11 field goal attempts, and McBride were among four Indians who scored in double figures. Lee Green, who made all 5 of his field-goal attempts, finished the game with 15 points. Rene Arias added 12 points, 5 assists and 3 steals.

The Indians (4-3), who play Cerritos in tonight’s 7:30 semifinal game, established its domination early as Arias and Bach scored 9 points apiece in the first quarter as Fullerton built a 28-16 lead.

After Garden Grove narrowed Fullerton’s lead to 30-20 with 1 minute gone in the second quarter, the Indians outscored the Argonauts, 27-5, to take a 57-25 halftime advantage.

Fullerton, which made 59% of its field-goal attempts in the game (the Indians were 30 of 51 from the field), was 20 of 32 in the first half.

The Indians connected on 8 of their 13 three-point shot attempts.

“We’re a small team, so we have to rely heavily on our outside shooting,” said Fullerton Coach Chris Burton, whose tallest starter, Bach, is 6-foot-4. “We can’t rely on our inside game because of our size, so we have to go outside.”

Bach had 18 points and 4 rebounds in the first half to lead Fullerton. Arias, who made 3 of his 5 first-quarter 3-point attempts, also had 4 assists and 3 steals in the half.

“Arias has made 11 three-pointers in 3 games since he came to us from the football team,” Burton said. “He’s one of those guys who doesn’t waste a lot of time in practice. He’s constantly working on the things he’ll do in the game and doesn’t waste time working on things he isn’t going to do in game situations.”

Garden Grove made just 19 of its 43 field goal attempts and was outrebounded, 26-18, by Fullerton. The Argonauts received 12 points from Joe Squyers and 11 from Brian Tran.

Earlier Tuesday, Cerritos (4-3) earned its semifinal berth by defeating La Mirada, 76-62, as Cobi Cradle and Robert Hinds led the winners with 18 and 16 points, respectively. Jason Pietsch led La Mirada with 18 points.

“We can’t afford to make mistakes against La Mirada,” Burton said. “They are the kind of team who can capitalize on every mistake we make.”

Western will play Servite in the other semifinal game tonight, starting at 6. In the consolation bracket, Garden Grove will face La Mirada in a 4:30 p.m. semifinal and Buena Park will face Sonora at 3 p.m.