PREP BASKETBALL : Orange League Roundup : Brea-Olinda Hangs On at the Free-Throw Line to Beat Western, 55-46

Brea-Olinda High School rallied from a 10-point halftime deficit and then held on for a 55-46 Orange League victory over Western Friday at Western.

It took eight consecutive free throws by Aaron Charlton to save the victory and give Brea-Olinda (17-7, 6-2) sole possession of second place in the Orange League.

“Charlton is a good player to have in there. He’s a real clutch player,” Brea-Olinda Coach Rick Jones said. “He always makes those free throws.”

Charlton was 10 of 10 from the free-throw line for 20 points overall.

But it was Keith Walker who led the Wildcats’ comeback, scoring eight points in the third quarter while Brea-Olinda was on a 19-5 run.

“They got all the calls in the first half,” Jones said. “I told them things would even out in the second. We came out and made the first five or six points, and that made the difference.”

The Wildcats scored the first five points of the quarter on a three-pointer by Charlton and a 10-foot jumper by Marc Shaw.

Matt Chamberlain then converted a three-point play and Walker made a three-point shot before Rodney Stewart gave Brea-Olinda a 33-32 lead with 5:02 left. Brea-Olinda built a four-point lead by the end of the quarter.

Sam Sabarra made five of six free throws in the fourth to pull Western within one point, 45-44, as Walker fouled out with 2:27 left.

But then it was Charlton’s turn, and he made eight free throws in the final 2:22.

Western (15-6, 5-3), hampered by poor shooting all night, managed only a layup by Matt Schroeder during the final minutes.

Western, which shot 18 of 49 from the field, controlled the first half, building a 15-11 lead in the first quarter and adding to it with a 10-2 run in the second to reach the half leading, 30-20.

Joe Romero led Western with 20 points, 14 in the first half.

Anaheim 51, Valencia 44--Jude Barbito scored 18 points to lead Anaheim (8-13, 1-7) at Valencia. The score was tied, 8-8, at the end of the first quarter, but the Colonists outscored the Tigers, 12-6, to take a 20-14 halftime lead. Victor Zambrano scored 13 points and Greg Cole added 10 off the bench for Anaheim. Steve Dodd had 19 points and 16 rebounds for Valencia (4-13, 1-7).

Savanna 59, Magnolia 42--The Rebels (21-2, 7-1) used a balanced attack to defeat host Magnolia. Mustapha Abdi and Aaron Calderon each scored 12 points for Savanna. Keith Rodriguez scored 11 and Eric Preuss 10 for the Rebels, who led, 31-15, at halftime. Jerry Jones scored 17 points for Magnolia (10-10, 4-4).