BOYS’ BASKETBALL ROUNDUP : Foothill Can’t Keep Up as Quick, Aggressive Mission Viejo Wins, 57-44

What’s wrong with Foothill High School’s basketball team? Judging by Thursday night’s 57-44 loss to Mission Viejo in the first round of the Trabuco Hills tournament, just about everything.

Foothill, a preseason top 10 team based on its impressive front line, lost its third consecutive game of the season by shooting only 26% from the field and committing 19 turnovers against a quicker and more aggressive Mission Viejo team.

Foothill opened a 13-8 lead in the first quarter and then made only four field goals in the next two quarters to fall hopelessly behind, 44-29 heading into the last quarter.

Foothill opened last week with an overtime loss to city rival Tustin and then lost in double overtime to Dana Hills Tuesday. This time, the Knights didn’t come close.

“Our shot selection has been poor, our ball handling has been inconsistent and our defense has been weak,” said Jim Reames, Foothill coach. “I wasn’t happy at all tonight.”

Center Jamal Duff and forward Frank Amos were never factors despite enjoying a big height advantage. Duff, 6-foot-7, scored only two points and missed five of his six shot attempts. Amos managed five points but was two of 10 from the field.

Foothill wasn’t much better at the free-throw line, where the Knights made only 13 of 28 attempts. Mark Wilkinson was the only starter to reach double figures with 12 points, but his passing left plenty to be desired.

In contrast, Mission Viejo (2-0) displayed all the ingredients of a top 10 team with balanced scoring, depth and clever passing. Junior guard Mark Wright led Mission Viejo with 16 points.

“We’re very close to being one of the top 10 teams in the county,” said Bob Minier, Mission Viejo coach. “I’ve got eight or nine good athletes who play together well. If we can get crisp, sharp passing and good shot selection like we did tonight, we can play with just about anybody in the county.”

In the Valencia tournament:

Valencia 53, Katella 50--Guard Jason Bae scored 16 points and Richard Tibbie added 12 to pace Valencia (4-0). Valencia plays Servite for the championship tonight at 7.

Servite 56, El Modena 53--Servite was led by forward Steve Marusich with 18 points and guard Paul Stapleton, who had five three-pointers. Forward Jeff Leebdon paced El Modena with 19 points.

Rancho Alamitos 58, Esperanza 54--Tony Cortez scored 19 points for Rancho Alamitos (2-2). Esperanza rallied with five three-point shots in the fourth quarter. Rancho Alamitos will play Canyon today at 3 p.m. for fifth place.

Sonora 49, El Monte 48--Greg Farlow hit a baseline jumper with 10 seconds left for Sonora (1-3) in the seventh-place game. Farlow scored 18 points and had eight rebounds.

In the first round of the Valley Christian Tournament in Cerritos:

Santa Margarita 46, Brentwood 43--Santa Margarita took the lead with 4:30 remaining in the game. Dan Bathey scored 15 points and had six rebounds for the Eagles (1-0).

Whittier Christian 69, Mayfair 35--Ruben Oronoz scored 18 points and had 12 rebounds for the Herlads. Whittier Christian will play Santa Margarita at 6:30 tonight.

In the first round of the San Luis Obispo tournament:

Ocean View 84, Coast Union 42--Lee Quinn scored 22 points and Marcel Tenberge and Darrin Ernst added 14 each to lead the Seahawks (2-0) at San Luis Obispo.

In the La Jolla Small Schools tournament:

St. Gregory 59, St. Margaret’s 49--Ryan Westendorf had 20 points and 19 rebounds as the Tartans lost a consolation game.

In the consolation round of the Laguna Beach tournament:

Fountain Valley 73, Serra 60--Mike Merli scored 25 points, including 13 in the second quarter, for Fountain Valley. Derrick Corcoran had 19 points for Fountain Valley (2-1), which will play for the consolation championship at 3:30 p.m. Saturday.

In the Cerritos-Gahr tournament:

Long Beach Millikan 95, Woodbridge 75--Millikan had four players score in double figures at Cerritos High. Bryant McLemore had 17 points and nine rebounds for Woodbridge (2-1).

In the Garden Grove tournament:

Magnolia 53, Buena Park 47--Magnolia outscored Buena Park 16-8 in the fourth quarter to advance to the championship game.

Laguna Hills 58, Garden Grove 56--George Benjamin 14 to lead Laguna Hills into the consolation championship game. Mark Perry had 21 points and 14 rebounds for Garden Grove.

In the Santa Ana tournament:

Cypress 90, St. Paul 50--Jared Rice scored 37 points, including seven three-point shots, for Cypress (1-1).

In the Santa Maria tournament:

Marina 75, Cabrillo 59--Guard Travis Boyd had 20 points, six assists and four steals to pace Marina (2-1).