Long Beach Poly Holds Off Edison
In a game in which momentum swung like a pendulum on a grandfather clock, Long Beach Poly High School held off Edison, 60-55, Friday night at the Edison gym.
Poly (7-1) capitalized on six Edison turnovers in the final 6 minutes 21 seconds and outscored the Chargers, 17-12, in the fourth quarter to break a 43-43 tie.
The Jackrabbits, who never trailed, sank 11 of 13 free throws and held Edison to five baskets in the fourth quarter.
“That’s the way things go in a game of (scoring) runs like that,” Edison Coach Jon Borchert said. “They were so much quicker than we were. When they pulled the ball out (to the perimeter) in the fourth quarter and started running time off the clock, I knew we were in trouble and had to foul.”
Edison (7-3) was in trouble in the first half too, trailing by as many as 15.
Poly built a 35-22 halftime lead on the strength of an 8-1 scoring streak in the first quarter and 8-0 run in the second quarter.
“We were intimidated early,” Borchert said. “They are a very good club, but we made them look great in the first half. They’re the best we’ve played.”
Dan Lovelady scored eight of his 13 points in the third quarter, including two three-pointers in a 13-0 run midway through the period, and the Chargers pulled even.
Edison made eight of 11 shots in the quarter.
“We were standing around in the first half and were conceding things to them,” Borchert said. “I wanted them to put forth the kind of effort they could be proud of in the second half.”
Poly Coach Ron Palmer said his team fell apart defensively in the third quarter.
“We’re still wrestling with playing the type of ball we’re capable of,” Palmer said. “We’re still looking to find our consistency.”
The Jackrabbits found some consistency at the free-throw line in the fourth quarter. Guard Tyus Edney, who finished with 12 points, made eight of nine free throws to help Poly pull away.
And they found some consistency on defensive. The Jackrabbits held Edison to two points in first 6:52 of the final quarter.
Willie McGinest, one of the most sought-after football players in the nation, scored 18 points, including five in the fourth quarter, to lead Poly.