SUNSET LEAGUE ROUNDUP : After Big Miss, Parks Makes Big Block and Marina Holds Off Ocean View

Mistakes have been few for Marina High School’s Cherokee Parks this season, and he wasn’t about to make two in the final 38 seconds of the Vikings’ game Friday night against Ocean View.

Parks blocked a layup by Darren Ernst with 18 seconds remaining and teammate Darren Fields added two free throws with eight seconds left to preserve a 65-61 victory over Ocean View at the Marina Gym.

Parks, who finished with 19 points on eight-of-nine shooting from the field, missed the front end of a one-and-one with 38 seconds left.

Ocean View, trailing 63-61, rebounded and ran 18 seconds off the clock before Ernst drove the baseline.

Parks was ready and waiting.

“I kept thinking ‘Don’t foul’ as I went up,” said Parks, a 6-foot-11 junior. “He was so close to making it. I just tried to get a piece of it.”

The block was the sixth of the game for Parks, who finished with nine rebounds.

He also scored seven points in a 10-2 run in the third quarter that erased a five-point deficit.

But it was Parks’ supporting cast that kept the Vikings ahead in the fourth quarter.

Sean Hasselrig, a 6-2 junior, shook off the flu to score 12 of his 14 points in the final quarter, including a three-point play with 2:53 left that gave Marina the lead for good at 58-55.

Ocean View crept back to within 63-61, but Park’s block and Fields’ free throws preserved the victory. The free throws were Fields’ only points.

“Parks always comes through in the big games,” Marina Coach Steve Popovich said, “and Fields had two big free throws.

“We had to switch everything back inside on defense. It just so happened Parks was the one back there. It was a good thing, too.”

While Parks was causing problems inside, guards Travis Boyd and Brant Shelor were sinking jumpers from the outside. Each made three three-point shots and finished with 15 points.

“We tried to mix up a lot of defenses on them,” Ocean View Coach Jim Harris said. “Shelor, who hadn’t shown he could shoot the first time we played, just buried the three-pointers.”

Greg Evans scored 19 points and Marcel TenBerge added 16 for Ocean View (14-10 overall, 6-4 in league play).

Although the Vikings (17-8, 9-1) already clinched the league title, Parks said they needed little motivation against Ocean View.

The victory was Marina’s second over Ocean View this season. The Seahawks had won every matchup the previous two years.

“We lost to them twice my sophomore year and twice my freshman year,” Parks said. “So to go out and beat them twice this year was just great.”

In other league games:

Edison 89, Westminster 39--Bill Martineau scored 17 points and Brandon Jessie added 15 for host Edison (17-8, 6-4). Mark Murphy had 13 points for Westminster (6-16, 1-9).

Huntington Beach 76, Fountain Valley 69--Mustapha Abdi had 28 points and 10 rebounds to lead host Huntington Beach (10-14, 3-7). James Dingus added 12 points for the Oilers. Mike Merli had 26 points and 13 rebounds and Derrick Corcoran had 17 points for Fountain Valley (11-13, 5-5).