ORANGE LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Western Presses, Outlasts Valencia for 60-54 Victory

Western High School, with its press-until-you-drop style, ran into a mirror image Friday night in Anaheim against Valencia. The collision, at times, was frightening.

With both teams pressing from one end of the court to the other, the game became one of attrition. And in the end, it was Western that survived.

Western, ranked fifth in Orange County, had enough stamina to stagger down the stretch for a 60-54 Orange League victory at Western. The victory was one Coach Greg Hoffman savored, but not because of the way the Pioneers played.

“We played probably the worst game we’ve played all year,” Hoffman said. “We were horrible, but we won. That shows the character of this team.”

The Pioneers (14-1, 2-0) revealed this trait in a game that was played with playoff intensity.

Valencia, ranked 10th in the county, has been one of the surprising teams of the season. The Tigers (11-3, 1-1), which finished fourth in league play last season, appeared to be the top challenger to the Pioneers.

For more than three quarters, Valencia pressed and harassed step for step with Western. If it had not been for some poor free-throw shooting, the Tigers might have overcome the defending league champions.

Valencia made 18 of 30 free-throw attempts, but was only six of 14 in the fourth quarter.

“This was the first big-time game for us this season,” Valencia Coach John Cyrus said. “You got to walk before you can run. Tonight we walked. Next time, we’ll run.”

The Pioneers’ experience in big games showed in the fourth quarter. Twice in the final quarter, the Tigers pulled to within three points, but each time Western refused to fold.

Tom Barraza propped up the Pioneers repeatedly. He scored eight points in the fourth quarter.

Barraza was about as off as a shooter could be through most of the game. He missed so badly once, that the ball banked in for a three-point field goal.

Through three quarters, he was five of 15 and had missed eight consecutive shots. But it was Barraza who drilled a three-pointer to give Western a 51-44 lead with 3 minutes 47 seconds left.

From there, the Pioneers made nine of 13 free throws. Barraza, who scored 19 points, made five of six down the stretch.

“Tom had a horrible night shooting,” Hoffman said. “But he stepped up for us when the game was on the line.”

Although the Tigers never led, they stayed within striking range most of the game. What kept them close was their pressure defense, which forced 16 turnovers.

Center Adolfo Gomez (14 points) and guard Justin Jiminez (11 points) led the Valencia offense.

However, the Tigers had problems with the Western press and Pioneer center Nurishi Stevenson.

Valencia had 23 turnovers, nine in the first quarter. When the Tigers broke the press, they found the 6-foot-4 Stevenson (four blocks) waiting.

On offense, Stevenson scored 18 points. He had 13 by halftime before suffering an ankle injury just before halftime. The injury hampered his play in the second half.

Chris Jackson, picked up the slack. He scored 11 of his 15 points in the second half.

In other league games:

Brea-Olinda 68, Anaheim 54--Doug Yeo scored 19 points to lead Brea-Olinda.

Savanna 59, Magnolia 56--Andy Trumpour scored 18 points to lead host Savanna (11-6, 2-0).