BOYS’ BASKETBALL ROUNDUP : Woodbridge’s Pingle Beats No. 1 Tustin With Three-Pointer

A different Tustin High School basketball team must have played the majority of time Wednesday night against Woodbridge. The Tillers who are the No. 1 team in Orange County made only a cameo appearance in Irvine.

Typical of Tustin’s evening was the play of high-scoring guard David Beilstein. A 50% shooter from the field, Beilstein made only eight of 25 shots against Woodbridge and finished with 21 points.

Beilstein fouled out in overtime and, along with center Brian Reider, who had fouled out with three minutes to play in the fourth quarter, was forced to watch the Warriors beat the Tillers, 70-69.

Trailing 69-67 with four seconds to play, Woodbridge’s Robin Pingle hit a three-pointer from the top of the key. A 25-footer by Tustin’s Robert Laubach fell short at the buzzer.

Woodbridge improved to 14-7 and moved into a first-place tie in the Sea View League with a 4-1 record. Tustin is 17-3, 4-1.

“On Pingle’s shot, we knew Tustin had to be concerned with Ryan Rauch (22 points) and Mike Fenton (13 points),” Woodbridge Coach Bill Shannon said. “It was a designed play for Rauch to kick it out to Pingle if the defense converged on him.”

Shannon set up the play even though Pingle already had taken an ill-advised three-pointer in the overtime, missing it badly.

“I never tell a kid not to shoot,” Shannon said, “because if he hesitates he might miss it. And if he misses in this case, we lose the game.”

Thomas Clayton kept Tustin close with 28 points and 20 rebounds. Reider blocked seven shots before fouling out.