SUNSET LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Jessie Takes Control in Edison’s Victory
Even in the pregame introductions, Brandon Jessie looks like a man among children.
And then he soars above the crowd for rebounds, and dunks, and jump shots and . . . well, just about anything else he wants.
In leading Edison High School to an 84-65 victory over visiting Huntington Beach Wednesday, Jessie made 14 of 23 shots, including three of five three-pointers, while scoring 31 points. He also had 23 rebounds.
More importantly, he provided some needed restraint in a game that seemed to be careening out of control from the start.
Both teams seemed to be two steps ahead of where they wanted to be. Passes sailed out of bounds before the intended receiver could get there. Open shots were fired at the basket as if the final buzzer was sounding.
Did Edison really want such a frenzied pace?
“That’s fine with us,” Edison Coach Jon Borchert said.
Through it all, Jessie, the 6-foot-5 son of former Ram wide receiver Ron Jessie, was rock-solid.
He swished high-arching three-point shots and threw down a couple of thunderous dunks in the second half. He also rebounded strongly and clogged the middle, blocking at least five shots and altering several more.
Greg Miller had 19 points, most from the outside, and Todd Smyser added 11 points for ninth-ranked Edison (15-5, 5-2 in league).
Mustapha Abdi of Huntington Beach had 25 points, matching Jessie move-for-move early. But there wasn’t enough production from the other Huntington Beach players. Bryan Chang, who had 11 points, was the only other Oiler in double figures.
Eighth-ranked Huntington Beach, which beat Edison, 58-57, Jan. 4 at home, falls to 13-6, 5-2.
Right from the start, Jessie was too much for Huntington Beach to handle. The Oilers’ only hope rested with Abdi, but he couldn’t keep pace for the full 32 minutes.
“I thought Greg Miller worked his tail off guarding Abdi tonight,” Borchert said. “They didn’t shoot it as well tonight (as in the teams’ first meeting).”
Taking advantage of an 11-0 run, Edison built a 24-13 lead early in the second quarter.
Then Jessie took control, hitting a turnaround jumper in the lane, followed by three-pointers on consecutive trips. Then he added another smooth inside move for a basket as the Chargers built a 34-26 halftime lead.
Later, he seized every rebound that came close and Edison blew the game open as Huntington Beach faded badly in the fourth quarter.
In another league game:
Marina 82, Santa Ana 66--Cherokee Parks had 36 points and 14 rebounds for Marina (11-9, 5-2). The Vikings led, 45-26, at the half and were never challenged.