EMPIRE LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Los Alamitos’ Super Sub Fouls Up Katella’s Careful Strategy

Katella High School trailed Los Alamitos by two points in the final seconds of overtime and needed the basketball. And the Knights had no trouble figuring out whom to foul.

The second Los Alamitos guard John Daugherty touched the ball, he was fouled by Dave Jensen. Daugherty, a substitute, had made only one of five free throws in the game, and was a sure bet to miss again.

But Daugherty found the touch, sinking two free throws with 16 seconds left as the Griffins held off the Knights, 75-71, in an Empire League game Friday night at Katella.

Los Alamitos (16-6, 7-0) clinched at least a tie for the league title with three games remaining over second-place Katella (13-7, 4-3) and Esperanza.

Jason Cunningham scored 28 points and pulled down 20 rebounds for Los Alamitos. But after the game, Griffin Coach Steve Brooks was raving about Daugherty, who finished with three points.

“John is the kind of kid where the game’s on the line, you can throw all the numbers and stats away,” Brooks said. “He has done it for us defensively this year. He has done a heck of a job and he plays hard.”

Daugherty, a 6-foot-2 junior, has averaged about 12 to 15 minutes per game. He has earned more playing time since holding Loara’s Tes Whitlock, Orange County’s leading scorer, to 12 points in a Los Alamitos victory last week.

“We’ve been trying to get him at least 20 minutes,” Brooks said. “He’s our best defensive player, and he can do it on offense too.”

Brooks also had praise for Cunningham, a 6-4 senior who pulled down two of his 10 offensive rebounds in the overtime.

“Jason did a real nice job,” Brooks said. “When he makes up his mind, he can go out there and do all kinds of things.”

Katella rallied from a six-point deficit in the final 3 minutes 47 seconds of regulation.

Kevin Carlson tied it, 68-68, with two free throws with nine seconds left, and Los Alamitos’ Bryan Hakata threw away the ball with one second remaining as the game went into overtime.

Katella’s final comeback was typical of the entire game. The Knights cut an early 12-point deficit to three by halftime, and rallied from a 10-point deficit in the third quarter.

“We got up and we went a little flat,” Brooks said. “We did the same thing when we beat them the first time. We went up, 33-19, then they came back before we won by 15.”

Hakata scored 15 points and Geoff Graham added 11 for Los Alamitos. Carlson scored 17 points and Roger Arias had 24 points before fouling out with 2:44 left in regulation.

In other league games:

Esperanza 77, Loara 56--Joe Foss scored 12 points of his game-high 25 points in the second quarter as host Esperanza (15-8, 4-3) took a 29-24 lead at halftime.

Loara’s Tes Whitlock had 17 points, nearly half his average.

Cypress 80, El Dorado 72--Courtney Smalley scored points and Vince Laguana added 19 for host Cypress (9-12, 3-4). Brett Tomko scored a game-high 30 points for El Dorado (6-14, 0-7).