PREP BASKETBALL ROUNDUP : Ransom Leads Capistrano Valley Past Esperanza

Capistrano Valley forward Steve Ransom celebrated his return to the lineup by scoring 12 points and getting six rebounds in the Cougars’ 72-50 victory over Esperanza in the opening round of the Coca-Cola Classic at Trabuco Hills High.

Ransom sat out the summer after suffering a stress fracture in his right ankle. He received a doctor’s clearance to resume playing only 14 days ago.

“He hasn’t done any full-court running and has only gone two minutes at a time in practice,” Capistrano Valley Coach Mark Thornton said. “We’ve been very, very cautious with him in practice and plan to bring him along slowly in the games.”

Ransom entered the season opener late in the first quarter. He made an immediate impact, hitting five consecutive shots to give Capistrano Valley a 27-17 lead midway through the second quarter against an Esperanza team that is expected to contend for the Empire League title.

Capistrano Valley guard Tom Airey continued the pace in the third quarter, hitting two three-point shots as the Cougars extended their lead to 60-32. Airey finished with four three-pointers and 14 points.

Forward Matt Kordik was Esperanza’s lone bright spot, scoring 17 points and getting 10 rebounds. No other Aztec player managed to reach double figures in scoring.

In another first-round game:

Lynwood 74, Mission Viejo 53--Lynwood’s Nathan Ware and Jamal Lawrence scored eight points in the second quarter as Mission Viejo was outscored, 26-12, in losing its season opener. Matt Denny finished with 17 points for the Diablos.

J.W. North 112, University 77--The Huskies, who missed only nine shots in the second half, set a tournament scoring record. Los Alamitos held the previous mark of 103 set against University last season. Quincy Brewer, who has signed with Arizona State, led all scorers with 38 points, making 16 of 22 shots.

Carlsbad 60, Tustin 53--The defending State Division II champions fell behind, 15-6, in the first quarter and never recovered. Two starters--Jason Reynolds and Ramsey Alexander--are still playing football and another, Gentry Moore, is out with a sprained ankle.

Guard Derek Roche scored 32 points and twice got the Tillers within two points. Roche’s layup moved Tustin to 15-13 in the second quarter and his three-pointer got the Tillers to 30-28 early in the third quarter.