ORANGE HOLIDAY BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT : Late Baskets by Keim Lift Marina to Victory
Guard Matt Keim made a three-point shot and scored on a layup in the final two minutes to lead Marina to a 69-66 upset of San Diego Morse Thursday in the second round of the 27th Orange Holiday Classic at the Hutton Sports Center.
Marina (8-3) scored its biggest victory of the season by utilizing a man-to-man defense and trapping the ball at midcourt in the second half. Forward Darren Crooks’ third consecutive steal with 2 minutes 57 seconds remaining in the third quarter helped the Vikings erase a six-point deficit.
San Diego Morse (7-2) enjoyed a big height advantage, but the Tigers lost the game at the free-throw line. Morse made only five of 13 free-throw attempts, and its only consistent scorer was forward Edwin Charles, who finished with 22 points.
Marina made seven three-point shots, including three by Keim. Center Brendan Lyons sealed the victory by making a layup with 19 seconds remaining for the final margin.
“It was good to come back and get a win like this,” Marina Coach Steve Popovich said. “We were floundering when Crooks got those three steals to turn the game around. We went to the man-to-man to try to contain them and put pressure on the ball. Luckily, it worked.”
Marina will play Santa Clara in a semifinal at 6:50 tonight.
In other Orange Tournament action:
Laguna Beach 66, Long Beach Wilson 65 (OT)--The Artists scored their second major upset of the tournament and ended Wilson’s 10-game winning streak.
Laguna Beach (6-3) held a 59-57 lead, but Wilson guard Peter Sverkos scored with two seconds remaining in regulation to send the game to overtime.
Guard Taylor Butcher made a baseline jump shot with 40 seconds remaining in overtime to give Laguna Beach a 66-63 lead, and Wilson (10-1) turned the ball over twice down the stretch.
Afterward, Laguna Beach Coach Bret Fleming said the game would have never gone into overtime if his team hadn’t committed seven turnovers in the last quarter.
“To tell you the truth, I can live without these overtime games,” Fleming said. Laguna Beach upset Ocean View, 65-62, in regulation in the opening round Monday.
The Artists will play Capistrano Valley in a semifinal at 8:30 tonight.
Capistrano Valley 79, Fountain Valley 43--Aaron Rhodes had 14 points and Tom Airey made three three-point shots and scored 11 points for Capistrano Valley in a second-round game. After leading, 41-25, at the half, the Cougars outscored the Barons, 19-6, in the third quarter.
Santa Clara 64, Laguna Hills 33--Stevie Amar scored 16 points for Santa Clara, which outscored Laguna Hills, 19-6, in the second quarter and took a 40-21 lead at halftime in the second-round game.