PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Poulos Hits Free Throws, Helps Trabuco Hills Remain in First
Trabuco Hills completed its most difficult week of the season with an impressive 57-48 victory over Century Friday night in Santa Ana and remained in first place in the Pacific Coast League.
Guard Brett Poulos made six consecutive free throws in the final two minutes of play to seal the victory for visiting Trabuco Hills (15-5, 5-0 in league). Trabuco Hills defeated Estancia, 62-59, this week and finished undefeated in the first round of what many think is the toughest league in Orange County.
Center Gavin Vanderputten had his usual steady game, scoring 23 points, grabbing 11 rebounds and blocking three shots. But in the end, it was Poulos who won the game.
“I’ll take Brett in any situation at the free-throw line,” Trabuco Hills Coach Rainer Wulf said. “He has a heart bigger than anybody.”
Trabuco Hills appeared to be pulling away with 6 minutes 10 seconds remaining to play when Poulos hit a three-point shot for a 46-41 lead, but Century (14-5, 3-2) fought back and narrowed the deficit to one point, 49-48, when reserve Thomas Harmon scored on a drive through the lane with 1:56 remaining.
Unfortunately for the Centurions, it was the last time they would score.
Afterward, Century Coach Greg Coombs said Trabuco Hills was the best team in the league.
“The big guy (Vanderputten) puts them over the top,” Coombs said. “They could go undefeated, but I’d be surprised. This is the best league in the county if you look at it in terms of wins. We started league play with four teams having won 12 or more games.”
Trabuco Hills’ two-three zone, with the 6-foot-10 Vanderputten in the middle, made it difficult for Century to get good shots. The zone also kept Vanderputten from getting into foul trouble after he picked up two quick personal fouls in the first quarter.
“When we got behind, there was no way they were going to come out of that zone,” Coombs said. “They didn’t want the big guy to get into foul trouble.”
Wulf said he feared a letdown after a big victory over Estancia on Wednesday night, but reserve Erik Manning made sure his teammates were ready.
“Erik came up to me before the game and said, ‘Coach, you better say something to the guys because some of them aren’t ready,’ ” Wulf said. “The feeling among some was that all they had to do was show up and win.
“I had the team captains (Corey Klinke and Poulos) talk to each player individually and they responded. I think this is a good team on the verge of being a great team.”
In other league games:
Estancia 64, Costa Mesa 46--Matt Fuerbringer had 16 points and 11 rebounds for fourth-ranked Estancia (15-5, 4-1 in league). Teammate Jim Faulkner had 13 points and six assists.
Laguna Beach 87, Laguna Hills 53--Darren Gravley scored 18 points and Tom Ravensberg added 17 for host Laguna Beach (12-7, 2-3). Doug Schellenberg had 14 points for Laguna Hills (7-10, 1-4)