DIVISION I-AA : Capistrano Valley Airs It Out, Defeats Long Beach Jordan

MISSION VIEJO — Tom Airey broke his Orange County single-season record for three-point shots Tuesday night, but the Capistrano Valley High guard was even happier about getting a chance to increase his total.

Airey made eight three-pointers and scored 25 points as second-seeded Capistrano Valley defeated third-seeded and defending champion Long Beach Jordan, 67-55, in a Southern Section I-AA semifinal game at Saddleback College.

Afterward, Airey was swarmed by fans and teammates, who congratulated him on the record. But he--and the Cougars--aren’t finished yet.

Airey will have his eye on more shooting records Saturday when the Cougars (27-3) play Lynwood in the championship game at the Los Angeles Sports Arena.

It’s Capistrano Valley’s second appearance in the finals in the past four seasons and fourth in Mark Thornton’s 11 years as coach.

“Getting to the Sports Arena feels better than the record,” said Airey, a freshman reserve on the Cougars’ 1988-89 championship team. “I’ve been talking about getting there with (seniors) Steve Ransom and Aaron Rhoades for four years.”

Airey made eight of 13 three-point attempts Tuesday, increasing his season total to 127, one ahead of the record he set last season.

He now has 258 career three-pointers and has an outside shot at breaking the Southern Section record of 266 set by Rolling Hills’ Steve Clover.

“I really didn’t give the (county) record a lot of thought tonight,” said Airey, a 6-foot-1 guard who has signed with Loyola Marymount, “until one of my friends sitting in the front row told me I had the record.”

His record-breaking shot came from deep in the right corner with 4 minutes 12 seconds left in the game. It gave Capistrano Valley its biggest lead, 60-41.

The Cougars shot well as a team, making 20 of 41 shots from the field and 17 of 18 free-throw attempts.

Jordan (22-7) also was tough from the line, making 11 of 12 first-half free throws. The Panthers trailed, 31-30, at halftime.

But the Cougars opened up their offense, and the game, in the third quarter.

Capistrano Valley’s Steve Ransom scored seven of his 12 points in the quarter, and Airey hit two three-pointers as the Cougars built a nine-point lead that Jordan never challenged.

“We changed our half-court offense at halftime,” Thornton said. “We began getting more penetration. Jordan was running a (trapping defense), and we ran a guy right down the middle and he was wide-open.

“That began to open things up on the right side, where we stuck Airey.”

And Airey stuck the shots.

He missed his first three attempts but made his final five, including four in the second half. He never attempted a two-point shot and made his only free-throw attempt after being fouled by Jordan’s Deandrae Smith while making a three-pointer early in the fourth quarter.