ORANGE HOLIDAY INVITATIONAL : Hoffman’s Methods Help Lead Marina to Upset in Semifinal

Maybe now, the anonymous letters complaining about Greg Hoffman’s coaching methods will stop. Maybe now, boosters and parents will stop talking behind Hoffman’s back.

The coach who demands an all-or-nothing style of play and who seems to get every ounce of energy from his players made his mark Tuesday night at Marina High School.

It was vintage Hoffman basketball, all right, as Marina upset the county’s third-ranked team, Santa Margarita, 54-50, in the semifinals of the 28th Orange Invitational at Chapman University’s Hutton Sports Center.

The victory moves Marina (8-4) into tonight’s championship game against Kennedy (8-3) at 8. But more importantly, Hoffman appears to have won over his players, their parents and Marina boosters following a rocky adjustment period over the summer.

“I’m so tickled for the players,” Hoffman said. “These same kids were getting beat by 30 and 40 points this summer. They’ve come a long ways in four months.”

Marina won with some hot shooting and team defense. It opened an 18-6 lead in the first quarter as guard Vlad Nieto scored 14 points in less than six minutes and made eight consecutive baskets through three quarters of play.

Santa Margarita (8-2) made two runs at Marina. The Eagles trimmed an 11-point halftime deficit to five points, 39-34, when guard Adam Dzierzynski scored on a driving layup with 3:51 remaining in the third quarter.

Then Santa Margarita put the defensive pressure on Marina, limiting the Vikings to just one field goal in the last quarter. The Eagles got close, 52-50, after guard Bobby Nolan hit a jump shot, but they self-destructed down the stretch.

Nolan was cited for an intentional foul when he grabbed Nieto’s jersey on an inbound play, but the mistake wasn’t costly as Nieto missed both free throws. Marina’s Matt Keim had an opportunity to clinch the victory with 30 seconds left, but he missed the front end of a one-and-one free throw attempt.

The Eagles had possession with 26 seconds left but Keim made the defensive play of the game when he kept Dzierzynski from advancing the ball for five seconds for a turnover.

Nieto’s free throws with four seconds left provided the final margin of victory and vindication for Hoffman.

“The five-second call was Greg Hoffman basketball,” he said. “It takes all five guys closing down the lanes to get a call like that. We played with heart tonight, and I now feel like we’ve got some kids who can play.”

In the other semifinal:

Kennedy 75, Laguna Hills 50--Seldom has a team gotten an easier ride to the championship game of a 16-team tournament than Kennedy did here.

Kennedy’s average margin of victory over three opponents was 23.3 points and its semifinal victory over Laguna Hills was long over when Coach John Mayberry began clearing his bench with 4:58 remaining in the third quarter and his team leading, 47-18.

Guard Paul Pappas helped Kennedy get off to a fast start by making five three-point baskets in the first half. Pappas’ fourth three-pointer, with 5:24 remaining in the second quarter, pushed Kennedy ahead, 24-11, and it was all downhill for Laguna Hills (6-5) from this point.

Kennedy (8-3) made eight three-point shots but it was the Irish’s defense that impressed Mayberry most.

“Our goal is to try to keep a team under 50 points,” Mayberry said. “The kids are so content playing defense that they don’t care who scores.”

Pappas said he sometimes “gets into a zone” and Tuesday night the streak shooter was hot. He made five of nine attempts from three-point range and led all scorers with 15 points.