Todd Loewe

College: Orange Coast

Sport: Basketball

Position: Guard

Class: Freshman

This has been a season of near-misses for Orange Coast and Loewe. The Pirates are 4-16 but if they had had a few breaks, things could be better.

OCC’s only Orange Empire Conference victory was a 66-65 triumph against Saddleback, which is tied for first place. The Pirates took Cypress, a traditional power, to overtime, before losing, 77-70.

Helped by an outstanding performance from Loewe, OCC nearly upset Rancho Santiago, the other first-place team, last Friday. Loewe, from Woodbridge High School, had 26 points on seven-of-11 shooting from the field, including five of six three-pointers, but Orange Coast fell, 94-90, again in overtime.

Loewe is averaging 14 points and has made 41% (52-127) of his three-point tries this season. He is also averaging four assists a game.

Another top performer:

Saddleback sophomore John Molle, who scored a career-high 36 points as the Gauchos beat Riverside, 89-69, Wednesday to remain in first place.