COMMUNITY COLLEGE MEN’S BASKETBALL : Saddleback’s Stall Helps Overcome Riverside, 64-63

Saddleback, playing a stall offense in the final six minutes, remained in first place by beating Riverside, 64-63, in an Orange Empire Conference game Friday at Riverside.

Saddleback guard Derrick Walsh got a rebound basket with 15 seconds left to give Saddleback a 64-63 lead. Those were his only points of the game.

“We told him to go hard to the basket that time,” Saddleback Coach Bill Brummel said.

After a timeout, Riverside’s Lou Williams dribbled into a crowd, lost the ball and Saddleback’s Jeff Foster fell on it. Foster was fouled with 5.8 seconds left.

But Riverside got one last chance when he missed the front end of the one-and-one.

Raimond Migliniex got the rebound, ran up the left side, but his baseline three-pointer was well short and time expired.

Saddleback (22-7, 10-2) holds a one-game lead over Cypress (9-3) and a two-game lead over Riverside (8-4) with two games left. Saddleback plays host to Cypress at 7 p.m. Wednesday.

There was a time when it looked as if Saddleback was headed toward an easy victory--like when the teams first met. Saddleback won, 89-69.

Friday, Saddleback led, 37-32, at the half and increased it to 51-39 after John Molle hit a three-pointer with 14:35 to play.

Molle, who finished with 10 points, hit another basket about a minute later to give the Gauchos a 53-43 lead.

But then Molle, who is averaging a team-high 18 points, was hit in the eye and left the game for a few minutes.

He sat down for good with 7:16 left. He was called for charging, his fourth foul, then got a technical, his fifth foul, for arguing.

Darryle Flicking made one of two free throws and Riverside led, 61-59.

Saddleback got the lead back when Brian Reider, a freshman center, scored off a rebound, was fouled, and made the free throw for a 62-61 lead with 5:32 to play.

In other conference games:

Cypress 101, Saddleback 100--Anthony Livingston scored 23 points to lead the Chargers (24-7, 9-3).

Orange Coast 92, Fullerton 91 (OT)--Mark Moneypenny scored five points in overtime, including two clutch free-throws, to help Orange Coast (5-21, 2-10) end a nine-game losing streak. Darren Crooks had a career-high 31 points for Orange Coast.

Golden West 80, Rancho Santiago 70--Josh Lewis and Tyler Koon each had 16 points for host Golden West.