BOYS’ BASKETBALL : Tustin Hangs On Without Gottlieb

Tustin learned a valuable lesson Monday night.

The Tillers discovered they could play without point guard Doug Gottlieb, at least in the short term.

They managed to hold off persistent Pasadena Muir, 53-41, in the first round of the Tournament of Champions at Ocean View High School. They did so without Gottlieb, their standout point guard, who fouled out with 3 minutes 8 seconds left.

“It got really scary there without Doug,” Coach Andy Ground said.

David Lalazarian and Curtis Jackson were there to alleviate Ground’s fears.

Gottlieb had 14 points, seven assists and three steals when he fouled out. Behind his constant pushing, the Tillers had led by as many as 15 points.

They were ahead, 45-34, when Gottlieb left. That lead quickly wilted. Tustin (5-1) turned the ball over on three consecutive possessions and Muir (4-2) closed to within 45-41 with 2:15 left.

Then Curtis, a junior, and Lalazarian, a sophomore, took over. Curtis fed Lalazarian (12 points, 14 rebounds) for a layup to break the Muir run. Curtis then hit four consecutive free throws and Lalazarian sank two in the final minute to clinch the victory.

“They were the only ones who weren’t scared when Gottlieb fouled out,” Ground said. “Lalazarian is a post player and he stepped outside and ran the offense. It’s nice to have someone step up.”

Muir was also playing without a point guard. Three-year starter Jacque Vaughn, who led the Mustangs to the Southern Section Division II-AA title last season, graduated and is playing at Kansas.

Muir looked sloppy from the start, turning the ball over seven times in the first quarter. Tustin took advantage of the mistakes to build an 18-6 lead midway through the second quarter.