IRVINE WORLD NEWS TOURNAMENT : Santa Ana Valley Completes Task

Santa Ana Valley Coach Rich Prospero was worried his team had been getting by on ability alone all week. Once again, ability was enough.

The Falcons turned up the heat and burned Trabuco Hills in the second half Saturday night in winning the final of the Irvine World News Tournament, 84-63. Their victory was so complete that not even a 15-1 run by the Mustangs in the final five minutes could make the final score respectable.

“I’m not going to lie to you and say that was coaching,” Prospero said. “But that was the first time this week we played at that speed.”

Said Trabuco Hills Coach Rainer Wulf: “Before we knew what happened, it was over.”

It was quick.

Trabuco Hills (7-3) led, 40-39, at halftime. The game had been played at a hummingbird’s pace and the Mustangs had held their own. They made all the right moves and took all the right shots.

It was their high-water mark.

The Falcons (8-1) began the second half in a blur. They went on an 18-1 tear and played in perfect sync.

By the time the Mustangs called timeout with five minutes left in the quarter, they had missed six shots and turned the ball over five times.

Not even the timeout helped. Midway through the fourth quarter, the Falcons had outscored the Mustangs, 44-8, and led, 83-48.

Trabuco Hills turned the ball over 26 times, including 10 in the third quarter.

There were plenty of go-to guys in the rout. Olujimi Mann had 23 points and 10 rebounds. Alex Fletcher had 18 points, Michael Riggins 17 and Darnell Adamson 16.

Rob Warnick scored 16 points for the Mustangs, but only two in the second half.

“We had hoped to beat them with fundamentals, like we did in the first half,” Wulf said.

But the second half belonged to talent.