SUNSET LEAGUE BOYS’ BASKETBALL : Battered Arvesen Gives Barons a Victory Over Huntington Beach

David Arvesen, bloodied once again, provided and symbolized Fountain Valley’s 57-56 Sunset League victory over Huntington Beach Wednesday night.

Sure, the Barons were beaten, bruised and a little worse for the wear, but they were still standing.

Arvesen, who had been elbowed in the mouth, made a three-point basket with 1 minute 5 seconds left to give the Barons a one-point lead. They then survived several moments of potential disaster.

The Oilers took three shots at victory. Tony Gonzalez missed an eight-footer with 14 seconds left. Matt Malmquist missed the front end of a one-and-one with two seconds left. Gonzalez then got the rebound and put up a shot that hit the rim at the buzzer.

“Those final seconds were an eternity,” Baron Coach Gordon Billingsley said.

But worth the wait.

The victory put the Barons (17-5, 9-2) in sole possession of first place and has them tantalizingly close to their first championship in nine seasons. Fountain Valley won seven league titles in 12 seasons from 1974-85 but has not finished higher than third since.

With three games remaining, their future is in their hands.

“I’m just numb all over,” Arvesen said. “My tooth is numb, my mouth is numb, my body is numb.”

He also left the Oilers numb.

Arvesen, who scored eight points, appeared to have been TKOd midway through the fourth quarter. He caught an elbow in the mouth, which pushed in his front tooth.

Hardly a surprise. After all, Arvesen received a gash on his chin in a game three weeks ago. That cut required six stitches; he didn’t miss a game.

Wednesday, he returned with 1:22 left, set up at the top of the key, and sank a three-pointer.

“I was confident and my tooth didn’t hurt at all,” Arvesen said, “so I shot.”

It was the last lead change in a game of ebbs and flows.

Huntington Beach (14-9, 8-3) led by as many as 14 points in the first quarter and controlled the inside. The Oilers scored eight points after offensive rebounds.

But the Barons toughened up and countered. They went on a 19-0 run that gave them a 27-22 lead with less than four minutes left in the half. Daniel Keller, who scored 20 points, had nine during the run. The Oilers didn’t score their first basket in the quarter for five minutes.

The Barons also controlled Gonzalez, who is the second-leading scorer in the county. He finished with 18 points, getting only three in the fourth quarter.

In other league games:

Edison 73, Marina 59--Micah Kroeger had 26 points for visiting Edison (13-7, 6-5). Andy Nieto had 25 for Marina (9-14, 3-8).

Servite 54, Ocean View 45--Kristian Vallas scored 19 points for Servite (15-7, 8-3). Kevin Johnson had 18 for Ocean View (12-11, 7-4).

Santa Ana 72, Westminster 46--Raul Martinez scored 15 points for host Santa Ana (3-15, 2-9).