SUNSET LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Ocean View Isn’t Able to Slow Oilers Enough
Ocean View slowed down Huntington Beach’s offense, but the Oilers scored enough to post a 46-38 victory over the Seahawks in a Sunset League boys’ basketball game Friday at Huntington Beach.
The biggest and littlest Oilers did the most damage, with 6-foot-6, 230-pound center Tony Gonzalez tallying 18 points and nine rebounds and 5-8 point guard Vasili Hatziris finishing with 12 points and four steals.
Huntington Beach (15-9, 9-3 in league), ranked ninth in Orange County, remained in second place and the Seahawks (12-12, 7-5) are scrambling for a playoff spot.
“This game was so big for us,” Huntington Beach Coach Roy Miller said. “Especially against a rival like this, we didn’t want to lose three times to them.”
Ocean View beat Huntington Beach, 51-47, during the first round of league play, and the Seahawks won their meeting during the Tournament of Champions in December, 50-47.
Friday, Ocean View controlled the tempo and the Seahawks’ defense held the Oilers under 50 points again.
“We just didn’t score tonight,” Ocean View Coach Jim Harris said. “I told the kids that I wasn’t mad at them. They’re playing their tails off and it has to be frustrating for them. We’re really struggling offensively right now.”
Ocean View out-rebounded Huntington Beach, 34-27, and committed 11 turnovers to Huntington Beach’s 13. The result was nine more shots for the Seahawks but they made only 26% (11 of 43) from the field.
“It was a strange game,” Miller said. “Ocean View was really patient on offense, to the point where it might have taken more out of them when they kept working the ball around and working it around, but they couldn’t score.”
Mike Carney, who had 10 points, made a fallaway jumper to give the Seahawks their last lead at 9-8, two minutes into the second quarter.
The Oilers answered with Hatziris scoring four points on two layups to highlight an 8-0 run as Huntington Beach took control before halftime.
Josh Holland had 10 points and five rebounds for Huntington Beach.
Tim Walsh had nine points and Aaron Hatch had eight points and nine rebounds for the Seahawks.
In other Sunset League games:
Marina 70, Santa Ana 54--Eric Endsley scored 25 points to lead Marina (10-14, 4-8), which led, 24-12, after one quarter.
Servite 63, Westminster 42--Kieran Betts scored 22 points and Kristian Vallas added 16 for visiting Servite (16-7, 9-3).
Edison-Fountain Valley postponed--Baron Coach Gordon Billingsley said Friday’s game was postponed because a transformer at Fountain Valley High failed and the gymnasium’s lights didn’t work.
The game will be played at a date to be determined.