SEA VIEW LEAGUE BOYS’ ROUNDUP : Tustin Tops Santa Margarita, Shares Title

Tustin turned to mayhem Friday night. The Tillers scraped and pushed and clawed, doing everything possible to create a chaotic atmosphere.

Their reward was a 53-36 victory over Santa Margarita and a share of the Sea View League championship with the Eagles.

Tustin (19-7, 12-2) disrupted Santa Margarita’s pass-and-pick offense all night. The Tillers knocked down passes--and a few players--and left the Eagles wondering what hit them.

“We got in their passing lanes and put pressure on them,” guard Doug Gottlieb said. “We hit the floor after those loose balls. That’s something we haven’t done all year. We practiced that everyday this week.”

If that sounds as if the Tillers had something prove, then it sounds right.

Tustin was still stinging from a 55-33 loss to the Eagles in their first meeting. Santa Margarita’s patience won out in that one. Not Friday.

The Tillers were aggressive and physical, forcing 18 turnovers.

“We knew they had some inexperienced guards, so we wanted to pressure them early,” Coach Andy Ground said.

The Tillers missed their first seven shots, but they built a head of steam by the end of the quarter. The Eagles soon buckled.

Tustin forced three turnovers and went on a 9-1 run to take a 23-14 lead with three minutes left in the half. The Tillers got three layups on the run, all on assists by Gottlieb.

“If they get me the ball on the run, I’ll get them layups,” Gottlieb said.

That’s pretty much what Gottlieb did, and finished with 12 assists and 11 points.

Santa Margarita (20-6, 12-2), ranked seventh in Orange County, didn’t look comfortable from the start. The Eagles were playing their sixth game without 6-foot-5 forward Brian Finneran, who broke a bone in his right foot. They still hadn’t adjusted.

Finneran had 21 points and 13 rebounds in the first game. With him gone, Tustin was able to isolate Brad Finneran, Brian’s twin, and exploit the inside.

Brad Finneran, hawked by Aaron Kraus all night, finished with seven points. Kraus gave up three inches, but didn’t give Finneran room to maneuver. He made only three of nine shots.

Kraus also scored 12 points, almost all on layups. Center David Lalazarian had 15 points and 12 rebounds.

“Obviously, Finneran out made a big difference,” Ground said.

Forced outside, the Eagles found more frustration. Brian Scoggin, their top three-point shooter, made only one of seven shots.

Tustin led, 45-30, by the end of the third quarter and Santa Margarita had had enough. The Eagles scored only six points in the final quarter.

“That’s the way we wanted to play all year,” Gottlieb said.

In other league games:

Irvine 51, Corona del Mar 41--Greg Foster had 21 points to lead Irvine (10-16, 5-9). Teammate Ryan Corbin’s 13 rebounds set a single-season school rebound record for Irvine with 251.

Newport Harbor 85, University 69--Juan Orellana made seven three-pointers and scored 23 points to lead Newport Harbor (13-13, 6-8), which clinched the league’s fourth automatic playoff berth.

Woodbridge 77, Saddleback 56--Chris Talbott had 23 points and 13 rebounds for host Woodbridge (11-4, 5-9).