BOYS’ BASKETBALL / IN-N-OUT BURGER / CONVERSE CLASSIC : Trabuco Hills Defeats Santa Ana Valley

Santa Ana Valley still appears to be trying to find itself, while Trabuco Hills looks in midseason form. The result was a 75-70 Trabuco Hills’ victory Friday night in the semifinals of the In-N-Out Burger/Converse Basketball Classic at Trabuco Hills High.

Trabuco Hills (4-0) will play Tustin (5-0) at 8:15 tonight for the tournament championship. Santa Ana Valley (3-3) will play Sonora (2-2) in the third-place game at 6:30 p.m. Both games are at Capistrano Valley High.

Both teams started with a flurry of turnovers Friday, but Trabuco Hills eventually settled down once it figured out Santa Ana Valley’s press.

“I think we were a little nervous at the start coming off last year’s loss to them,” said Trabuco Hills forward Jonathan Paisley, who scored 20 points as did teammate Rob Warnick. “Once we figured out we could play with them, we were all right.”

Santa Ana Valley’s two best players, Olujumi Mann and Ike Harmon, never seemed to be all right. Mann shot only six of 17 from the field, including two of nine from three-point range, and Harmon had only three points and four rebounds.

Mann, bothered by a pulled thigh muscle, said his team was tired.

“We just had a real hard game last night at Crenshaw,” he said. “It’s hard to bounce back off a loss like that. They pressed us all night and we were kind of worn out. But we have no excuses. They beat us fair and square. Trabuco Hills has a good team.”

After trailing most of the way, Santa Ana Valley actually led, 56-54, with 6:20 left in the game. But Trabuco Hills went on a 12-0 run, initiated by Warnick’s three-point play, and Santa Ana Valley never got closer than four after that.

“I don’t think they’re playing hard every night,” Paisley said. “They have a lot of talent. But sometimes the other players get caught up in watching their three best players.”

On the other hand, Paisley said everything is clicking for the Mustangs.

“This is the best team I’ve played on,” he said. “Everyone is being unselfish.”

In other In-N-Out tournament games:

Esperanza 73, Long Beach St. Anthony 37--Josh Greer scored 20 points for Esperanza (4-3) in a consolation game.