GAME OF THE WEEK : For a Saint, He’s Not a Bad Thief, Either : Basketball: MVP guard Fred Lee has five steals and 10 points as Locke beats Eagle Rock, 63-46, in tournament finals. Samoore Riley has a game-high 25 points and 14 rebounds.

Guard Fred Lee was not a big force offensively, but his defensive presence earned him the Most Valuable Player honor in the Eagle Rock Tournament Thursday night.

Lee had 10 points and five steals as Locke defeated Eagle Rock, 63-46, in the tournament finals.

Lee’s job was to contain point guard Benny Hoang, the Eagle’s leading scorer who averages 21.7 points a game.

Hoang finished with 15 points, but made only six of 14 shots from the field. He had two assists.

“Fred is our leader,” Locke Coach Reggie Morris said. “He just keeps rising to the occasion. Overall, we did a good job defensively.”

“Freddie knows the way I play my game and he just threw my rhythm off,” Hoang said.

After leading 43-36 going into the fourth quarter, Lee and Samoore Riley stepped up on both sides of the floor.

Riley, who had a game-high 25 points and 14 rebounds, scored nine points and Lee had three crucial steals. Lee’s two free throws with 1:07 left in the game gave the Saints a 59-46 lead and erased any hopes of a Eagle comeback.

Locke also had three players with double figures in the rebound category. The Saints outrebounded the Eagles, 55-17.

“Rebounds are the extension to our defense,” said Morris. Eagle Rock 14 14 8 10 46 Locke 18 15 10 20 63 EAGLE ROCK--Hoang 15, Pham 6, Corbi 5, Kackanon 2, Adams 6, Harris 4, Garcia 4, Huerta 2

LOCKE--French 4, Lee 10, Riley 25, Higgins 7, Boyette 10, Harris 7

Records: Eagle Rock 9-3, Locke 8-3