BOYS’ BASKETBALL / CENTURY LEAGUE : Santa Ana Valley Defeats Orange

After Santa Ana Valley posted a 61-54 victory over Orange, Falcon Coach Kevin Stipp looked somewhat relieved.

Although Orange kept it close, Santa Ana Valley’s Ike Harmon and Olujimi Mann and the Falcons’ pressure defense made the difference in the second half of the Century League boys’ basketball game Friday at Santa Ana Valley.

Mann had 20 points and Harmon had 18, and the Falcon press and half-court trap forced 11 second-half turnovers. But it wasn’t easy.

“I guess they say the first one is the toughest,” Stipp said.

Friday’s victory culminated a tumultuous week for the Falcons (11-7, 2-1).

Monday, Coach Rich Prospero resigned for personal reasons and Stipp, who is the Santa Ana Valley girls’ basketball coach, was named interim coach for the boys’ team.

In Stipp’s first game at the helm of the boys’ basketball team Wednesday, host Canyon upset Santa Ana Valley, ranked third in the county, 52-39.

Wednesday’s loss heightened the importance of Friday’s game against rival Orange, which entered the game as the league’s only unbeaten team.

“This game was as close as it gets to a must-win,” Stipp said. “If we don’t get this one, maybe doubt starts to creep in, so this was a big step. We want to get all that stuff behind us.”

Orange (12-4, 2-1) made Santa Ana Valley look tentative in the first half. Danny Garcia (16 points, 10 rebounds) and Andy Lauridsen (15 points, three three-pointers) helped a patient Panther unit make 52% (12 of 23) from the field and trail 28-26 at halftime.

With the score tied, 36-36, with 2 minutes 40 seconds remaining in the third quarter, Harmon set the tone for the remainder of the game.

On consecutive plays, Harmon made a steal on the defensive end and raced up court for two crowd-pleasing slam dunks to give Santa Ana Valley a 40-36 lead with 2:04 remaining in the period.

Santa Ana Valley outscored Orange, 14-4, to open the fourth quarter. Harmon made a three-pointer to start the period to make it 43-38, then it was Mann’s turn.

Mann scored five points in the run, and he capped it by making a steal, then he saved the ball while falling out of bounds by tossing it between his legs.

Harmon caught the ball and flipped a no-look pass up-court to Michael Riggins, who had 12 points, who scored on a layup to make it 54-42 with 3:39 remaining.

Holman Paz had seven of his 13 points in the final 1 1/2 minutes to keep Orange close, but the Panthers never got closer than seven.

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In another league game:

El Modena 56, Canyon 38--Chris Goodwin scored 16 points and Ryan Whieldon added nine for El Modena (10-6, 1-2).