BOYS’ BASKETBALL ROUNDUP : Estancia Proves Worthy Enough to Beat Orange

Chris Candlish is getting tired of people wondering if Estancia is as good as its 10-1 record.

“When people say we don’t deserve our record, well, I don’t see how they can say that,” said Candlish, a 6-foot-6 senior center, whose 21 points, seven rebounds and three blocked shots helped the Eagles beat Orange, 55-42, in a nonleague boys’ basketball game Wednesday at Estancia.

So far a loss to Santa Ana Valley is the only blemish on Estancia’s record. If the Eagles are going to go as far in the playoffs as they hope, they will need to play and win more games such as this one.

It’s hard to look good against the Panthers (4-3), who exhibit patience and precision on offense. They slowed Estancia to a crawl for three quarters, trailing only 34-31, before wilting under the Eagles’ full-court press and inside strength.

“It’s hard to look good against their style,” Eagles Coach Tim Parsel said. “We missed some easy shots early, and when you miss shots and they stay close, they can play their style. But that’s one reason we schedule them; they are a solid team. You play Orange and it makes you play better.”

Candlish agreed. “We wanted to score a big win against them, but you can’t because they play a controlled game. This is my third varsity year, and this is the most we’ve ever won by against them.”

Excuse the Panthers for wanting to be more than an opponent. They figure to face a difficult Century League race against Santa Ana Valley, Villa Park and Canyon. In order to do well, the Panthers will have be less sloppy with the ball (17 turnovers) and learn the difference between patient and passive.

Orange’s shortcoming were evident in the fourth quarter.

With five minutes to play and the score 39-33, the Panthers had three possessions that used up 3 1/2 minutes of the clock and got them exactly two shots. That enabled Estancia to pull away, which it did primarily from the free-throw line, where the Eagles made 13 of the 18 in the game.

Orange’s biggest mistake was not carving out shooting room for center Juan Dotson. He had 11 points going into the fourth quarter, but made only one free throw in the last eight minutes. The only other times he touched the ball were when he was pulling down six of his game-high 11 rebounds.

“He doesn’t yet realize he has to bear more of the offensive load,” Panther Coach Richard Bossenmeyer said of Dotson. “He’s got to realize he is one of our go-to guys--maybe the go-to guy. He’s growing into the role but we’ll have to speed up the process.”

In other nonleague games:

Tustin 69, Edison 51--David Lalazarian had 25 points and Robert Griffin had 23 points, including three three-pointers for the Tillers, ranked third in the county. Tustin (9-2) took control by outscoring Edison (5-4), 21-10, in the second quarter.

Loara 66, Anaheim 27--Loara (6-4) led by 20 points after three quarters, then made 15 of 17 free throws to outscore Anaheim (2-6), 28-9, in the fourth quarter. Obaid Popal had 17 points for Loara.

Buena Park 64, Savanna 51--Towan Oliver scored 23 points to lead Buena Park (7-3). Ruben Gasso had 16 points for the host Coyotes.

Santa Ana 68, Santiago 56--Santa Ana’s Raul Martinez scored 15 of his 21 points in the first half and the teams were tied, 35-35. Danny Rivero scored 18 points for Santa Ana (5-4), which outscored Santiago, 16-4, in the third quarter. Frank Jimenez scored 16 points for Santiago (5-2).

Laguna Beach 58, Corona del Mar 47--Enver Soobzokov had 25 points and seven assists and Damion Pugh had 17 points for host Laguna Beach (5-6), which led by six at the half.

Valencia 56, La Habra 42--James Rivera scored 14 points and grabbed 10 rebounds and Salin Aqil had 12 points for Valencia (6-4), which outscored visiting La Habra, 38-27, in the second half.

Foothill 68, Western 27--John Brittingham had 17 points and nine assists and Matt Higgins had 15 points, including four three-pointers, for Foothill (3-5), which made 13 three-pointers and led, 41-10, at halftime.

In the Avalon boys’ basketball tournament:

Southern California Christian 80, Avalon 66--Corey Roberts and Jeremy Smith each scored 19 points for Southern California Christian (8-8) in the third-place game. The Flames outscored the tournament hosts by 13 in the first quarter.

In the Sparks (Nev.) Reed tournament:

Dana Hills 90, Yerington (Nev.) 83 (2 OT)--Yerington (6-1) rallied in regulation and the first overtime to extend the game. Dana Hills’ Reid Speigl made four of four free throws and Jeff Barnett scored four of his 28 points in the second overtime. The Dolphins (5-3) continue pool play today and Friday.

In the San Dieguito tournament:

Santa Margarita 86, Carson 72--Sean Redfern, who scored 27 points, made seven three-pointers to lead Santa Margarita (7-1) in the semifinals. Teammate Allen Krist scored 24 points.

Santa Margarita plays the winner of Del Mar Torrey Pines-Las Vegas Chapparral in today’s final.

In the Bullhead City (Ariz.) tournament:

Irvine 51, Kingman (Ariz.) 46--Amir Rahimi scored 17 points and Irvine rallied for the victory. Kingman led, 32-30, after three quarters.