OCC Can’t Stay in the Game

The matchup of the nearest seeded teams in the Southern California men’s basketball playoffs turned out to be the biggest first-round rout as visiting Los Angeles Trade Tech beat Orange Coast, 93-49, Friday.

Los Angeles Trade Tech (16-14) was seeded 17th and Orange Coast (18-14) was seeded 16th. But from the start the game was never close.

Things really didn’t start out that poorly for Orange Coast as Matt Ambrose made a three-pointer 30 seconds into the game.

But the Pirates could not get the ball inside early and just seemed a step slower than the pace that propelled them to a third-place finish in the Orange Empire Conference. OCC turned the ball over 16 times and shot 25% in the first half and trailed, 37-16, after 20 minutes.

Ambrose scored the first basket of the second half but Los Angeles Trade Tech went on a 7-0 run. Much of the rest of the game looked more like a series of layup drills.

Orange Coast, hosting its first playoff game since 1989, never seemed in sync.

Ambrose, OCC’s leading scorer who averaged 19 points, got two quick fouls and missed much of the first half. He performed well in the second half and finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Duane Curtis had 15 for Orange Coast.

Jason Crowe had 19 for Los Angeles Trade Tech, which advances to Wednesday’s second round.

The Beavers will play the winner of No. 32 Golden West and No. 1 Ventura, which play tonight in Ventura.

Also tonight: Saddleback (24-5), the seventh-seeded team, hosts No. 26 San Diego Mesa (14-15) and No. 30 Cypress (13-18) is at No. 3 Santa Monica (27-3).

In other playoff games:

Irvine Valley 98, Los Angeles Southwest 87--Josh Porter scored 22 points and J.C. Timmons added 21 as visiting Irvine Valley (16-16) rallied from a seven-point halftime deficit. Irvine Valley (16-16) is seeded 18th and Los Angeles Southwest (17-15) is No. 15.

It was the first postseason victory for first-year Coach Jerry Hernandez.

Irvine Valley advances to Wednesday’s second round and will play the winner of No. 31 San Bernardino Valley (10-20) at No. 2 MiraCosta (24-3).

Long Beach 85, Rancho Santiago 79--Mike Batiste, who spent part of the summer working out with Rancho Santiago before deciding to play at Long Beach, scored a game-high 27 points for the host Vikings (21-10).

Rancho Santiago (20-12) played well in the first half, making five of 12 three-pointers, and led, 39-31. But the Dons couldn’t hold on.

Terrell McKnight added 15 and Chris Hardy had 14 for Long Beach, which plays Wednesday against the Cypress-Santa Monica winner.

Todd Wilson had 22 points and Marcus Lemons 20 for Rancho Santiago.