Despite Ailing Burgess, Woodbridge Races to Get Past Sonora

The Sonora players heard the stern warning from their coach, Mike Murphy, in his pregame talk in the locker room, but once they took the floor at the Bren Center Saturday afternoon, they seemed powerless to stop what their coach told them might happen.

Fourth-ranked and highly-charged Woodbridge, seeking revenge for an embarrassing 13-point holiday tournament loss to the second-ranked Raiders, raced to a 15-3 first-quarter lead at the Nike Extravaganza II basketball tournament.

It was just too much for Sonora to overcome. Woodbridge, behind 18 points from Brandon Beeson, 13 of those in the second half, had just enough to hold off Sonora, 62-59.

After the game, Chris Burgess, Woodbridge’s 6-foot-10 center, announced he would sit out the Warriors’ next two games because of a possible bone bruise in his right foot. He played with his foot heavily taped after playing in pain against El Toro Friday night. Burgess will be examined by a specialist Monday.

Scratch as they might Saturday, the Raiders just couldn’t overcome the hole they let Woodbridge (18-3) dig for them. Two turnovers and a several missed free throws down the stretch were also part of their undoing. But it was the first few minutes that hurt the most.

“The beginning of the game was the key to them winning,” said Sonora’s 6-7 senior forward Ben Jones, who scored 35 points and had seven rebounds. “It’s been that way in all of our losses.”

Sonora (18-3) has lost all its games by a total of five points. Little consolation to Murphy, who knew Woodbridge would come out inspired after the Raiders’ convincing 83-70 victory in early December in the finals of the National Sports Grill tournament.

“I told the guys, I said, ‘Fellas, we beat them pretty bad the first time. They are going to come out with fire in their eyes. If we can withstand that first surge, then we can get back into it.”’

But the Raiders succumbed. They made just one of their first five-field goal attempts and trailed by 12 points five minutes into the game.

Jones, who scored 30 points in the first meeting, kept the Raiders in the game. He scored 15 points in the final 11 minutes of the first half and added seven in the third quarter. His three-pointer with 5 minutes 46 seconds left to play cut Woodbridge’s lead to 53-49.

At the other end of the court Beeson was keeping the Warriors on top. He countered Jones’ dunk with a drive and layin from the left base line with 1:19 remaining.

When Woodbridge guard William Stovall (17 points) missed the front end of a one and one with 50 seconds left, Burgess (14 points, 12 rebounds) tipped the rebound back in for a 61-54 lead.

“We were lucky to come out with a win today,” said Burgess, who has signed with Duke. “We broke down big time offensively in that fourth quarter. They are a good team. If you make one little mistake, they execute on it.”