Todd Helps Irvine Valley Get Its Hands on a Victory

Daryl Todd is learning to deal with his banged-up hands and that’s bad news for Irvine Valley’s opponents.

Todd, a sophomore forward, scored 27 points as the Lasers beat host Rancho Santiago, 71-56, in an Orange Empire Conference men’s basketball game Wednesday.

The victory keeps Irvine Valley (23-6, 10-1) tied with Fullerton for the top spot with three games left. The teams play at Irvine Valley next Wednesday.

Todd has jammed or bent back each thumb and a couple of fingers on each hand this season and the pain was bothering him. But with a little rest and a new mind-set, he has returned to form.

“I had my mind on it,” said Todd, who is averaging 18 points. “But now I’ve learned to cope with it.”

This was unfortunate for Rancho Santiago (14-12, 3-8) as Todd made his first two three-point shots. He had 17 points in the first half as Irvine Valley took a 39-30 lead.

“I’m really encouraged,” Irvine Valley Coach Jerry Hernandez said. “We were concerned about his hands, but we had a real light practice [Tuesday] and he looked fresh.”

Rancho Santiago struggled on offense, not scoring for nearly the first five minutes of the second half as Irvine Valley extended the lead to 17.

Part of the trouble was the Dons were without freshman guard Mark Saukkola, who is out because of an ankle injury sustained Monday in practice. Saukkola is averaging 15 points, second-best on the team.