No. 2 Cougars Suffer Technical Knockout

Basketball fans can only hope Newport Harbor meets Capistrano Valley later in the season and that the game is as thrilling as Thursday’s 69-67 victory for the Sailors in the quarterfinals of the Edison International tournament.

Maybe then the game will get the ending it deserves instead of the one it got at the Anaheim Convention Center.

With the score tied, 65-65, and nine seconds left to play, referees whistled the Capistrano Valley bench for a technical foul when reserve guard Wes Terry stood to argue a call.

Matt Jameson went to the free-throw line for Newport Harbor (3-0) and made both free throws. After an inbounds pass, Jameson went to the line once again and made two free throws for a 69-65 lead with seven seconds left.

Jermaine McDaniel made a layup at the buzzer for the Cougars (2-1).

“We caused a lot of that by mouthing off all night,” Capistrano Valley Coach Brian Mulligan said. “There were a lot of dumb things said over the course of the game.”

The disputed call occurred directly in front of the Capistrano Valley bench.

Nathan Hair dribbled near the sideline when Jameson lunged for a steal and wound up falling into the Cougar bench. Hair tried to control the dribble, but bounced the ball out of bounds. The Cougars argued that Jameson had fouled Hair, drawing the technical.

“I didn’t foul him or anything,” Jameson said. “But [the technical] was a questionable call.”

It also brought an anticlimactic conclusion to an exciting game.

Capistrano Valley, ranked No. 2 in the preseason poll, rallied from 56-48 after three quarters and tied it at 59-59 on a fastbreak layup by Mike Stowell with 4:10 to play.

There were three ties and two lead changes in the final four minutes, but Jameson’s free throws were the difference for the Sailors, ranked No. 8.

Terry sat in the team locker room in tears following the game, but Mulligan insisted that the call did not lose the game.

“That kid is the nicest kid,” Mulligan said. “Maybe he got the call because he was more into the game than the kids on the floor.”

J.J. Sola scored 25 points for the Cougars, who made just six of 15 free-throw attempts.

In other quarterfinals:

Trabuco Hills 71, Cypress 69 (OT)--Aaron Tudor scored seven of his 11 points in overtime and Brandon Martin finished with 21 points as the Mustangs held on in a game that featured six lead changes in the fourth quarter and overtime.

Trabuco Hills (3-1) made three of three field goals and five of six free throws in overtime.

Cypress had a chance to win in regulation, but John Uyloan missed a jumper and Alphonso Stovall couldn’t put in the rebound. Justin Yun had 19 points for the Centurions, including six three-point baskets.

Brea Olinda 70, Los Alamitos 59--Four players scored in double figures for the Wildcats (2-1), including Landon Lewis who made four three-pointers and had 17 points.

The Griffins (2-2), ranked sixth, pulled to within six midway through the fourth quarter, but Brea Olinda made 10 of 11 free throws in the fourth to help seal the victory. Jeff Grgas had 16 points for Los Alamitos.

Villa Park 57, Katella 51--Villa Park (3-1) made just one field goal in the last 6:52 but made nine of 14 free throws during that stretch and held on to win a quarterfinal game. The Spartans, ranked No. 9, play Brea Olinda in the semifinals tonight at 8:15.

No. 5 Katella (5-1) trailed, 46-35, early in the fourth and pulled to within 53-51 with 1:02 to play but did not score after that.

Matt MacGinnis scored 17 points for Villa Park. Robert Abercrombie had 16 for Katella.