Los Alamitos Escapes With the Title
Edison had 10th-ranked Los Alamitos on the ropes in the first half of this Sunset League showdown Wednesday night, yet the Griffins escaped to win their sixth consecutive league title.
Matt Komer’s desperation three-pointer with 2.5 seconds left in the game gave Los Alamitos a 59-56 victory, but this one will be remembered more for the Griffins’ third-quarter comeback.
Edison had built a 35-14 lead with two minutes left in the second quarter. The Chargers (13-9, 5-4) had made 15 of 20 field-goal attempts and outrebounded the Griffins (15-8, 7-2), 16-5. Los Alamitos got a put-back by sophomore reserve guard Ryan Keller just before halftime for its only points of the quarter.
In contrast, the Chargers made five three-pointers in all.
“I thought Edison played great in the first half,” Los Alamitos Coach Steve Brooks said.
“They took everything away from us and they kicked our butts on the backboards. I was just hoping to get it down to a manageable number in the third quarter, like four or six points.”
Brooks got better than that.
The teams traded baskets to open the quarter before the Griffins took control.
Komer scored nine of his game-high 26 points in the quarter. Teammate Enrique Garibay finished with 16 points and chipped in seven of his team’s final nine points, including a rebound basket that beat the buzzer for a 46-44 lead.
The Griffins led 52-47 after Komer’s hook shot with 4:54 to go in the game and looked like they were going to run away.
Edison’s Raden Sami had other ideas. He scored five points and assisted on another basket in the next 2:30 to tie it, 54-54.
Komer wasn’t supposed to get the final shot. The ball was supposed to go to forward Ryan Ellis, but Komer had no choice but to step out to receive the ball when Ellis was trapped by the Charger defense.
“We took away the play they wanted,” Edison Coach Corey Kelly said. “But Komer is a great player and he did what he had to. I’m proud of our guys. They’re very confident and our defense has been real good all year.”
In other Sunset League games:
Esperanza 58, Marina 53--Kenny Ho scored all 10 of his points in the second half, Pat McCarty scored nine of his 11 and Ryan Romberg had all eight of his points as Esperanza (10-15, 3-6) outscored visiting Marina, 36-29. The Vikings fall to 11-14, 4-5.
Fountain Valley 82, Huntington Beach 58--Eric Edmunds scored 16 of his 28 points in the first quarter, including 12 on three-pointers, as visiting Fountain Valley outscored Huntington Beach, 20-9.