Lasers Get 20th Victory, Now Aim to Advance

There was a time this season when it appeared certain Irvine Valley men’s basketball team would reach 20 victories.

The Lasers were 18-7 overall and in first place in the Orange Empire Conference with a 6-2 record after beating Saddleback by 25 points on Jan. 30.

The Lasers needed to win only twice in the next six games to reach 20 victories. But Irvine Valley lost five of the next six and tumbled from first into a tie for fourth by the end of conference play.

Irvine Valley was stuck on 19 victories and went into the Southern California playoffs as the 20th-seeded team in a 32-team field and opened Friday at No. 13 Los Angeles Valley.

A defensive lapse by Los Angeles Valley combined with a sharp play by Irvine Valley gave the Lasers a 51-49 upset Friday and their 20th victory.

Irvine Valley center Donald Williams, inbounding the ball with two seconds left, noticed that Los Angeles Valley was concentrating on the perimeter, leaving the basket open.

Williams threw a lob pass to forward Damian Raibon, who was open because of a perfect back pick set by Mike Scaglione. Raibon took the pass and slammed it down for a two-point victory.

“Getting 20 victories, that really made our season,” Coach Jerry Hernandez said.

The season could be made all over again if the Lasers pull a second consecutive road upset when they play at No. 3 Compton (22-3) at 7 p.m. Wednesday.

Santa Ana (20-11) is the only other county men’s team alive and the No. 8 Dons host No. 9. Los Angeles Trade Tech at 7 p.m. Wednesday.

Santa Ana has won 10 in a row and is coming off a 78-57 victory over Cerro Coso Saturday. The Dons played a decent first half, leading, 37-31, but increased the defensive intensity in the second half and outscored the Coyotes by 15.

The regional finals are Saturday and the surviving four teams from Southern and Northern California meet in the state tournament March 12-14 at UC Irvine.

In the women’s playoffs: Orange Coast and Fullerton, which had byes last week, start play Wednesday in the Southern California playoffs.

Orange Coast (23-9), seeded fourth in the region, hosts No. 20 Hancock 14-19) at 7 p.m. Hancock is coming off a 75-67 upset of No. 13 Santa Monica Friday.

Fullerton (25-8) also starts at 7 p.m. against Chaffey (24-9). Fullerton is seeded seventh. No. 10 Chaffey (24-9) beat Mt. San Antonio, 68-57, in the first round.

Irvine Valley, seeded eighth, is at No. 8 San Bernardino Valley (23-5) at 7 p.m. tonight. Irvine Valley is 23-7.