Orange Lutheran Wields Some Unlikely Weapons
The good news for Brethren Christian was that it limited Orange Lutheran guard Jason Whieldon, the county’s leading scorer, to less than half his average.
The bad news for the Crusaders was that the Lancers’ arsenal--contrary to popular belief--includes more weapons than Whieldon.
Forward Patrick Salyer scored 17 points and grabbed a career-high 20 rebounds, and forward Mike Bristol scored 17 points as Orange Lutheran romped over Brethren Christian, 74-45, Friday night in an Olympic League opener at Orange Lutheran.
“We have a lot of guys who play their roles very well,” Lancer Coach Shawn Cassidy said. “Patrick did an outstanding job and Mike played the most aggressive game he ever played tonight.
“Jason wasn’t shooting well, but he did his job by moving the ball around.”
Whieldon finished with 13 points, far below his 27.9 average. But he made up for his lack of scoring with crisp passing and feisty defense as Orange Lutheran (13-3, 1-0) seized a 21-10 lead after the first quarter and never lost control.
Brethren Christian (9-8, 0-1) reduced a deficit that had ballooned to 18 points in the third quarter to 11 on a three-pointer by forward Kyle Painter to open the fourth quarter. The Crusaders would come no closer as the Lancers outscored them, 24-6, the rest of the way.
Guard Lee Mamaradlo (team-high 14 points) and his Brethren Christian teammates never seemed to find much of a rhythm. The undersized Crusaders failed to hit their outside shots and were stifled inside by Salyer.
Then, in the fourth quarter, Bristol found his touch, scoring 10 of Orange Lutheran’s 12 points during one stretch.
Said Cassidy: “I think we saw a new player starting tonight.”
The game was largely decided on the boards; the Lancers outrebounded the Crusaders, 47-19.
“When all the guys box out, it’s easy to grab rebounds,” said Salyer, who has recorded double-doubles in points and rebounds in four of his last five games.
In another Olympic League game:
Calvary Chapel 72, Whittier Christian 52--Tony Olivas scored 22 points to lead the visiting Eagles (11-6, 1-0), who held the Heralds (5-12, 0-1) to three points in the first quarter. Joshua Sherman added 21 points and Torin Beeler had 14 points and 10 rebounds for Calvary Chapel.
