Cougars, Flu Stop Chargers
Edison fought two opponents on Tuesday and lost both battles. First, the flu caused several players to miss the game and then No. 8 Capistrano Valley finished off what was left of the team.
With just eight players in uniform, the No. 10 Chargers (6-9) were unable to keep up with the Cougars’ up-tempo offense and fell, 71-51, at Capistrano Valley High.
Jake Franzen scored 17 points and Pete Decasas had 15 to pace the Cougars, who did most oftheir damage from the outside. Capistrano Valley (12-2) took a 14-3 advantage and led by as many as 19 points in the first half.
“They had guys sick so they were definitely undermanned,” Capistrano Valley Coach Brian Mulligan said. “But I thought we were pretty consistent all night and we’re a good offensive team.”
The Cougars were consistent in torching Edison from the perimeter, making eight three-pointers, six in the first half.
Meanwhile, the outside jumpers weren’t falling for the Chargers, and their inside game, anchored by Richard Schwartz, was ineffective for the most part.
Schwartz, who had 10 points, missed several close-range shots under defensive pressure from center Bryan Mallon.
Only three players scored for Edison in the first half, led by Beau Roquemore, who had half of his team’s points at halftime with 11.
Largely because of its own mistakes, Edison couldn’t get anything going in the second half either. The Cougars capitalized on five Edison turnovers in the first three minutes to go on a 20-5 run and extend their lead to 30.
Although Capistrano Valley was able to put the game away with outside shooting, the Cougars’ defensive effort was average, and that has Mulligan concerned, especially with upcoming league games against No. 3 El Toro and a surging San Clemente squad.
“That’s OK with me as long as we keep scoring” he said. “But somebody’s going to make us pay for our defense soon and that makes me nervous.”
Roquemore finished with 18 points to lead all scorers and Matt Gonzales had 13, including three three-pointers.