HUNTINGTON BEACH – Edison might as well have played blindfolded for the first quarter of Friday night’s showdown against cross-town rival Huntington Beach.
The Chargers started ice cold, going 0 for 9 from beyond the arc. Not exactly a winning recipe for a team that prides itself on its shooting.
“I think we came out a little too amped up,” Edison coach Rich Boyce noted. “I could tell after our first four or five shots we needed to calm down. Everything was long. They were good shots. Shots we normally make or come close to, but we were just amped up.”
Like shooters do, the Chargers kept firing away.
By night’s end, Edison’s Brae Ivey and Jake Haar had worked themselves out of a funk, finishing with 24 and 16 points, respectively, as the ninth-ranked Chargers got past the Oilers, 64-51, in the Sunset League opener at Huntington Beach High.
“Like our coach puts it, the first game is what really matters,” said Ivey, the game’s leading scorer. “It was a really packed gym, and it was important for us to come out here and play how we’re going to play the rest of the year and get the job done.”
The Chargers (13-5, 1-0) ended the first quarter 2 for 12 from the field but trailed the Oilers only 11-8, thanks in part to Ivey’s 3-pointer late in the quarter.
Huntington Beach (12-5, 0-1) maintained a 22-16 advantage midway through the second quarter, but it was never able to extend its lead to more than six points.
Despite some early struggles from their starters, the Chargers found new life in the form of super subs Randall Walker and Nate Matthews. The sophomores’ defensive efforts led to a number of easy buckets as Edison finished the half on a 12-1 run and took a 28-23 lead into the break.
“When we made that run, it was because of our defense,” Boyce said. “We had a lot of steals. We clamped down on Grant (Vis). He’s a tough guy to guard. We’re not going to stop him from scoring, we just had to limit him.”
Vis finished with 19 points, but he was the only scorer for the Oilers in double figures.
The same Edison team that went 2 for 12 in the first quarter turned in an 8-for-12 effort in the third. Haar nailed three 3-pointers and scored 11 points in the quarter, while Ivey scored 10 points.
The Chargers’ lead grew to 19 points in the waning seconds of the third quarter.
“Give Edison credit,” Oilers coach Billy Thompson said. “They’re one of the best-shooting teams in the county. They’re not going to go a whole game without making shots.”
Noah Gonzalez added nine points for Huntington Beach, and Ted Bowers and Nolan Thompson added eight each.
Edison cotinues league play next week, facing Fountain Valley on Wednesday and Marina on Friday. The Oilers will play No. 6 Los Alamitos (Wednesday) and Newport Harbor (Friday).
Contact the writer: kconnolly@ocregister.com
