ANAHEIM – The run started with two hustle plays and the uncontested layup that followed.
An easy basket underneath and a tough make in transition followed that. And after two free throws cut Foothill’s once-16-point deficit to six, the floodgates opened.
The fifth-ranked Knights began the fourth quarter Friday behind by 12 points. But they outscored No. 10 Esperanza by 16 in the final eight minutes, toppling their Crestview League brethren, 61-57, at Esperanza High.
“We started getting our inside-out game going and started scoring some easy baskets,” Knights coach Rusty Van Cleave said. “You make easy baskets, and your defense becomes energized. Then you get stops, and then you start settling in.”
Reed Nakakihara kept Foothill (19-3, 2-0) competitive in the first half and his 17 points were nearly as many as those of teammates Eric Patton (12) and Riley O’Hern (eight) combined.
Lucas Araujo added 15 for the Knights, also picking up the slack early.
“We came out flat,” said Patton, who sat most of the second quarter with foul trouble.
Van Cleave said his team began playing better late, once he regained his composure on the sideline. A physical game was called accordingly, with Esperanza shooting 36 free throws to Foothill’s 24.
Esperanza center and Patton foil, Tyler Thomas, fouled out midway through the fourth quarter, which afforded Foothill’s 6-foot-6 center room underneath to work.
After Foothill scored at will against Esperanza (17-5, 1-1) early in the fourth quarter, Nakakihara’s three gave Foothill only its second lead. Esperanza pulled even on the ensuing possession, but Patton converted a three-point play to put the Knights ahead for good.
Aztecs guard Sammy Jones missed the potential-tying 3-point try.
“(Nakakihara) is a three-year guy, and that’s what those guys do,” Van Cleave said. “Their experience in big games, with big crowds, is there. We were a little sped-up at times, but we settled in there at the end.”
Esperanza’s Jarrett Brodbeck scored 19 of his game-high 23 points in the first half. He missed the bulk of his shot attempts after intermission, and stopped getting to the rim and drawing shooting fouls. Esperanza couldn’t buy a basket late.
“We weren’t playing as hard as they were (in the first half),” Araujo said. “But our team isn’t just one solid player. Everyone can play.”
Said Patton: “We have to come out stronger next time. We can’t play soft. We can’t let the crowd influence us. We have to stay composed and do our thing.”
Contact the writer: bwhitehead@ocregister.com