Practicing free throws might be boring. But it sure can be important.
Foothill was 14 for 14 at the free-throw line in the fourth quarter Tuesday as the Knights beat Canyon, 67-63, at Canyon High in the Crestview League opener for both.
Reed Nakakihara scored 22 points with four 3-pointers for Foothill and was 4 for 4 at the foul stripe. Max Avila was 5 for 5 at the line in the fourth quarter and 11 for 12 for the game. Lucas Araujo and Eric Patton were both 2 for 2 at the line.
Foothill, ranked No. 5 in Orange County, is 16-3 overall. No. 8 Canyon is 12-7.
Jordan Rohan scored a game-high 28 points with 4 3-pointers for the Comanches. He was 16 for 19 at the free-throw line and Canyon was 22 for 26.
The Knights beat the Comanches by six points in the Orange Holiday Classic’s third-place game on Dec. 30.
Nakakihara was pleased to beat Canyon again, and hopes the Knights can make it a three-game sweep when they play host to the Comanches on Feb. 6. Tuesday’s game featured, as anticipated, the energetic student cheering sections for which both schools are known.
“The scary part is we’ve got to play those guys one more time,” Nakakihara said. “It’s going to be really hard to beat somebody that good three times in a row.”
Canyon had a seven-point lead in the third quarter. Nakakihara then made two 3s in a row to trim the Knights’ deficit to one, and Riley O’Hern’s 3 put them ahead, 42-40.
The Comanches tied it, 60-60, in the fourth quarter when Nick Anderson (18 points) converted a four-point play. Avila was fouled on a 3-point shot and made all three throws with 1:33 left to put Foothill ahead to stay.
Avila and Nakakihara made two free throws each in the final 21 seconds to seal the win.
“A lot of these games come down to who makes more at the free-throw line,” Foothill coach Rusty Van Cleave said. “We were persistent offensively and were able to work the ball inside.”
The Crestview League is a four-team league that includes Canyon, Foothill, Esperanza and Villa Park.
Also in the Crestview League:
No. 10 Esperanza 60, Villa Park 51: Jarrett Brodbeck scored 29 points for the host Aztecs (15-4, 1-0).
Contact the writer: sfryer@ocregister.com
