ORANGE – In most leagues, it’s a relief to get the first league victory out of the way.
In the Trinity League, any and every victory in the ultra-competitive league feels that way.
Second-ranked Orange Lutheran wasn’t able to exhale until late in the fourth period Friday, holding off visiting Servite for a 65-55 win in the Trinity League opener for both teams.
“I thought we came out and executed on the offensive side pretty good,” Lancers senior guard C.J. Hankins said. “We took some quick shots, but once we got into the flow of it, after we got the jitters out at the beginning, I think we did really well and we showed what kind of team we can be this season.”
Joseph Riley led a balanced offense for the Lancers with 13 points. Hankins and Keisean Lucier-South had 12 apiece. Rogers Printup added nine with Kavaughn Scott and Zack Jervis adding eight apiece.
The Lancers (13-2, 1-0) led by eight midway through the third period, but the Friars (10-6, 0-1) managed to chip away and cut the lead to 39-36 heading into the fourth.
Thanks to a better defensive effort on Servite’s Trevor Treinen, the Lancers were able to put some distance between themselves and the Friars in the fourth.
Following a basket from Servite’s Cameron Griffin that made it 48-42, the Lancers went on a 9-0 run for a 57-42 lead.
“We got a few transition baskets, got some stops, got to the rim a couple of times and were able to put it away,” Orange Lutheran coach Chris Nordstrom said. It took a team effort to slow Treinen. The senior guard finished with 30 points. He had 11 in the third period, helping the Friars fight back from an eight-point deficit.
“We changed the way we defended him on ball screens,” Nordstrom said. “Normally, we would maybe bump a screen that he did and then recover, but we told our forwards, they were on their own. We had to make somebody else beat us.”
Treinen knocked down a pair of 3-point field goals late in the game, but Servite ran out of time.
Jacob Hughes added 10 for the Friars. They continue league play Wednesday at St. John Bosco, while the Lancers visit JSerra.
Servite and Orange Lutheran meet again Jan. 28 at Servite.
“I think the league is as tough as it has ever been, from a balanced perspective,” Nordstrom said. “I think last year, overall the league was better, player for player, team for team, but this year I think there is a lot more balance and it is going to be tough.”
Contact the writer: dcalhoun@ocregister.com