RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA – Friday’s game was much like Santa Margarita’s other games.
The Eagles worked the ball inside to their physical and active post players to forge a big early lead. They then saw the opponent rally to make it close in the second half. Also like in many of their other games, the Eagles won.
Santa Margarita defeated Orange Lutheran 72-62, Friday at Santa Margarita High in the Trinity League opener for both boys basketball teams.
Santa Margarita, ranked No. 2 in Orange County behind Mater Dei, is 11-3. The Eagles are No. 5 in the CIF-Southern Section Division 1AA poll. Orange Lutheran, ranked No. 9 in O.C., is 9-8.
Adrease Jackson, a 6-foot-8 senior forward, scored 24 points with 17 rebounds. Seven of those rebounds were offensive rebounds. Jordan Guest, a bulkier 6-7 forward, scored 17 points. Jake Kyman, a 6-7 forward, had seven offensive rebounds and scored eight points.
All of that inside action opened up scoring opportunities for Eagles 6-1 guard Kaden Rasheed, who scored 15 points.
“We pride ourselves on our inside-outside game,” said Jackson, a senior who signed with Dartmouth.
Santa Margarita scored the game’s first seven points. The Eagles had a 20-13 lead at the end of the first quarter. That lead stretched to 15 points in the second quarter and to 16 in the third.
The Eagles seemed in control early in the fourth quarter when they had a 59-46 lead. Then, Orange Lutheran made its move.
Lancers 5-foot-11 guard Tre Anderson, a shifty-quick sophomore, scored eight points in the fourth quarter as Orange Lutheran sliced the Santa Margarita lead to 62-58 with 3:11 left in the game.
Rasheed scored on a drive, Jackson muscled his way for a 4-foot turnaround bank shot, and when Guest made two free throws with 58 seconds to go, the Eagles had a 68-58 lead.
Santa Margarita coach Jeff Reinert said he was pleased overall with how the Eagles played, except for that fourth-quarter stretch when Lutheran made its run.
“When we were up 12 or 14 or whatever it was,” he said, “I would liked to have seen us increase that lead. Give Orange Lutheran credit. They made a lot of shots and they made some tough ones.”
Chris Williams led the Lancers with 21 points. Williams drew plenty of Santa Margarita’s defensive attention, principally from Rasheed, and made 9 of 20 shots. He was 2 for 10 on 3 pointers.
Anderson, son of former Angels player Garret Anderson, scored 16 points.
Santa Margarita made 24 of 52 shots. Orange Lutheran was 23 for 63.
Santa Margarita plays Roosevelt of Eastvale, No. 6 in Division 1AA, Saturday at 8 p.m. in the Take Flight Challenge at Redondo Beach. The Eagles’ next Trinity League game is at JSerra on Wednesday. Orange Lutheran’s next game is a league home game against St. John Bosco on Wednesday.
Contact the writer: sfryer@scng.com
