FULLERTON – The school record will have to wait.
Kezie Okpala scored 34 points for Esperanza in the Aztecs’ 92-60 win over Temecula Valley in the Orange Holiday Classic championship game Thursday at Hope International University.
Brendan Harrick scored 26 points including four 3-pointers for Esperanza, which is 13-1 and ranked No. 3 in Orange County. Harrick’s season high is 28 points.
The Esperanza single-game scoring record is 43 points set by Greg Artman in the 1979-80 season, well before tournament MVP Okpala and his teammates were born. Okpala, a 6-foot-8 wing, did not play in the fourth quarter Thursday.
Esperanza coach Mark Hill said the school single-game record will be Okpala’s before the Stanford-signed senior’s season is over.
“He’s going to get it one of these days,” Hill said. “He’s one of those guys who if he wants to get it, he will get it.”
Hill was pleased how his got after it on defense, and not just on Thursday.
“I’m really happy how we played defensively all week,” Hill said.
Okpala was similarly impressed.
“We played really strong,” Okpala said. “Our coaches had a great game plan for us. Everyboddy on this team knows their roles, and that’s probably our biggest strength.”
Okpala had a few dunks, but the dunk of the game came from Esperanza 5-11 senior guard Travis Kettering in the third quarter. Kettering went up for an offensive rebound, grabbed the ball and while airborne slammed the ball through the hoop with authority.
Okpala was not shocked by that play.
“If we can get him a lob,” Okpala said, “he can do that again.”
Esperanza plays nonleague games next week against Vista Murrieta and Workman of the City of Industry.
It was the 52nd Orange Holiday Classic, the longest-running basketball tournament in Orange County. It has been at Hope for the past couple years after being played at Chapman University for much of the tournament’s existence. Tournament organizers, who have expressed their appreciation for Hope’s hospitality, hope the event can return to Chapman for the 2017-18 season.
Also at the Orange Holiday Classic:
La Mirada 69, Crean Lutheran 64: The Saints (10-6) were defeated in the third-place game.
No. 4 Edison 61, Valley Christian of Cerritos 59: Randall Walker’s 30 points led the Chargers (10-3) in the fifth-place game.
Edison trailed at the end of the first quarter, 12-4. The Chargers cut their deficit to three going into the third quarter and outscored Valley Christian by seven in the fourth quarter in which Walker scored 20 points and was 9 for 10 at the free-throw line.
Yorba Linda 61, Beckman 59: Riley Coleman scored 16 points and Danon Whitehead added 14 for the Mustangs (10-5) in the tournament consolation championship game.
Dylan Thoerner paced Beckman (8-8) with 16 points.
