BREA – Sonora hasn’t felt the agony of defeat in several weeks, as the Raiders have rolled into the new year with momentum from a series of victories.
The seventh-ranked Raiders dominated Brea Olinda, 83-59, Friday night at Brea Olinda High in their last game before Freeway League play begins next week
Sonora extended its win streak to six games and improved to 16-2 overall. The Raiders’ last loss came against La Mirada, 62-58, on Dec. 17 in the final of the North O.C. Championship tournament.
The Raiders were led by Austin Carter (21 points) and Kevin Marlow (20 points), and their entire starting five posted double-digit scoring performances.
Tyler Clark had a team-high 15 points for Brea Olinda.
Sonora jumped out to a 9-0 lead behind the play Bryce Rutledge and made it 12-3 before the Wildcats (9-7) took a timeout and tried to regroup.
Marlow, who hit two of his three 3-pointers in the first quarter, pushed the Raiders’ lead to 15-3.
Brea Olinda went scoreless for nearly five minutes in the opening frame before Makai Riley’s bucket stopped the drought.
The Wildcats tried to use center Sosaia Seana and his post presence to help chip away at the deficit in the second quarter. Maceo Reddick also chipped in with seven of his 10 points in the second frame.
Sonora did not let Brea get any closer than 11 points, as Marlow responded with five points on the next two possessions and he had an assist, passing to Lucas Everett behind the arc for a 3-pointer that gave the Raiders a 37-20 advantage.
Carter displayed athleticism on the low block for Sonora in the second half, during which he had 10 of his 21 points.
The Raiders begin league play Tuesday at Buena Park.
