LOS ALAMITOS It’s funny that the only shots Canyon’s Jake Emeterio missed Friday were a pair of free throws with 10 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
By that point, the Comanches’ bench had enough breathing room to razz the senior when both freebies rimmed out.
Everything else the small forward put up prior to that was nothing but nylon.
Emeterio drained six 3-pointers coming off the bench, finished with a career-high 20 points and shot fifth-ranked Canyon past Los Alamitos, 68-59, in an entertaining nonleague matchup at Los Alamitos High.
“I was feeling it,” the senior grinned after the game. “It felt good.”
Canyon (3-3) hit 13 shots from beyond the arc, including six in the second quarter that turned the Comanches’ three-point first quarter deficit into a 28-16 halftime lead.
Emeterio and Chandler Dignam each drilled three 3-pointers in the second, helping the Comanches outscore Los Al, 19-4, in the quarter.
“Jake hit big shot, after big shot, after big shot,” Canyon coach Nate Harrison said. “He played with a lot of courage and just wasn’t afraid. Really bailed us out of a mess.”
After the first quarter, when the Comanches’ ball movement was stagnant, guards Nick Anderson and Kaleb Phillips pushed the pace in the second. Canyon consistently broke down Los Al’s 2-3 zone with the extra pass, leading to open shots that resulted in 6-of-8 shooting from downtown.
“Before the game Chandler Dignam said we need to focus on not only getting our single man shots, but our team shots,” Emeterio added. “All those shots I hit were team shots.”
When Canyon’s 6-foot-8 center, Donald Schaal, nailed a long-range 3-pointer to open the third quarter, it looked as if Canyon would cruise.
Trailing, 42-22, midway through the third, the Griffins (4-1) had hit just four of their 17 shots since the end of the first quarter. That’s when Eyassu Worku (25 points) and Ryan Kusch (16 points) went to work.
Los Al’s starting backcourt scored 22 of the team’s next 28 points, igniting a 28-8 run that stretched late into the fourth quarter.
A 3-pointer from Griffins guard Connor Laines capped the run and cut Canyon’s lead to 52-50 with 2:50 remaining.
As he had done all night, though, Emeterio drilled his sixth 3-pointer, putting the Comanches back up by five.
Anderson (14 points), Dignam (23 points), Phillips and Emeterio collectively went 13 for 17 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter to help to seal the outcome.
Contact the writer: kconnolly@ocregister.com
