FOUNTAIN VALLEY – Edison no longer has the 3-point shooting attack it used to reach the CIF-Southern Section Division 1A title game last season. But the Chargers still know how to score in sudden bursts.
They used strong play in key moments from Randall Walker and Tommy Barlow to earn a 50-45 Sunset League victory over Fountain Valley on Friday night.
Nate Matthews scored 16 points, Walker 15 and Barlow 14 to hold off a Barons team that rallied from a nine-point, fourth-quarter deficit to tie the game with 2:16 remaining.
In those final two minutes, Walker drove the lane to put the Chargers up, 47-45, then stole the ball two possessions later for a basket and four-point lead with nine seconds left.
Barlow, a 6-foot-7 senior, had three field goals – all off rebounds – to spark a 10-0 run in the first quarter, and Walker ended the second quarter with a seven-point binge on a 3-pointer and two driving lay-ins.
“We really were fortunate to survive,” Edison coach Rich Boyce said afterward. “Fountain Valley showed a lot of effort and intensity all night, diving for every loose ball and taking advantage of our errors.”
Edison, No. 2 in the CIF’s Division 2AA rankings, improved to 17-4 overall, 3-1 in league. The Barons (15-6, 1-3) were led by Adam Trounce (13 points) and Matt Serven (10).
The Barons had trouble stopping Barlow’s inside game. Barlow, who moved from South Carolina in late 2014 and sat out last season after tearing the ACL in his right knee, scored most of his points off rebounds in heavy traffic.
“We had no answer for their big guy,” third-year Fountain Valley coach Steve Schultz said. “This is the smallest team I’ve had in 13 years of coaching, but we still put together a great effort against a very good team.”
The 10-0 first quarter run gave the Chargers a 13-5 lead. Fountain Valley fought back to draw even at 16 in the second quarter before Walker’s late burst.
The Chargers took a nine-point lead early in the fourth quarter, but the Barons caught them at 45 with a 13-4 run. Mike Lightbody, Trounce and Serven hit 3-pointers and Sean Huynh drove inside for two baskets.
Both teams return to the court Wednesday, Edison playing host to Newport Harbor and Fountain Valley visiting Huntington Beach.
Contact the writer: bkeisser@ocregister.com
