NEWPORT BEACH – George Wilson had the fourth quarter that Tustin coach Ringo Bossenmeyer had been expecting from the senior forward.
Wilson scored seven of his 14 points, including a four-point play, in the final period to help lead the Tillers to a 48-42 victory over seventh-ranked Edison (4-1) in the semifinals of the Corona del Mar Beach Bash on Friday night.
“He’s a Division 1 athlete, and when you’re a common fan in the stands, you have to notice him,” Bossenmeyer said. “That means defensive intensity, attacking the basket … He has to play like a Division 1 athlete, which he has in spurts for us, but he has to bring that for us every night.”
Bossenmeyer said Wilson, who spent the fall as a two-way standout on the Tillers’ football team, has needed time to get in sync on the basketball court.
“He’s probably still getting his basketball legs underneath him,” Bossenmeyer said.
The Tillers (5-0) will face top-ranked Mater Dei tonight at 8:30 in the tournament’s championship game at Corona del Mar.
The Tillers trailed by four points in the fourth quarter, but Wilson’s four-point play tied the score. Deon Faaseu followed with a steal and a layup that gave the Tillers the lead, 39-37, for good with 6:04 left.
“That turned it around a little,” Edison coach Rich Boyce said. “We had a lot of opportunities, but we shot really poorly. We normally don’t shoot like this. We live by outside shooting, and sometimes you live by it and sometimes we die by it.
“We just couldn’t make a shot toward the end when we needed it.”
Edison made five of 24 shots from the field in the second half. The Chargers were held to four 3-point field goals,
“Defense is always the key in this program,” Wilson said. “Limiting their second-chance points and giving them one shot and crashing the boards hard.
“Last year, I could score, and the first four games, I wasn’t doing that. I wasn’t getting to my old scoring ways and (my) defense wasn’t great. We have a dedicated coaching staff. They know the type of player I am and what I can produce and they expect a lot out of me.”
The Chargers got to within 43-42 on a pair of free throws from Brae Ivey. However, a layup from Tustin’s Adrian Allison with less than a minute remaining help the Tillers extend their lead.
Tustin shot 10 of 24 in the second half.
Ivey led the Chargers with 19 points. T.J. Shorts had 14 for the Tillers. Shorts scored 12 of his points in the first half.
Contact the writer: dcalhoun@ocregister.com
