ANAHEIM – Tustin’s boys basketball team had a little extra motivation when it took the court Friday night against Western in an Empire League game.
The league-leading Tillers still remembered a road loss to the Pioneers last year which dealt a severe blow to Tustin’s quest to capture the league title. Western, which beat Tustin twice, captured the crown last year.
No. 6 Tustin gained some revenge Friday with a 58-46 victory at Western to complete a two-game sweep of the Pioneers.
Tustin (20-2, 6-0) won its 13th in a row with a balanced attack, led by TJ Shorts, who had 16 points. George Wilson added 13 points and eight rebounds and Myles Garvin had 11 points.
“It’s always a challenge playing here because last year we came up short, as we all remember,” Shorts said. “This year, we kind of took it personal to come out here and get this win at their place.
“We got out and pushed the ball better because lately we’ve been slow with the ball and we really crashed the boards hard and limited them to one shot.”
Western (14-7, 1-4) was led by Christopher Adriano, who scored 18 points and Alex Jaramillo, who had 11 points.
Tustin held a 24-15 lead at halftime but broke the game open in the third quarter when it went on an 8-0 run to start the second half. Garvin and Josh DeBest had 3-pointers in the run, helping the Tillers outscore the Pioneers, 23-10, in the third quarter.
Tustin eventually moved out to a 25-point lead early in the final quarter.
“I thought our ball movement was much better after the first quarter,” Tustin coach Ringo Bossenmeyer said. “We showed a lot more patience on the offensive end and we looked inside and penetrated.
“They got us twice last year. This is a solid program and coming in here, you’re just trying to battle and come out with a win.”
Western coach Joseph Aihara was pleased with how his squad competed.
“We talked to the guys about effort and I’m happy with the guys’ effort,” Aihara said.
Contact the writer: tburt@ocregister.com
