TUSTIN – The start of the season was a real struggle for Tustin’s boys basketball team.
Coming off a CIF-SS Division 1AA semifinals appearance, the Tillers had as many losses in the first week of the season (three) as they had all of last season. But the good habits of a winning program do not disappear, and Tustin is beginning to right the ship.
The host Tillers won their third straight in routing El Modena, 58-28, Saturday in a Tustin Holiday Classic game.
Hasani Shabazz had 12 points and eight rebounds, and Deon Faaseu added 10 points, nine rebounds and three steals to lead the Tillers (5-6), who jumped to an 18-2 lead in the second quarter.
Faaseu is aware of Tustin’s past success, but he said this team needs its own identity.
“We don’t try to compare ourselves to those guys,” he said. “Coach (Ringo) Bossenmeyer just tells us to be ourselves. We learn from them, and we try to input that in our game.”
Hustle plays made the difference. Tustin forced 16 El Modena turnovers, including five in the first quarter to earn the early separation.
Starting guards Sagel Simon and Isiah Moorhouse accounted for five of the Tillers’ 12 steals. Tustin outrebounded the Vanguards, 35-17, with Faaseu, Shabazz, and Philip Solofa (five) leading the way.
“I thought the energy was good,” Bossenmeyer said. “We pounded the glass pretty hard on both ends.
“We know that there are going to be times where we struggle to score. Defending and taking care of the ball are everything for us.”
Ten Tillers scored in what was a team effort.
The Vanguards (2-11) got hot for spurts in the second and third quarters. An 8-2 run, fueled by Ivan Navarro’s three-point play and Michael Cooper’s 3-pointer, cut Tustin’s lead to 20-10 with 3:16 left in the first half.
Tustin outscored El Modena, 33-14, in the second half.
