FOUNTAIN VALLEY – At halftime of Friday’s Sunset League opener, Fountain Valley celebrated the anniversary of the program’s 1994 and 1995 teams that won back-to-back league titles.
The Barons can take that and the final score as good omens.
Fountain Valley’s Shea Sueda and Ryan Fusco each scored 15 points and Matt Serven added 13 as the Barons earned a 63-54 win over Marina.
It was the fourth win in five games for the Barons (7-11, 1-0), who endured several close losses during a long and difficult nonleague schedule.
“This team has come a long way,” said Fountain Valley coach Steven Schultz, who took over as head coach in early November. “The five guys we started tonight played very few varsity minutes last year, and we’ve overcome some injuries.”
Sueda returned to the team just before Christmas after a lengthy absence (groin injury) and Serven was playing in just his third game after sitting out the mandatory CIF-SS penalty after transferring in from Mater Dei.
Fusco scored three baskets, two of them 3-pointers, in the first five minutes of the game to stake the Barons to a 15-13 first-quarter edge. James Philhower scored two inside baskets as part of a 9-2 rally to start the second quarter and Fountain Valley led, 33-21, at halftime.
After Luke Jacobsen hit a 3-pointer to start the third quarter, Marina’s Braden Meyers and Daniel Neff hit 3-point shots during a 15-4 Vikings run to cut the margin to four. But Fusco and Philhower scored late baskets to push the lead back to eight and the Vikings never drew closer.
Marina (7-9, 0-1) played well in early-season tournaments, including a trip to North Carolina, but has dropped three of its last four. The Vikings haven’t played a home game this season; their first is Wednesday against Newport Harbor.
“Sometimes we prepare well and sometimes we don’t,” Marina coach Nick Racklin said. “Fountain Valley was tougher tonight. We have nine (league) games left to prove we can be just as tough.”
Neff had 11 points, Meyer 9 and Mitch Barnes 8 for Marina.
Contact the writer: bkeisser@ocregister.com
