Los Alamitos fights back, knocks off Edison
LOS ALAMITOS - The Sunset League title now goes through Los Alamitos after the Griffins defeated Edison, 61-54 , on Friday night.
Edison (16-5, 3-2) jumped out to a seven-point halftime lead on the shoulders of Correy Foster, who scored 16 of his game-high 25 points in the first half.
Foster controlled the tempo and did whatever he wanted on the floor, driving to the rim with ease and also stepping back to the 3-point line, making two threes in the second quarter.
His high-scoring teammate, Dreon Bartlett, who came into the game second in the county in scoring, had 11 points in the first half, but seven of those came from the free throw line.
The second half was all Los Alamitos (10-10, 4-0). Chris Kapano scored eight consecutive point for the Griffins in the first four minutes of the third quarter, and the Griffins' defense only allowed six points, trimming Edison's lead to two.
In the fourth quarter the Griffins looked to their big man, Ryan Hurst, who the Chargers had problems guarding. Hurst was constantly fronted by smaller defenders, and Los Alamitos was finally able to take advantage.
After a layup by Hurst to tie the score, Edison came away empty-handed on its next trip. The Griffins then got a layup from Michael Marson, but the gave up a 3-pointer to Foster.
Los Alamitos quickly took the ball out of bounds, and one pass later the Griffins found forward Michael Marson for a layup.
After Bartlett missed a runner, Kapano hit a deep two to give the Griffins a four-point lead. The Chargers then came down empty-handed again, and Hurst caught an air ball on the next trip and laid it, giving Los Alamitos a six-point lead.
The teams then traded baskets again, and Foster came away with an and-one after stealing the ball off a Griffins bad pass. Foster had to come out after being hurt, so Derek Molina came in and knocked down the free throw.
Los Alamitos then missed a shot inside, allowing Bartlett to rebound the ball and drawing a foul after going coast to coast. Bartlett made two more free throws, going 11 of 11 at the line in the game.
With a one-point lead, the Griffins went to Hurst again and he was fouled, making the first free throw and missing the second.
Los Alamitos came away with the rebound and made a layup, pushing its lead back to three.
Foster then went one of two from the line, and Los Alamitos ran a perfect pick-and-roll out of a timeout. Kapano hit his rolling big man Hurst with a pinpoint bounce pass, making the layup and drawing the foul.
After making the free throw, Los Alamitos was up by six and never looked back.
Coach Edward Courtemarche thought his defense stepped up big-time in the second half, and he liked the way his team looked to Hurst in the fourth.
"Jack Emmons did a hell of a job on Bartlett tonight. He didn't give him any open looks all night and that was a huge key for us," Courtemarche said.
"We knew we had a great matchup down low with Hurst, and that pick-and-roll was set up perfectly for him to get the ball, and he finished it with the and-one."
