La Habra knocks off No. 3 Sonora

LA HABRA - Once again, the Sonora boys basketball team challenged someone other than Jordan Sachs to beat them.

This time, someone did.

As the ink dried on his letter of intent to play quarterback for Southern Utah, Randall Nygren gave his final basketball season at La Habra a much-needed jolt.

Nygren sank 7 of 12 shots, including three 3-pointers, to lead all scorers with 18 points and help the Highlanders to a 58-44 victory over their league-leading rivals and the third-ranked team in the county.

Sonora struggled without its leading scorer and rebounder, junior center Marcus Farrand, who hurt his knee last week against Sunny Hills. Farrand said he hopes to be back in two weeks. That’s when, he said, doctors will discover the severity of his injury.

Wednesday at La Habra, the Highlanders (17-7, 5-2 Freeway League) conducted an offensive showcase. They made more than half of their shots (20 of 39), with five players contributing at least one 3-pointer. Sachs scored 16 and forward Marcus Wimberly had nine points and 10 rebounds.

The Highlanders sit a game behind Sonora (21-2, 6-1) with three to play.

Last week in Fullerton, La Habra missed 32 shots and lost by a point to the Indians.

“It’s going to haunt me for weeks,” said Coach Mark Stewart, whose team would be tied atop the league now, if not for the loss to Fullerton.

If his team can win its final games and Sonora loses once, each team could earn a No. 1 seed in its respective playoff bracket.

Nygren, who struggled with conditioning early in the season because of the toll La Habra’s football championship run took on him, provided increased hope for the postseason where “we’re going to need a second scoring option to win,” Stewart said.

“It took me a long time to get going, but I think we’re on track,” Nygren said. “And it’s perfect timing.”

Sonora just hopes Farrand, averaging 19 points and 15 rebounds in Freeway League competition, can play in the postseason. Last time against La Habra, in a 14-point Raider victory, he blocked six shots in the first half and helped the Raiders outmuscle the Highlanders on the boards. Wednesday, La Habra outrebounded Sonora, 29-27.

Without Farrand’s presence inside, the Raiders attempted an uncharacteristically high 26 3-pointers and only made five of them. They made fewer than a quarter of their shots, going 13 of 53 from the field.

“Everything runs around him,” Sonora Coach Mike Murphy said of Farrand. “Without him everyone plays a different position.

“I think this (loss) opened our guys’ eyes a little bit. Our goal has been to win league, and that is very much alive. But we have to learn to win without Marcus.”

Contact the writer: jkay@ocregister.com