SUNSET LEAGUE : Huntington Beach Spread Leaves Marina a Bit Flat : Oilers Change Pace to Stop League-Leading Vikings

The Huntington Beach High School basketball team wanted open space, so the Oilers spread their offense as wide as could be Wednesday night against Marina.

“Slow basketball,” Huntington Beach Coach Roy Miller called it after the host Oilers beat Marina, 55-44.

On almost every possession, Huntington Beach (16-7, 8-3 in the league) walked the ball upcourt, then milked the clock as if looking for the game’s final shot.

Every so often, an opening in the Marina defense would appear. And then, Mustapha Abdi would dart one way, then reverse his dribble into the clear for an open jump shot.

“That’s my game, taking (defenders) one-on-one in the open court,” Abdi said.

It worked again and again. Abdi finished with 36 points, one short of his season best.

Seventh-ranked Marina (14-10, 8-3) seemed to handle Huntington Beach’s slowdown well enough for three quarters. But finally, the Vikings ran out of gas in the fourth.

Huntington Beach led only 41-39 by the end of the third quarter. But Marina scored just five points in the fourth, including a dunk by Cherokee Parks in the final 30 seconds when the game had already been decided.

“They used their quickness, spreading the court,” Marina Coach Steve Popovich said. “After the first six minutes, we played their game. When you have a weapon like Mustapha . . . they use him very well.”

Parks had 18 points, 13 rebounds (seven in the first quarter) and five blocked shots for Marina.

In another Sunset League game:

Edison 72, Ocean View 55--Brandon Jessie scored 24 points and Greg Miller 17 for visiting Edison, which outscored Ocean View, 25-8, in the fourth quarter to break a 47-47 tie. Jim Harris scored 18 points and Marcel TenBerge scored 11 and added 12 rebounds for Ocean View (13-10, 7-4).