Mission Viejo Gets Second-Half Wind

Perseverance was the key to Mission Viejo’s 64-58 South Coast League victory over Capistrano Valley Friday in front of 2,100 at Mission Viejo.

That was especially true for Diablo forward Travis Niesen, who missed seven short-range shots in the first half when his team fell behind by as many as 10 points and trailed, 32-26, at the half.

Niesen and Mission Viejo, No. 20 in The Times’ rankings, persisted, however. Niesen converted five of seven shots from the field in the second half to help the Diablos (22-2, 9-0 in league) secure their 15th consecutive victory.

Mission Viejo grabbed its first lead, 36-35, midway through the third quarter. Niesen’s steal and left-handed slam dunk in the fourth quarter thrilled the crowd and ignited a 22-12 Diablo run over the last 51/2 minutes.

Jake Collins led Mission Viejo with 16 points and Niesen finished with 15 points, seven rebounds, six assists and four steals. Matt Sweany had 20 points and Pete DeCasas scored 10 fourth-quarter points to finish with 19 for No. 21 Capistrano Valley (19-6, 6-2).

“We are one brain cell short of being a really good team,” Capistrano Valley Coach Brian Mulligan said. “I’m not saying the kids aren’t trying or aren’t bright, we just seem to make weird decisions late in games.”

Tim Dermody

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In the Del Rey League:

Torrance Bishop Montgomery 53, Gardena Serra 46--Gavin Lee scored 20 of his 23 points in the second half and had 12 rebounds as the Knights gained a share of first place in the Del Rey League with the victory at Serra.

Frederick Washington scored all 12 of his points in the first half for Bishop Montgomery (19-5, 6-1), which avenged an 82-78 loss on Jan. 11.

Eugene Jeter led No. 14 Serra (22-3, 6-1) with 13 points and Chris Hemphill added 10 points and nine rebounds.

The Cavaliers pulled to within 48-44 on a jumper by Jeffrey Arnold with 1:09 left, but Samir Hernandez was called for an intentional foul on the Knights’ next possession. Lee made both free throws, Bishop Montgomery kept the ball and scored to take a 52-44 lead.

Washington’s fast-break layup gave Bishop Montgomery a 23-17 lead with two seconds remaining in the half.

Serra scored the game’s first basket but never led again. The Cavaliers made only two of 10 field-goal attempts in the first quarter and trailed, 14-5.

Steve Galluzzo

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In the Bay League:

Manhattan Beach Mira Costa 54, Inglewood 51--Steve Bertrand had a basket and two free throws in the final minute to help Mira Costa (13-11, 7-5) upset No. 13 Inglewood (19-5, 9-3).

In the Pacific League:

Crescenta Valley 66, Pasadena Muir 63--Chris Tarne hit a three-point basket with 15 seconds to play to give the Falcons (17-7, 6-2) a one-point lead and eventually the upset victory over No. 16 Muir (20-4, 5-3).

In the Western League:

Westchester 94, Los Angeles 51--Braden Bowman had 19 points for No. 1 Westchester (21-2, 9-1) at Los Angeles.

In the Coliseum League:

Compton Centennial 100, Hawthorne 48--Byrd Sterling had 29 points and 15 rebounds to lead the No. 2 Apaches (23-0, 12-0) at Centennial.