Boys basketball: Three-point barrage sinks Sage Hill

Barry Faulkner

NEWPORT COAST - The way both teams opened Thursday night’s

third-place Academy League showdown at Sage Hill High, it appeared they

should have been playing with a red white and blue ABA ball.

Visiting Brethren Christian hit 7 of 8 three-point attempts and Sage

Hill added three of its own in eight minutes of perimeter pyrotechnics

that concluded with the visitors in front, 25-11.

Brethren’s blazing start all but sealed a 71-47 triumph that pulled

the Warriors into a tie with the Lightning. The two teams will play off

for third place today at 4:30 p.m. at Corona del Mar High.

Brethren Christian (15-10, 5-5 in league) finished with 13

three-pointers to bury the hosts, who were playing without two starters.

Though the Lightning (8-9, 5-5) welcomed back 6-foot-3 sophomore Kevin

Joyce, who had missed the last four games with a hairline wrist fracture,

junior scoring leader Mike Fitzhugh, battling the flu, did not suit up.

Junior starting point guard Erik Williams also did not play due to

disciplinary reasons.

Joyce carried a big load for the hosts, scoring a game-high 23 points

and adding nine rebounds.

“I can’t say enough about Kevin Joyce,” Sage Hill Coach Gordon McNeill

said. “That was a great performance for a guy in his first game back

after a broken wrist.”

Joyce’s nine third-quarter points helped the hosts make a mini-run at

the Warriors, who led, 38-23, after Daniel Ho opened the period with,

what else, a three-pointer.

Joyce’s traditional three-point play with 5:18 left in the third

period pulled Sage Hill to within 40-31.

But, exploiting an inside advantage that may have been mitigated by

Fitzhugh’s presence, as well as its continual outside effectiveness, the

visitors answered with a 10-2 run and they pulled away from there.

“I told (Brethren Coach John Bohnsen) I was glad they got their

three-pointers out of their system (Thursday),” McNeill quipped.

“I think there’s very little chance Mike won’t play (today), so I

expect a much different ballgame,” McNeill said.

Fitzhugh scored 19 points in the first Brethren game, a 44-42 road

victory for Sage Hill.

McNeill credited his players’ effort, which included an eight-point

performance from freshman reserve Matt Loper, two points shy of his

season high.

“Tonight was our first game without Mike and he’s a big part of our

whole system,” McNeill said. “Everything changes without him.”

Williams is not expected to return for today’s playoff.

Andrew Fisher and Chris Bodziak, who each canned four three-pointers,

led the winners with 18 and 16 points, respectively.

BOYS

ACADEMY LEAGUE

Brethren Christian 71, Sage Hill 47

Score by Quarters

Brethren Christian 25 10 17 19 - 71

Sage Hill 11 12 16 8 - 47

Brethren Christian - Henson 12, Strong 8, Fisher 18, Bodziak 16, King

3, Ho 8, Jefferson 6.

3-pt. goals - Bodziak 4, Fisher 4, Ho 2, Jefferson 2, King 1.

Fouled out - none.

Technicals - none.

Sage Hill - Joyce 23, Brewer 4, Cho 4, Youssef 5, Wilkins 3, Loper 8,

Swanson 0, Friedrichs 0, Cochran 0.

3-pt. goals - Loper 2, Joyce 1, Wilkins 1.

Fouled out - none.

Technicals - none.