Mesa KO’d

Steve Virgen

Thursday’s first-round game was the calm before the storm for both

Costa Mesa High and Rocklin, the two boys basketball teams that

played against each other in the 38th Orange Holiday Classic at

Chapman University.

The Costa Mesa Mustangs (4-6) are sure to be disciplined by their

coach, Bob Serven, after committing several turnovers and giving way

to defensive breakdowns. Meanwhile, Rocklin, after its 86-47 win over

the Mustangs, will face prep powerhouse Mater Dei.

The Rocklin Thunder (4-7), a team from the Sacramento area, used

an effective full-court press defense and received a dynamic

performance from senior point guard Ryan Angel, who scored 32 points

in about two and a half quarters of play. Angel, one of the leading

scorers in the Sacramento area, hit six of his 10 three-point

attempts and, overall, finished 12 of 18 from the field, mainly

converting on layups after steals from the defensive press.

“We turned the ball over too many times,” Serven said. “Part of

that is youth. Part of that is just bad decision making. There’s not

a whole lot to say after a game like that. We’re kind of in a funk

right now. We got to find a way to get out of that.”

Costa Mesa went up, 15-11, with 2:22 left in the first quarter

after senior Danny Krikorian swished in a three-pointer. But,

Rocklin, which has won its league the past two seasons, went on a

10-0 run to grab a 21-15 lead to end the first quarter.

Costa Mesa freshman guard Scott Knox led the Mustangs with 13

points, while Krikorian scored seven and Curtis Milward came off the

bench to add seven. Knox drained 3 of 7 from beyond the arc.

Rocklin outscored Mesa, 19-2, in the opening 4:22 of the third

quarter. The Mustangs managed only two field goals in the third

quarter, one with 18 seconds spent and the other coming with 23

seconds left in the period.

Costa Mesa will face La Mirada today at 9 a.m. at Chapman

University.