Bad stretch for Marina

Marina was looking for its first Sunset League win of the 2008 boys’ basketball race Monday when it took on Los Alamitos, and the Vikings nearly pulled off the upset at the expense of the league-leading Griffins.

Playing what Assistant Coach Andy Meyer called one of the “most complete all-around games we have played in a while,” Marina came close to knocking off Los Al but eventually dropped a 76-73 decision on the road.

The Vikings hung tough with the Griffins throughout the contest, trailed by seven with barely more than a minute to play yet rallied to have a shot at winning in the final seconds.

“We played tough the entire night and really took a big leap forward, we hope,” said Meyer, who has taken over game coaching duties along with fellow assistant Tom McCanna while Roger Holmes recuperates from a heart-related health problem.

The loss dropped Marina to 0-7 in league and 11-13 overall. Los Al, ranked No. 4 in the CIF-SS Division I-A poll, is now 7-0 in league and 18-5 overall.

Sophomore guard Brendan Holmes hit seven three-point shots and finished with a game-high 27 points for Marina. Junior guard Garrett James connected on four three-pointers and ended with 20 points, and senior guard Dion Douglas hit three three-point shots en route to 13 points.

In the first league meeting between the teams Jan. 9, Los Al won 104-70 at Marina.

Overall, the Vikings connected on 13 three-point shots to run their season total to 334. That total ranks second all-time on the state list for most three-point shots made in a single-season. Marina holds the No. 1 spot, which also is a national record, with 437 set last year.

“Tom and I were extremely proud of the effort and energy of all our players,” Meyer said. “Our defensive pressure was great for 32 minutes, and we were able to keep the pace up the entire night.”

The next team to take a crack at Los Alamitos is Edison, which plays Friday at Los Al.

The Sunset race would tighten if Edison defeats Los Alamitos.

Entering the week, Edison and Esperanza trailed Los Alamitos by two games in the standings.

Edison piled up its highest point total of the season Friday when the Chargers ran past visiting Marina, 98-81. Kyle Boswell poured in a career-high 37 points to lead a trio of Chargers in double figures.

Carl Eberts scored 24 points and Eric Ferraro had 17 as Edison completed a league sweep of the Vikings.

In the game, Ferraro also tied the Edison record for assists at 343. The senior had a chance Wednesday to become the school’s assists leader against Newport Harbor (the results weren’t available at press time).

Matt Viles also came up big in the assists department with 12.

“It was a good team win, as everyone contributed in some way,” Edison Coach Rich Boyce said.

Holmes scored 27 points and James 24 to pace Marina.

In other boys’ action

Ocean View remained undefeated in league play Friday as the Seahawks made it a sweep of Santa Ana in league play by beating the Saints, 55-40. Takeshi Clifford scored 20 points to go along with eight rebounds and three blocks to lead all scorers.

Huntington Beach remained in the thick of the race for the Sea View League title by winning twice on the road in the past week. First, the Oilers scored a key, 69-66 overtime victory at Foothill Jan. 23. Huntington outscored Foothill 23-10 in the fourth quarter to force overtime, then outscored the Knights 9-6 in overtime. Zach Kimber and Nick Becker scored 25 and 20 points, respectively, to lead the Oilers.

Kimber, whose 25 points led all scorers, hit a three-point shot to tie the score and send the game to overtime.

Aaron Brennan scored four of his seven points in overtime as Huntington scored the first basket and held off for the win.

The defensive play of Becker and Nick Neser helped spur the fourth-quarter comeback by the Oilers.

“It was a great comeback victory and shows the fight these boys have when their backs are against the wall,” Huntington Coach Fabian Luna said. “We always tell our kids that we are never out of a game with our ability to score.

“Any time you get a win on the road, it really helps your confidence as a team. We did not play well early in this game, but found a way to keep it close and put us in a position to win the game.”

Becker then became Huntington’s career scoring leader with a 16-point effort two nights later when the Oilers won 59-43 at Trabuco Hills. Kimber was the leading scorer for the second-straight game with 18 points and Nick Neser scored 13.

“I was very pleased with our play on both sides of the floor,” Luna said. “It also was a very special night for the program as Nick Becker was able to break the [career scoring] record held by Tony Gonzalez.”

Huntington hosts Woodbridge Friday and plays a key league game Tuesday at league-leading El Toro.

The Oilers trailed the Chargers by one game in the league standings heading into this week’s action.

“We have some big games against Northwood and Woodbridge, respectively, and we have three of our last four games this season at home,” Luna said. “The lone road game is El Toro, and we will be ready for that game as it will have league championship implications. We let one go against them here, and we will go into that game with nothing to lose.

“We know we can beat them; now the pressure is on them to get it done.”

Friday’s boys’ slate has Edison traveling to Los Alamitos, Huntington hosting Woodbridge, Marina entertaining Esperanza and Ocean View at Saddleback.

In girls’ action

It was a three-way log jam at the top of the Sunset League standings at the start of the week after Edison picked up a key road win at Marina Jan. 23.

The Chargers atoned for an earlier league loss to Marina by winning 72-48 on the Vikings’ home floor. The outcome left Edison, Marina and Esperanza tied for the league’s top spot each at 5-1.

A balanced scoring attack keyed Edison’s win. Bonnie Samuelson led all scorers with 16 points. Priscila Cergol scored 14, Kelly Peterson 13 and Victoria Lockhorst was the fourth Charger in double figures with 10 points.

Michelle Yamasaki and Mary Madden had nine and eight points, respectively.

“We are very happy with the win and beat a tough Marina team on the road,” Edison Coach Corey Kelly said. “We played very solid on defense and our offense was very balanced. We have been working hard each day to continue to improve, and we feel we have been doing that.

“I am very proud of our girls, and we are excited for the last few weeks of our season.

Huntington put an end to a three-game skid by defeating host Trabuco Hills 57-38 in Sea View League play Jan. 23. Jasmine Erving had 16 points and nine rebounds and Sarah Hoagland scored 16 points to go along with seven rebounds for the Oilers.

Previously, Huntington lost on the road at Foothill, 51-32.

“We have a very tough league and this week will determine where we finish,” Huntington Coach Russell McClurg said. “I am hoping that we battle hard and finish strong.”

Ocean View beat Santa Ana for the second time in Golden West League play by opening up the second-half of league action Jan. 24 with a 54-37 win over the visiting Saints. Brittany Horton scored 21 points, and Kelsey Harris had 14 more for the Seahawks.

Girls’ games tonight include Edison hosting Los Alamitos, Huntington home to Woodbridge, Marina at Esperanza and Ocean View traveling to Saddleback.