Oilers edge Barons in opener

Edison and Huntington Beach set up an early showdown in the Sunset League girls’ basketball race by rolling to league victories Tuesday. The Chargers did so by downing visiting Fountain Valley, 72-53; the Oilers by taking care of host Los Alamitos, 51-36.

The Chargers, ranked fifth in CIF Division 1AA, and the Oilers, ranked fourth in Division 1A, meet at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Huntington gym.

Below is a team-by-team recap of the previous week.

*

Girls’ Basketball

Brethren Christian: The Warriors got their second Academy League victory Tuesday by blitzing Oxford Academy early and running away to a 45-22 win. Senior guard Diannia Demaziliere led all scorers with 12 points. Junior guard Abigail Luce posted seven points and senior forward Emily Janio and freshman Lisa Hobson each scored six points for the Warriors (13-5 overall), who ran up a 13-0 lead to start the first quarter.

Brethren Christian, ranked tied at No. 9 in CIF Division 5AA, went 1-1 in the first week of their league schedule, splitting games against defending-champion Whitney and Crean Lutheran. Demaziliere and junior forward Brooke Hernandez both scored nine points in a 46-31 loss to Whitney on Jan. 4. The Warriors rebounded Saturday to beat Crean Lutheran, 35-20, led by junior guard Sara Hodges’ 12 points.

“I was very happy with our performance against Whitney to open league,” BC Coach Jeff Wallace said. “We managed to hold their two leading scorers in check and hold them 16 points below their season (team scoring) average.”

The Warriors play Sage Hill in a 6:30 p.m. league game Friday at Ocean View High. At 3 p.m. Saturday, they play Calvary Chapel of Downey in the Small Schools Showcase at Liberty Christian School in Huntington Beach.

Edison: The Chargers took a 26-8 first-quarter lead on visiting Fountain Valley Tuesday and went on to beat the Barons, 72-53, to improve to 2-0 in league and 12-2 overall. Five Chargers scored in double figures, with freshman Katie Lou Samuelson scoring a game-high 20 points.

In its league opener Jan. 5, Edison jumped out to a 41-4 halftime lead on Newport Harbor — holding the Sailors scoreless in the second quarter — and cruised to a 55-18 road victory. Samuelson scored a game-high 24 points to lead nine Chargers in the scoring column.

On Thursday, Edison plays at 6 p.m. at Huntington Beach. The Chargers also host Marina in league play at 6 p.m. Tuesday.

Fountain Valley: The Barons dropped their second Sunset League game in as many starts Tuesday in losing, 72-53, at Edison. Sophomore forward Lora Bender led the Barons in scoring with 16 points and sophomore point guard Amy Yoshinaga scored 12 points.

Fountain Valley couldn’t overcome a 43-18 halftime deficit against visiting Huntington Beach on Jan. 5 and lost to the Oilers, 65-47, in its Sunset League opener. Bender and junior guard Jasmine Matar scored 14 and 12 points, respectively.

The Barons travel to face Marina at 6 p.m. Thursday. They play at 6 p.m. home game Tuesday against Los Alamitos.

Huntington Beach: The Oilers moved to 2-0 in Sunset play Tuesday by defeating host Los Alamitos, 51-36. Senior point guard Kelsey Minato led all scorers with 22 points and Oilers teammate Maya Kennedy scored 11 points. The Oilers created 16 turnovers.

Huntington (12-3) got its first league win Jan. 5 by winning, 65-47, at Fountain Valley. Minato hit all of her field goals, including four three-point shots, and scored a game-high 24 points. Junior forward Jill Nakaso scored a career-high 14 points and sophomore guard Paola Roa scored 12 points.

The Oilers entertain Edison in a key league game at 6 p.m. Thursday. They’ll host Newport Harbor at 6 p.m. Tuesday.

Marina: The Vikings earned their fist win in Sunset League play Tuesday by defeating Newport Harbor, 45-23.

Marina had opened league play Jan. 5 and fell to host Los Alamitos, 48-40. Junior guards Lauren Dorame and Jennifer Chau scored 12 and 11 points, respectively.

“Our defense is getting better every week,” Vikings Coach Dean Katayama said. “Now, we have to learn how to close out games.”

The Vikings host Fountain Valley at 6 p.m. Thursday. On Tuesday, they’re at Edison for a 6 p.m. tip.

Ocean View: The Seahawks started Golden West League play Tuesday at Westminster and fell, 53-30, to the Lions. Senior point guard Hannah Ferguson scored 13 points for the Seahawks.

Ocean View, ranked No. 11 in Division 3A, hosts Orange at 6 p.m. Thursday. Next week, the Seahawks host Loara at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

*

Boys’ Basketball

Brethren Christian: The Warriors moved to 3-0 in Academy League action Tuesday by defeating host Oxford Academy, 66-37. BC’s defense keyed the win as the Warriors forced 27 turnovers. Senior guard Billy Bryson had seven steals and his brother, Brandon, a freshman guard, had six steals and seven assists.

The BC offense was led by junior Dakota Warren, who scored 19 points. Junior center Mamadou Ndiaye scored 14 points and sophomore Caleb Keller scored 11 points.

Brethren Christian (14-5, No. 7 Division 5AA) opened league play last week and posted two big wins, defeating Whitney, 60-57 on a last-second, three-point shot by Keller. The Warriors also defeated Crean Lutheran, 66-51.

Ndiaye turned in back-to-back big games with 31 points, 14 rebounds and five blocked shots against Whitney, and 24 points, 19 rebounds and four blocks at Crean Lutheran.

“We did not play very well against Whitney,” said BC Coach Jon Bahnsen, whose team rallied from seven points down in the fourth quarter to pull out a three-point win. “We came back with a much better effort on Saturday at Crean Lutheran, controlling the game from start to finish.”

BC hosts Sage Hill in an 8 p.m. league game Friday at Ocean View High. The Warriors play host to the 10th annual Small Schools Showcase on Saturday at Liberty Christian School in Huntington Beach. They play a 7 p.m. game against Vistamar of El Segundo.

Edison: The Chargers took their first step in attempting to repeat as Sunset League champion by beating Newport Harbor in the Sunset League opener for both teams Friday. Freshman guard Derek Molina scored a career-high 11 points for the Chargers. Senior guards Dreon Barlett and Corey Foster combined to nearly match Newport Harbor’s point total. Barlett led all scorers with 22 points and collected 14 rebounds and Foster netted 21 points and picked up five assists.

Edison (14-2 entering the week) hosts Huntington Beach at 7 p.m. Friday in league play. The Chargers, ranked seventh in Division 1A, also take on Redondo Union at 2 p.m. Saturday in nonleague play at the Coaches vs. Cancer Showcase at Villa Park. Next week, the Chargers host Marina at 7 p.m. Wednesday.

Fountain Valley: The Barons trailed the entire way Friday in their Sunset League opener at Huntington Beach and suffered a 49-41 loss. Fountain Valley hit just 15 of 53 shots from the field and wasn’t much better from the foul line, making just four of 14 free-throw attempts. Senior guard Zack Richartz led the Barons with 11 points.

“You can’t shoot like that and expect to win,” said Coach Roger Holmes, whose Barons (11-5 entering the week) play at 7 p.m. on Friday at Marina.

Shooting woes also plagued Fountain Valley in its Jan. 4 nonleague home game against Westminster. The Barons couldn’t find their aim from three-point range and lost, 62-47, to the Lions. Richartz scored 14 points and senior forward Nathan Moss had 11 points.

Next week, Fountain Valley plays a 7 p.m. league game Wednesday at home against Los Alamitos.

Huntington Beach: The Oilers were at full-strength for their Sunset League debut Friday against Fountain Valley and came away with a 49-41 home court victory. Huntington held the Barons to their worst shooting night and lowest point total of the season.

Senior guard Rory Aldana scored a game-high 16 points and junior guard Andrew Tenbrink scored 11.

“When we have everybody healthy and playing, we haven’t lost yet this season,” said Huntington Coach Fabian Luna, whose team improved to 10-6. “I thought our guys did a great job and I credit our defense. We place an emphasis on contesting shots and we did that tonight.”

Huntington, ranked 10th in Division 1A, continues Sunset League play at 7 p.m. Friday at Edison. The Oilers play a 3:30 p.m. game Saturday at the Coaches vs. Cancer Showcase at Villa Park High and next week play at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Newport Harbor.

Marina: The Vikings (8-8) fell behind early to Los Alamitos and dropped their Sunset League opener, 70-48, Friday, Senior guard JJ James tied for scoring honors with 16 points and senior guard Jordon Adnams hit four three-point shots and finished with 15 points.

“We lost a tough one to Los Alamitos,” Marina Coach Nick Racklin said. “Guys were nervous in the beginning and couldn’t dig out of the hole we made for ourselves. Los Al is a great team and proved that Friday. Our guys are still confident we can win a lot of games in this league. We will soon see how tough, determined, and dedicated we are to achieving this goal.”

Marina hosts Fountain Valley at 7 p.m. Friday. The Vikings also play at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Edison.

*

Ocean View: The Seahawks took on rival Westminster on Friday in the Golden West League opener for both teams and dominated the visiting Lions, 69-36. Freshman guard Tyler Burch canned four three-point shots en route to a game-high 19 points. Senior center Conor Clifford scored 19 points with eight rebounds and freshman guard Kendall Small scored seven points and had seven assists.

Ocean View players recorded 22 assists on 24 baskets.

“We were very happy with our defensive effort against Westminster,” Seahawks co-Coach Tim Walsh said. “Westminster does a nice job of attacking and creating for their shooters, and our defense did a nice job of keeping them out of the key. Also, we liked our offensive balance. All of our starters had at least six points and Tyler came off the bench and scored 19. On top of that, we shared the ball really well. It was a good opener for us against a team that has been playing some good basketball over the last few weeks.”

Ocean View (12-3), the second-ranked team in Division 2AA, plays at league foe Loara at 7 p.m. Friday. On Monday, the Seahawks travel to Huntington Beach for a 6 p.m. nonleague game against the Oilers.

michael.sciacca@latimes.com

Twitter: @MikeSciacca