South Coast League : Capistrano Valley Makes Switch in Time for Win

If adjustment under pressure is the sign of a good team, then Capistrano Valley High School deserves its ranking as Orange County’s top prep basketball team.

The Cougars, after jumping to an early eight-point lead Friday night against Mission Viejo, suddenly found themselves trailing, 18-14, after the first quarter.

But Capistrano Valley switched from a 2-3 to a 3-2 defense, regained the lead and never gave it back, beating Mission Viejo, 64-48, at Saddleback College.

The victory was the ninth straight for the Cougars (16-4, 4-0), who have been top-ranked in the county for two consecutive weeks by the Orange County Sportswriters’ Assn.

After opening a 14-6 lead, Capistrano Valley fell flat. The Diablos hit three straight three-point shots and three free throws to take a 18-14 lead into the second quarter. Mission Viejo’s Luis De Guzman, coming off the bench, hit two of the three-pointers and made two from the foul line.

But then the Cougars made their defensive adjustment and outscored Mission Viejo, 18-9, in the second quarter, the Diablos shooting just 3 for 10 from the field in the period.

“The 3-2 defense took away their outside shot,” said Cougar Coach Mark Thornton.

It didn’t hurt that Capistrano Valley had a little outside shooting of its own.

Todd Marinovich, who spent last fall looking for a wide receiver 20 yards or so downfield, isn’t having a problem finding a rim and a net 19-feet 9-inches away. Marinovich, who led all scorers with 26 points, hit five three-point shots against the Diablos.

The Cougars held a 32-27 halftime lead. But in the first minutes of the third quarter, Marinovich, helped by two blocked shots by Cougar center Jim Waikle, hit three unanswered shots, including one three-pointer. That run gave Capistrano Valley a 39-27 lead and the Diablos never managed to get closer than six points.

Forward Scott McCorkle was the only other Cougar in double figures, scoring 13 points before fouling out in the final period. Frank Aguilar, coming off the bench, led the team with seven rebounds.

Forward Jeff Springfield provided most of the offense for Mission Viejo (9-9, 2-2), with 18 points, 5 assists and 9 rebounds. De Guzman added 10 points.

El Toro 74, Irvine 62-- Bret Johnson scored 21 points and had 10 assists to lead the Chargers at home. El Toro (14-4, 3-1) led by only a point after three quarters, 47-46, but outscored Irvine in the final quarter, 27-16.

Eric Speaker scored 19, Khari Johnson had 14 and Mike Van Riette 10 for El Toro. Irvine (8-10, 1-3) was led by Dave Ballantine with 18 points, Bryan Allred with 15 and Raphael Molle with 14.