TUSTIN – When new leagues were created in Orange County boys basketball before this season, the concept was to create competitive groups that would play close games.
Wednesday’s game at Beckman High was what was in mind.
Aliso Niguel beat Beckman 55-53 in a Sea View League game in which both teams had the lead multiple times.
Beckman had a 12-11 lead at the end of the first quarter. Aliso Niguel led 29-22 at halftime. Beckman was up 41-38 at the end of the third quarter.
In the final minute both teams had the lead.
Aliso Niguel is 2-1 in the Sea View League and 16-5 overall. The Wolverines are tied with Mission Viejo for first place in the five-team league. Their league loss was to Mission Viejo 52-40.
Beckman is 0-2 in league. The Patriots, who are 10-11 overall, lost to Capistrano Valley 45-32 in their other Sea View game.
Aliso Niguel junior guard Jay Keys led the Wolverines with 14 points. Sophomore guard Wyatt Richmond scored 12 points including a fastbreak layup in the final seconds that gave Aliso Niguel the lead for good.
Beckman junior forward Qusai Azem scored a game-high 17 points with six rebounds. He scored 14 points in the second half, many of which came from inside power moves. Patriots junior guard Joshua Charette scored 13 points and senior guard Sidd Raj escorted 11 including three 3-pointers.
The entire game was physical and hectic. In the final minute Azem grabbed an offensive rebound, was fouled on the put-back attempt and made the two free throws to cut what had been a six-point Aliso Niguel 90 seconds earlier to a 52-51 Wolverines lead with 53 seconds remaining.
Azem then scored on a steal for a 53-52 lead. Aliso then got the ball downcourt quickly to Richmond for that layup that restored the lead to the Wolverines 54-53. Keys made a free throw with one second remaining for the final two-point margin.
“It was a nail-biter,” Richmond said. “(The Patriots) were big and they were strong. We had to get on those boards and just batten it down on defense and not give them open looks.”
Both teams had plenty of non-seniors on the court all game. Four juniors started for Beckman and Patriots coach Rusty Van Cleave who has coached at multiple schools as a head coach and an assistant and was the Orange County coach of the year at Foothill which he led to two CIF championships. Aliso Niguel coach Keith Barnett started two juniors, two sophomores and a freshman.
Barnett liked how his young team responded in crunch time Wednesday.
“It’s a lot of young guys going through this experience for the first time,” Barnett said. “We found a way. It was a good win for us.”
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