Boys’ Roundup : Tustin Leaves Foothill Out in the Cold

Bad news for Tustin fans. Leo Parker was cold.

Tustin High School’s 6-foot 6-inch senior center missed his first five shots Wednesday against Foothill, just as he had in last month’s loss to the Tillers’ cross-town rival.

And Tustin, playing in a packed home gymnasium, was struggling, starting the game by giving up eight unanswered points and trailing, 19-13, after the first quarter.

But suddenly Parker was hot. And so were his teammates as Tustin won, 62-53.

The turning point came in the second quarter, when the Tillers (12-3), led by Parker’s eight points, outscored Foothill, 26-12, and never looked back.

In the last minute of the first half, with Tustin leading by four points, Foothill turned the ball over twice and Parker turned the Knights’ mistakes into his personal showcase, first performing a showy, behind-the-back dunk and then executing a basic dunk. With a few seconds left in the half, Parker found his hands on a third Foothill turnover, but he lost the ball out of bounds.

“I was going to excite the crowd,” said Parker, who finished with 16 points. “I was thinking about another dunk.”

Tustin Coach Tom McCluskey said: “That was beautiful. Leo held his poise and composure through out the game. He was just beautiful.”

Tustin’s eight-point halftime lead was the difference. The teams played almost evenly in the second half, Tustin holding a 23-22 edge.

“Our defense broke down on Parker,” Foothill Coach Jim Reames said. “We had poor passes into the post, and they got a couple of easy baskets.”

Forward Lunyon Maxwell led Tustin with 19 points, and Brad Cantrell added 13 points.

Forward Greg Rieber led Foothill (6-5) with 23 points.

In other nonleague games:

Long Beach Wilson 50, Edison 48--Wilson’s John Deppe made a five-foot shot with two seconds left for the Bruins at home. Deppe’s shot came after point guard Lantz Simpson dribbled through Edison’s full-court man defense and then passed to Deppe (15 points) on the left side of the basket. Edison’s Mike Hunter led all scorers with 16. Edison (10-5) did not shoot a free throw in the game. Wilson was called for six fouls in the game.

Hacienda Heights Wilson 67, Brea-Olinda 62--Wilson trailed, 46-41, entering the fourth quarter, but outscored host Brea-Olinda, 26-16. Darrell Caouepte scored 22 points and Armando Delsi 20 to lead Wilson (11-3). Matt Chamberlin scored 32 points for Brea (7-6).

Saddleback 69, Laguna Beach 47--The Roadrunners built a 33-9 halftime lead on their way to the victory at Saddleback. Gylan Dottin, a senior forward, had a game-high 18 points for Saddleback (12-3). Jason McKeon, a junior forward, scored 13 points, and sophomore forward Dain Blanton added 12 for Laguna Beach (3-7).

El Dorado 78, Valencia 65--Chris Facione scored a game-high 21 points to lead El Dorado in a nonleague game at Valencia. Facione had 10 points in the third quarter as El Dorado outscored Valencia in the quarter, 32-15. Bernie James scored 20 points to lead Valencia (4-7).

Newport Harbor 41, Orange 39--Mike Nguyen scored 12 points, as the host Sailors (11-4) held off the Panthers in the fourth quarter. Craig Matthews made six three-pointers and scored 20 points for Orange.

Corona del Mar 58, Irvine 47--The host Sea Kings (9-4) were led by Geoff Probst, who scored 23 points and had 7 assists. Raphael Molle scored 15 points and Dave Ballentyne 14 for the Vaqueros.

Millikan 80, Huntington Beach 64--The Oilers had four players score in double figures, but still lost at Millikan. Jeff Long had 16 points, Rich Hughes 13, Brandon Lott 13 and Andy Thompson 12 for Huntington Beach (6-9).

Woodbridge 57, Mission Viejo 47--Adam Keefe scored 23 points and Derrick Odum added 10 to lead Woodbridge at Mission Viejo. Vince Merk led Mission Viejo (7-7) with 13 points, including four three-point shots.