High School Roundup: League play inches closer

Six local boys’ basketball teams took part last weekend in the annual OC North/South Challenge at El Toro High which concluded Saturday.

On the first day of the two-day, 11-game event, Huntington Beach got a win for the South while both Ocean View and Brethren Christian were edged in their games on Friday.

Huntington (7-4) came away with a 72-66 victory over San Clemente. Senior guard Andrew TenBrink and senior forward Harley Ruder tied for game scoring honors with 26 points apiece for the Oilers in a game that was tight to the finish.

The Oilers are in Florida through Jan. 1 for the KSA Holiday Classic. They begin their Sunset League slate Jan. 4 at Fountain Valley.

In another game that went to the wire, Ocean View was edged by Tesoro, 80-78. The Seahawks trailed, 38-28, at the half, but outscored the Titans by 11 points in the third quarter, to take a 57-56 lead into the final eight minutes.

Junior guard Dillon Reise scored 24 points and had 13 rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks for the Seahawks. Sophomore guard Tyler Burch scored 20 points and had nine rebounds, sophomore guard Kendall Small had 19 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals, and senior guard Josh Mishler had 11 points, six steals and two assists.

Ocean View is in San Diego competing at the 23rd annual Torrey Pines Holiday Classic. The tournament runs through Saturday. The Seahawks begin defense of their Golden West League title on Jan. 9 when they play host to Santa Ana.

Brethren Christian led Capistrano Valley for three quarters, but the Cougars rallied to outscore the Warriors, 22-16, in the fourth quarter, to pull out a 64-59 victory. BC senior center Mamadou Ndiaye led all scorers with 22 points. Freshman forward Cameron Griffin scored 10 points and junior guards Nick Dang and Caleb Keller both scored nine points.

The Warriors currently are playing at the Max Preps Holiday Classic in Palm Desert through Saturday.

The final day of the North/South Challenge Saturday saw Edison hold off Laguna Hills, 50-49, Dana Hills defeat Marina, 56-29, and Aliso Niguel beat Fountain Valley, 79-60.

Sophomore forward A.J. Garrity scored 14 points and sophomore guard Brae Ivey added nine points for Edison in its win over Laguna Hills. The Chargers also won their game at the Sunset League vs. Pacific Coast League Challenge on Dec. 19 by whipping Beckman, 61-25. In that win, Edison’s balance was evident as nine players hit the scoring column. Garrity and sophomore guard Jake Haar tied for game scoring honors with 13 points apiece and Ivey scored 11 points.

Edison currently is competing at the MaxPreps Holiday Classic in Palm Desert. The Chargers face Granite Hills at 9 p.m. Thursday. The tournament runs daily through Saturday. The Chargers start Sunset League play Jan. 4 at Newport Harbor.

Marina couldn’t match a fast start by Dana Hills and ended up falling, 56-29, to the Dolphins. Sophomore guard Greg Fronek led the Vikings in scoring with 10 points.

The Vikings are competing at the Desert Christian Academy Tournament at Bermuda Dunes. They open Sunset League play on Jan. 4 at Los Alamitos.

Fountain Valley fell behind early in its game against Aliso Niguel and couldn’t recover in its 79-60 loss to the Wolverines. Senior guard Josh Armstrong led the Barons (11-2) with 22 points. Senior Center Jackson Gatlin scored 15 points and senior forward Tanner Trounce had 10 points.

The Barons overpowered Northwood, 97-39, on Dec. 19 at the Sunset League vs. Pacific Coast League Challenge at Irvine High. Gatlin scored a game-high 19 points and both Armstrong and senior forward Joey Petersen scored 17 points. Senior guard Kevin Mansouri also was in double figures with 11 points.

Fountain Valley led, 19-14, after one quarter but blew the game open by outscoring the Timberwolves, 55-21, over the second and third quarters.

“We dominated the boards and got out on the break and there was no stopping our momentum,” Fountain Valley Coach Roger Holmes said. “We were playing solid defense, rebounding, and running. That is when we are at our best.”

Fountain Valley this week is playing at the 22nd annual Surf ‘N Slam San Diego Hoop Classic in San Diego. The tournament runs daily through Saturday. The Barons start Sunset League play with a home game against Huntington Beach on Jan. 4.

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GIRLS’ BASKETBALL

Edison: The Chargers won the consolation championship of the Joe Smith Division N bracket Saturday at the Nike Tournament of Champions in Arizona. The Chargers beat Millennium of Arizona, 47-40, in the consolation final. Geena Gomez had 15 points and 10 rebounds and Dolores Gomez scored 14 points in the win.

Edison had advanced to the division consolation final by defeating Boulder Creek (Arizona), 56-42, in the semifinals Friday.

The Chargers are co-hosting and competing at the Larry Doyle OC Championships tournament, which continues Thursday through Saturday. The consolation championship game is 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Edison. The title game is 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Marina.

Edison, which shared a co-championship last year with Huntington Beach, begins its Sunset League schedule on Jan. 3 against Newport Harbor.

Fountain Valley: The Barons earned a 45-35 nonleague road victory at Torrance Friday. Senior guard Jasmine Matar scored a game-high 21 points with 11 rebounds and six steals for the Barons who jumped out to a 25-11 halftime lead.

Fountain Valley is playing at the Winter Classic at Costa Mesa High. The tournament runs daily through Saturday. The Barons get Sunset League play underway Jan. 3 at Huntington Beach.

Huntington Beach: The Oilers claimed a seventh-place finish Saturday in the Mike Desper Division H bracket at the Nike Tournament of Champions in Arizona. In the seventh-place game, they defeated Indio, 57-33. Morgan Potter topped the Oilers with 14 points. Paola Roa and Stephanie Louie scored 13 and 12 points, respectively.

In the division’s consolation semifinals Friday, Huntington was upended, 57-43, by Cathedral Catholic. Reanne Wang scored 18 points on six three-pointers, and Stephanie Louie hit three three-point shots en route to 11 points.

Huntington is competing this week at the Winter Classic at Costa Mesa High. The tournament continues Thursday through Saturday. The defending co-champion Oilers open Sunset League play Jan. 3 when they play host to Fountain Valley.

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Marina: The Vikings are co-hosting the Larry Doyle OC Championships tournament through Saturday. The tournament championship game is at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Marina. The title game is preceded by the third-place game at 6 p.m.

Marina launches its Sunset League schedule Jan. 3 at Los Alamitos.

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GIRLS’ SOCCER

Fountain Valley: The Barons went to 4-1-2 on the season after blanking Saddleback, 2-0, on Dec. 20.

Following a scoreless first half, Madison Gomez scored first on a pass from Addie Espinosa, and later on a direct kick from Dakota Griggs with Espinosa heading the ball into the net.

Fountain Valley goalies Kaelyn Whitcomb and Alyson Marlow had two and one saves, respectively.

michael.sciacca@latimes.com

Twitter: @MikeSciacca