Pirates get early ouster

COSTA MESA ? Some refer to the glass backboard as the window. For San Bernardino Valley College, which visited Orange Coast in the first round of the Southern California regional men’s basketball playoffs Friday night, it was the window of opportunity.

The No. 10-seeded Wolverines amassed 50 rebounds ? including 19 on the offensive end that turned into seven putback buckets ? to help them earn an 85-76 victory over the No. 7-seeded Pirates.

Orange Coast (22-11) had 38 rebounds and scored on only two follow shots against the taller, quicker, more athletic winners.

“We didn’t rebound the ball at all tonight,” said OCC Coach Steve Spencer, who saw the school’s winningest campaign in 19 seasons halted. “When [the Wolverines] threw the ball off the backboard, they went and got it. We couldn’t stop them on the glass.”

San Bernardino Valley’s size advantage and leaping ability also helped create 17 layups, prompting Spencer to lament his team’s lack of defense.

“We didn’t play well, defensively,” Spencer said. “We are 3-8 this year when teams scored 80 points or more against us. We went through some rough stretches on offense and that was bleeding over into our defense. We just didn’t keep playing defense.”

The Wolverines (23-10), who have nine losses this season to teams with at least 20 wins and the other to a 19-win Riverside squad, were, at times, difficult to defend.

Jamar Smith, a 6-foot-4 freshman who came in averaging 21.6 points per game, had 17 of his game-high 32 points by halftime.

In the second half, Jerome Habel, a 6-10 sophomore center, produced 17 of his 19 points and six of his nine rebounds to pace the Wolverines.

“I think there was just too much Jamar Smith in the first half and too much Jerome Habel in the second,” said San Bernardino Valley Coach Phil Mathews, who guided the Wolverines to the state title game last season. The Pirates, who posted the most wins since the 1986-87 OCC squad went 23-10, hit 6 of 9 three-point attempts in the opening half to help claim a 41-38 advantage.

Three-pointers began and ended a 7-0 run that helped the hosts take a 48-42 lead after the Wolverines scored the first four points after intermission to go up by one.

Three baskets by 6-7 freshman reserve Steve Cornett keyed an 8-0 OCC run that put the Pirates on top, 57-50, with 12:31 left in the game.

But after Mykel Valentine’s 10-foot jumper gave OCC a 62-56 edge with 10:37 remaining, the Pirates had only one field goal over the next 10 minutes, 14 seconds.

“I think fatigue took a toll,” said OCC sophomore guard Lance Ortiz, who was one of three Pirates to score in double figures with 12.

OCC, which lost its final three games, was also hampered by the loss of 6-5 sophomore Reggie Brown, who left the game with 1:46 left in the first half with an ankle injury and did not return.

“Reggie was playing well and he’s an all-league player,” Spencer said. “But injuries are a part of the game. That’s why you have depth.”

Cornett, who played just 18 minutes in the Pirates 12-man rotation, led the hosts with 15 points and nine rebounds.

OCC’s Greg Okwudibonye, a sophomore who also came off the bench, had 12 points, including four three-pointers.