Four players scored in double figures as host #4 Irvine Valley led virtually all the way, holding off a late rally by #13 Antelope Valley in Saturday night's playoff game. Like a track relay team, each Laser made a huge contribution before handing the figurative baton to the next man, with SF Joe Eberhard providing the finishing kick in the 72-63 victory.
Irvine built a 28-18 lead in the first half as Ctr Max Carrier scored 14 of his team-high 20 points in the first half. PF Travis Fulton had a double-double with 12 pts and a game-high 11 rebs, and had a big role in the Lasers pushing the advantage to 15 at 42-27 early in the second half. SG Durrell Norman had 11 pts, including a pair of baskets to help IVC stay in front as AVC cut the margin to three points in the final three minutes. Then, with Fulton having fouled out and IVC clinging to a 4-point lead, Eberhard had 6 of his 19 points plus three rebounds and a pair of steals in the final minute to secure the win for the Lasers.
In the final stretch, AVC trailed, 64-60, after having been within three points at 62-59. Irvine Valley had the ball but the shot clock was quickly winding down when Eberhard leaned between a pair of AVC defenders in the lane and banked home a shot with 58 seconds left to make it 66-60. Then he stole the ball away with 46 seconds left, the ball eventually going out of bounds to Irvine Valley.
But that was just the beginning. AVC, trailing by six points, fouled Carrier with 43.9 seconds left. Carrier missed both shots, but Eberhard snuck around the Marauders and grabbed the rebound, scoring on the putback to make it 68-60. Then when AVC got the ball into the frontcourt, Eberhard again stole it. He was tied up moments later for a held ball, but the possession arrow favored Irvine Valley. On the restart, Eberhard was fouled and sent to the line with 29.2 seconds left. He made both free throws to make it 70-60, finally clinching the win for Irvine Valley.
For much of the game, it didn't look like Irvine Valley would need any heroics in the final minute to get the win. The Lasers jumped out to a 12-4 lead in the early moments of the game. AVC rallied to take a brief 13-12 lead after a 3-pointer by SG Nick Bennett and a basket by SF Donald Williams midway through the first half. PG Andrew Arnold wiped out that lead with a steal & basket that put Irvine Valley back in front, 14-13, and then Arnold hit a 3-pointer to make it 17-13, and the Lasers led the rest of the game.
Carrier hit a short jumper and then took a pass from SG Christian Mack to push Irvine Valley's lead to ten points at 28-18 with just less than three minutes left in the first half. Irvine led by 10 again at 33-23 until Williams hit a 3-pointer to bring AVC within seven at 33-26 in the final minute of the first half, and that's where things stood at the break.
When the second half started, Irvine Valley went on a 9-1 run to push the lead to 15 points in the first few minutes of the second half after a basket by Fulton made it 42-27. AVC briefly cut the margin to 9 at 46-37 after a driving lay-up by Williams, but IVC quickly pushed the lead back to double digits after a basket by Eberhard and a 3-pointer by Mack made it 51-37. The next few minutes saw the Lasers lead by between 10 and 14 points, and the IVC lead was still 13 at 59-46 with under seven minutes to play.
Then came the AVC rally. A free throw by Bennett got the Marauders back within nine points at 59-50 with 5:11 left. A Williams 3-pointer following a steal by SG Jason Logan made it 59-53. Then foul trouble began to pile up for Irvine Valley as Fulton picked up his fourth foul with 4:26 left; Carrier and Eberhard each already had four fouls by that point, and AVC still trailed by just six points at 60-54. A putback basket by Ctr DeWayne Dedmon made it a four-point game at 60-56 with just under four minutes left. After IVC got a basket by Norman, a 3-pointer by AVC's Williams made it a three-point game at 62-59.
Norman hit a jumper for IVC with 2:40 left to make it 64-59, and then AVC suffered a huge blow when PG Rod Singleton drove the lane and injured his knee in a collision under the basket. He left the game, and to literally add insult to injury, PG Travis Ballard came out of the pile with the ball and Irvine Valley was awarded possession with 2:15 left.
Neither team scored again until Logan split a pair of free throws with 1:31 left to make it 64-60, a play on which Fulton, IVC's leading rebounder and second-leading scorer on the season, fouled out. Then Irvine had the ball but the shot clock was running down, having reached two seconds when Eberhard scored on the driving lay-up to start his remarkable final minute, leading the Lasers to the win.
Balance has been a hallmark of Irvine Valley all season, but it was never more evident than in this win. Irvine Valley also controlled the boards, 44-31, particularly in the first half when the Lasers held a 23-13 edge in building the halftime lead.
For AVC, Williams had a game-high 21 pts and Bennett had 14. Dedmon, playing his second game after missing seven games with a skull fracture, had a huge night with 9 pts, 9 rebs and 5 blocked shots. Singelton had 8 pts before leaving with the knee injury.
With the win, Irvine Valley improves to 25-4 on the season and will host #5 seed Mt. San Antonio next Saturday in the regional final. Antelope Valley finishes 17-14.
Box score
Saturday, February 27, 2010 - 7 pm
at Irvine Valley College
Playoffs - First Round
Antelope Valley Marauders 63:
1-Rod Singleton, PG - 1/7 fg, 6/6 ft, 1 ast, 1 stl, 1 pf, 8 pts
5-Nick Bennett, SG - 2/7 fg, 9/12 ft, 2 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk, 3 stl, 4 pf, 14 pts
20-Charles Cole, PF - 0/5 fg, 7 reb, 1 ast, 0 pts
22-Donald Williams, SF - 8/15 fg, 2/7 ft, 1 ast, 4 pf, 21 pts
32-DeWayne Dedmon, C - 3/4 fg, 3/4 ft, 9 reb, 1 ast, 5 blk, 1 stl, 4 pf, 9 pts
2-Sean Butler, G - 1/6 fg, 3/4 ft, 2 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl, 2 pf, 6 pts
11-Jason Logan, G - 2/2 fg, 1/3 ft, 2 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 4 pf, 5 pts
21-Matt Stern, F - 2 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk, 2 pf, 0 pts
23-Gary Winfield, F - 1 reb, 0 pts
12-Edwin Herrera, G - 0 pts
team rebounds: 6
Totals: 17/46 fg (.370), 24/36 ft (.667), 31 reb, 9 ast, 7 blk, 8 stl, 22 pf, 63 pts
3-pt fg (5): Williams, 3, Bennett, Butler
Intentional Foul: Butler
Technical Foul: Bennett
Turnovers (17): Butler 6, Logan 4, Singleton 3, Bennett 2, Dedmon, Winfield
Irvine Valley Lasers 72:
4-Max Carrier, C - 9/10 fg, 1/4 ft, 7 reb, 1 ast, 3 blk, 1 stl, 4 pf, 20 pts
5-Durrell Norman, SG - 3/9 fg, 5/9 ft, 4 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl, 2 pf, 11 pts
10-Travis Ballard, PG - 0/2 fg, 1 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 2 pf, 0 pts
24-Travis Fulton, PF - 4/12 fg, 4/4 ft, 11 reb, 4 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl, 5 pf, 12 pts
31-Joe Eberhard, SF - 6/7 fg, 6/8 ft, 5 reb, 4 ast, 2 stl, 4 pf, 19 pts
11-Christian Mack, G - 1/5 fg, 1 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 3 pf, 3 pts
42-Ephraim Ekanem, C - 4 reb, 2 pf, 0 pts
23-Marcus Walters, F - 0/1 fg, 1 pf, 0 pts
3-Andrew Arnold, G - 3/10 fg, 2 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl, 2 pf, 7 pts
22-Sean Donovan, F - 0/2 fg, 2 reb, 1 pf, 0 pts
team rebounds: 7
Totals: 26/58 fg (.448), 16/25 ft (.640), 44 reb, 16 ast, 4 blk, 8 stl, 26 pf, 72 pts
3-pt fg (4): Carrier, Eberhard, Mack, Arnold
Fouled Out: Fulton 1:31 left
Turnovers (14): Carrier 4, Norman 2, Fulton 2, Eberhard 2, Mack 2, Arnold, Donovan
Halftime Score: Irvine Valley 33, Antelope Valley 26
Updated Records: Irvine Valley (#4-seed) 25-4, Antelope Valley (#13-seed) 17-14
IVC led by 15 early in the 2nd half and by 13 with less than 7 minutes left. AVC rallied to within 3 at 62-59 and trailed by 4 at 64-60 with a minute left. Eberhard had 6 pts, 3 rebs and 2 steals in the final minute for IVC.
