Vanderputten Leads Trabuco Hills Past Monte Vista

MISSION VIEJO —  Gavin Vanderputten played one of his worst basketball games of the season last Saturday in the Southern Section finals, and the 6-foot-10 Australian exchange student took out his frustrations on Monte Vista Tuesday.

Vanderputten scored a game-high 27 points as third-seeded Trabuco Hills defeated sixth-seeded Monte Vista, 75-68, in a Southern California Division II Regional first-round game at Trabuco Hills.

Trabuco Hills (26-5) extended its winning streak to 16 games and advanced to the regional semifinals Thursday night against top-seeded Glendora. Monte Vista ended the season 25-4.

Vanderputten used his height advantage to score 18 second-half points. He was guarded most of the game by Spring Valley’s Matt Ehlke, who’s 6-4. “Gavin was assertive, period,” Trabuco Hills Coach Rainer Wulf said. “He flat out took over in the second half.”

Vanderputten, who had 18 rebounds, was coming off an eight-point performance against Kennedy in the Southern Section finals Saturday.

“Gavin wasn’t really down after that game, but he was concerned because he didn’t play well in a big game,” Wulf said.

He didn’t play well early against Monte Vista, missing his first four shots, including two layups.

Meanwhile, Monte Vista used a full-court press and a fastbreak offense to take a 25-23 first-quarter lead.

But Brett Poulos, a 5-9 guard, kept Trabuco Hills close. He scored 17 of his 21 points in the first quarter, including three three-pointers.

“Most of the game was perimeter in the first quarter, so Gavin didn’t get the ball as much,” Wulf said. “There’s always an adjustment period in a game, and that was the first quarter. Once we got the ball in to Gavin, he took over.”

Monte Vista led by as many as 10 points, 35-25, with 4:15 left in the second quarter. But Vanderputten scored eight points in the final 3:59 as the Mustangs cut the deficit to 37-36 at halftime.

Trabuco Hills turned the second-half into a halfcourt game, pumping the ball inside to Vanderputten and 6-7 forward Corey Klinke, who finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Vanderputten scored 10 points in the third quarter and added eight in the fourth.

Monte Vista trailed, 61-55, at the end of the third quarter, but guard Jason Peck hit two jumpers at the start of the quarter to pull the Monarchs within two.

Vanderputten had four points and Klinke and Poulos added two each in an 8-2 run. Monte Vista came no closer than seven the rest of the way.