Irvine Valley Men Win First Tournament Title

In Coach Jerry Hernandez’s second season, the Irvine Valley men’s basketball team realized a first--the Lasers won a tournament.

It happened Saturday when the Irvine Valley beat Long Beach, 86-69, to take first place in the Orange Coast Kiwanis tournament.

“It’s really exciting for the kids,” Hernandez said. “We’ve been building toward this. To make it happen really builds their confidence.”

It was the first tournament title in the five-year history of the program.

Hernandez was able to use the tournament’s pairings as a way to motivate his players. Long Beach and Irvine Valley were in opposite brackets and could only meet in the final.

Long Beach had defeated Irvine Valley, 74-73, on a free throw with less than a second left to play two weeks earlier in the opening round of the Bill Mulligan tournament at Irvine Valley.

“To beat Long Beach was one of our goals,” Hernandez said. “But we knew the only way we would have a chance was to get to the championship game.”

The key player in the tournament for Irvine Valley (5-3) was sophomore Daryl Todd, a 6-foot-4 forward from Compton Dominguez High.

Todd was a force, especially against Long Beach. He scored a career-high 29 points, had 15 rebounds and was selected as the tournament’s most valuable player.

Todd is leading the team in scoring at 22 points per game and is second in rebounds with 10.

“He’s just starting to mature on and off the court,” Hernandez said. “He’s learning what good shot selection is but sometimes he tries to do too much. I have to remind him that his real strength is offensive rebounding.”

Irvine Valley’s other two returning sophomores--forward Brandon Hearvey and guard J.C. Timmons--have also made major contributions as the Lasers have won five of the last six.

Hearvey is averaging 20 points and 11 rebounds and had 22 points and 17 rebounds in a 89-52 victory over El Camino in the first round of the OCC tournament.

Timmons, who is recovering from a twisted ankle, had 18 points in the 77-76 victory over Victor Valley in the second round of the tournament.

“Right now,” Hernandez said, “to have three sophomores playing well is very helpful.”

The Lasers get another chance to avenge a loss when they play in the 16-team Riverside tournament starting Wednesday. Irvine Valley opens with Southwestern at 5 p.m. Southwestern beat Irvine Valley, 93-93, to start the season.

Southwestern is 10-1 and beat Saddleback Saturday in the championship game of the Grossmont tournament.