Second-Half Burst Sparks Loara Past Anaheim

Wes Waldrop took jumpers from his favorite long-range spots time and again Wednesday night, and all the Loara guard had to show for it was a bunch of hard-luck bounces and four points at halftime.

Sure, he was shooting in the Saxon gym, where he has spent countless hours. But those kindly rims he thought he had mastered appeared to be turning against him.

So Waldrop took his game into the key in the second half, where he got to know the rims better. He scored eight consecutive points during a one-minute span of the third quarter, part of a 10-0 run that built a 17-point Saxon lead, and Loara went on to a 65-39 victory over Anaheim in the opening round of the Southern Section Division I-A boys’ basketball playoffs.

Loara (18-9) advances to play on Friday against Thousand Oaks, a 61-56 winner over West Covina.

Waldrop, who finished with 18 points, seven rebounds, five assists and a couple of steals, likes his games fast and wild, and that’s what he got at times Wednesday. The Saxons committed 17 turnovers and, though equally impatient, Anaheim wouldn’t go away. The Colonists (14-12), making their first appearance in the playoffs since the 1989-90 season, trailed only 27-20 at halftime.

But Anaheim couldn’t handle Loara’s press as the third quarter started and the Colonists turned the ball over five times during that 10-0 Saxon run. Waldrop’s 12-footer with 2 minutes 30 seconds left in the quarter gave Loara a 41-24 lead.

“I like to play like we’re on the playground,” Waldrop said. “I just like it when we’re running up and down the court. We played them tough and then got a little confidence to make that run.”

At times Wednesday the players acted like they were, indeed, playing on the playground. Center Dan Melton, who led all scorers with 19 points and had 11 rebounds, missed five of his 11 layup attempts.

Loara made half of 46 field-goal attempts, but was one of five from behind the three-point line. Anaheim made only 13 of 56 field-goal attempts and four of 15 three-pointers.

Colonist guard Stephen Miller, one of the county’s leading scorers at 19.4 points a game, was heavily guarded all night. He finished with 14 points, but made only three of 16 field-goal attempts and missed his final eight shots.