Ocean View on right track

Round One is in the books for local prep boys’ basketball teams. In the next two weeks, championships will be decided as league races wind down.

Local teams are still in the mix for league titles. One such team is Ocean View which has won its first four games in Golden West League play quite comfortably. The Seahawks’ most recent rout came Friday at Santa Ana where they overcame a slow start to still cruise past the Saints, 70-39.

Senior guard Zamir Kelly had 19 points and five assists, sophomore guard Paul Head 14 points, senior forward Christian Anderson seven rebounds and four steals, sophomore guard Bryson Betti five rebounds and five assists, and sophomore center Mehkel Harvey eight rebounds for the Seahawks.

Ocean View, the No. 12-ranked team in CIF Southern Section Division 3A, ran its league record to 4-0 and overall mark to 17-4.

The Seahawks brought a five-game winning streak into the week.

“We had a week off between games, and came out very flat,” Ocean View co-head Coach Tim Walsh said. “Santa Ana plays hard, and they were able to make plays to keep it close early. We played well in the second half to pull away, but our challenge is to bring a strong, consistent effort every day.”

In Friday’s win, Ocean View suffered a big loss when Harvey went down with what Walsh said was a “serious” leg injury in the third quarter, adding that Harvey had surgery Monday and “it went well.”

“The surgeon was very positive about the damage and the clean break, and felt that Mehkel could be back to normal within the next few months,” Walsh said. “We are very happy that the injury wasn’t worse, but we will miss him this season.

“He is averaging 8.6 points, 8.7 rebounds, and four blocks a game, and that will be tough to replace.”

In its first four Golden West League games, Ocean View has won by an average of 37 points per game.

The Seahawks completed the first half of league play Wednesday against Westminster. The score wasn’t available at press time.

“We are obviously happy to start league play with four straight wins, but we have been inconsistent at times,” Walsh said. “We have Westminster and Segerstrom this week, and we know we are going to see their best. We need to focus on bringing a great effort and improving every day if we want to achieve our goals in league and beyond.”

The Seahawks start Round 2 of league play at 7 p.m. Friday hosting Segerstrom at 7 p.m.

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•Edison went to Fountain Valley Friday for the first of two Sunset League showdowns between the longtime rivals, and the visiting Chargers were able to come away with a 50-45 victory.

The Chargers, ranked No. 2 in CIF Southern Section Division 2AA, received 15 points and eight rebounds from junior guard Randall Walker, 14 points and nine offensive boards from senior center Tommy Barlow, and a game-high 16 points from senior guard Nate Matthews.

Edison improved to 3-1 (second place) in league and 17-4 overall.

Fountain Valley rallied from a nine-point deficit in the fourth quarter to draw even with just over two minutes remaining. Walker scored on consecutive baskets down the stretch, his final bucket coming off a steal, to break the tie score.

“Fountain Valley came out and played with a lot of energy and passion and was the better team for most of the game, but we were fortunate to make some plays at the end to pull out the victory,” Edison Coach Rich Boyce said.

Junior guard Adam Trounce scored 13 points and junior guard Matt Serven 10 points for the Barons who are 1-3 in league and 15-6 overall.

“Our guys never quit though and kept coming back at them,” Fountain Valley Coach Steve Schultz said. “I’m proud of our effort. Too many missed open shots, though. We could have pulled the upset had we hit the shots we’re supposed to.”

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•Huntington Beach came up with what Coach Billy Thompson said was a “very gutsy performance” Friday against Los Alamitos, and the Oilers gave the visiting Griffins, who lead the Sunset League race, all they could handle in a game that went down to the wire. The Griffins, ranked ninth in CIF-SS Division 1AA, were able to pull off a 64-63 victory to remain undefeated (4-0) in league play.

Senior guard Nick Karidakis and senior forward Reed Slack both scored 15 points and senior guard Sean Strom had 11 points for the Oilers in a game that featured a tie score at the end of the first three quarters of the game.

The Oilers were without leading scorer, junior guard Noah Gonzalez, and their second-leading rebounder, sophomore center Justin Brodt, for the game due to illness.

Huntington fell to 1-3 in league and 8-12 overall.

“I am so proud of the way they competed, especially without the help of two of our better players (Gonzalez, Brodt),” Thompson said of his team’s effort. “It would be so easy for our team to quit playing hard, considering the strength of our schedule and different setbacks that we have encountered, but Oilers never quit. We always compete and I am proud of them for their effort.”

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Marina hung tough with Sunset League leader Los Alamitos Tuesday but the host Griffins, ranked No. 9 in CIF-SS Division 1AA, were able to come away with a 68-55 victory to complete a 5-0 run through the first half of league play.

Marina senior forward Buzz Stafford poured in a game-high 27 points to go with 12 rebounds. The Vikings, who trailed, 30-26 at the half and were within four points of the Griffins early in the fourth quarter, dropped to 0-5 in league and 11-10 overall.

“I thought we played pretty well against the No. 2 team in the county,” Marina Coach Nick Racklin said. “Even though we lost, I think we are building some confidence.”

Marina previously was handed another tough loss in Sunset play when the Vikings were upended Friday at Newport Harbor, 53-46. The Vikings, with a chance to take the lead, missed three layup attempts with 1:30 remaining in the game.

Freshman forward Jakob Alamudun and Stafford (10 rebounds) both scored a team-high 13 points and senior guard Braden Meyers had 9 points for Marina.

“It was our best defensive performance to date, and we are improving and hungry for a spot in the CIF playoffs,” Racklin said. “We made Newport earn every shot they got, we just missed a lot of close shots we normally finish.”

Edison, Fountain Valley and Huntington played Sunset League games Wednesday but the scores weren’t available at press time.

The second-half of the Sunset season begins Friday. At 6:30 p.m., Huntington hosts Marina in the second of two Oil vs. Water league matchups. At 7 p.m., Edison hosts league-leading Los Alamitos in a key rematch, and Fountain Valley visits Newport Harbor.

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•Brethren Christian suffered through three losses in the past week.

In an Academy League game Monday in Cypress, BC lost to the Oxford Academy Patriots, 66-54. Senior center Sam Kennard turned in his second double-double performance in three days by scoring 16 points with 17 rebounds for the Warriors who dropped to 1-5 in league and 5-15 overall.

“It was a tough loss,” BC Coach Jon Bahnsen said. “We’ve been decimated by the flu bug and had two starters out sick for the game. Hopefully, we can get everyone healthy from illness and injury for the second round of league starting this Saturday.”

In a nonleague game Saturday at the Small School Showcase at Liberty Christian School in Huntington Beach, Kennard scored 13 points to go with 16 rebounds in BC’s 58-44 loss to Wildomar California Lutheran, 58-44.

The Warriors also lost to Sage Hill, 65-54, in an Academy League game Jan. 21. Sophomore guard Freddy William scored his team-high nine points on three three-point shots.

BC begins the second round of Academy League play Saturday hosting Downey Calvary Chapel at 7:30 p.m. at Ocean View High.

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CIF Weekly Rankings: Edison (No. 2, Division 2AA); Ocean View (No. 12, Division 3A); Brethren Christian (No. 16, Division 5A).