LONG BEACH — In Hollywood terms, Long Beach State’s 63-56 upset of UC Irvine on Wednesday night at the Pyramid was produced, directed by and starred point guard Colin Slater.

The junior guard had 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting, with four rebounds, three assists, two steals and no turnovers in a game that was littered with them, 16 by UCI and 15 by Long Beach.

Slater had three of the first four Long Beach baskets of the night and had a memorable series of three plays in the second half that turned a tight game into a 10-point LBSU lead and helped the hosts end the Anteaters’ 16-game winning streak in Big West Conference play (and their 14-game Big West road winning streak).

Leading 50-46, Slater slid across the lane for a short-range shot, then drove the basket and launched an off-balance one-hand shot that banked in. On the next possession, he tossed an 18-foot lob to center Josh Morgan for a thunderous dunk and 56-46 lead.

“Colin took charge down the stretch,” LBSU coach Dan Monson said, whose team improved to 7-14 overall, 2-3 in the Big West. “I told the guys that if we don’t start the game fast we’re in for a long haul, and Colin got us that start. There were crucial times throughout the game, on offense and defense, when Colin was the leader.”

Slater’s impact was thorough against a UCI team that likes to establish a rhythm. There were times when the Anteaters (11-9, 3-1) seemed frustrated with outside defense from Slater and his teammates.

“I don’t really care what (the opponent) is feeling, I’m just focusing on us and what we have to do on offense and defense,” he said. “I had to take a moment last week and check my own responsibility as a leader, and I was just focused on playing my best game.”

Slater had help. LBSU’s big men, Romelle Mansel (five points, five rebounds, two blocked shots), Morgan (seven points, six rebounds, two blocks) and Trever Irish (eight points) were active inside against UCI’s fleet of big men. Chance Hunter added 11 points for LBSU, which shot 46.2 percent from the field (24 for 52).

UCI shot a season-low 33.9 percent from the field and lost the rebounding battle (39-28) for the second consecutive game. Evan Leonard had 14 points and Tommy Rutherford and John Edgar Jr. had 10 each. Eyassu Worku was 2-for-10 shooting and leading scorer Collin Welp (14 ppg) was held to two points on 1-for-10 shooting, though he did add team-highs of eight rebounds and five assists.

UCI had not lost a Big West game since Jan. 16, 2019 (to Long Beach) and had not dropped a Big West road game since Jan. 20, 2018 (at UC Santa Barbara).

“Credit to Long Beach,” UCI coach Russ Turner said. “They outplayed us and intimidated us and played harder on the glass.”

UCI did have a lot of shots that rimmed out, but the Anteaters were just 5 for 26 from 3-point range (19 percent) and lost the battle for loose balls.

“We have been shockingly inconsistent at times this year,” Turner added. “We have to be better.”

“We’re a team that’s struggled on offense,” Monson said of his team. “UC Irvine is the gold standard in the league and it’s nice to get back on track against the cream of the league.

“We had a lot of guys contribute, which is what we have to do this season as young as we are. It’s great to see them show what they can do.”

The Anteaters got off to an uncharacteristically slow start, missing their first three shots and turning the ball over four times as Long Beach opened a 14-6 lead. UCI scored eight straight to tie the score, and the rest of the half was a back-and-forth, intense physical game with neither team unable to secure a rhythm.

Long Beach led 25-23 at halftime, then scored the first 10 points of the second half, UCI again missing its first three shots and turnovers by Leonard and Edgar leading to fast-break baskets.

UCI drew within four but then committed fouls on four consecutive plays and Long Beach extended its margin back to nine points. A Rutherford basket got UCI within 46-44 with 8:22 left, but Irish hit consecutive short-range jumpers and Slater scored on drives to the basket, the last an off-balance one-handed shot to give Long Beach a 54-46 lead with 3:22 left. Morgan then dunked on a lob from Slater to make it 56-46 with three minutes left.

UP NEXT

UC Irvine hosts Cal Poly on Saturday at 7 p.m. Long Beach plays at UC Riverside on Jan. 30.

Colin Slater with the AND ONE! Beach on top 54-46 as Slater now with 14 and the chance to put the Beach up nine. #GoBeach pic.twitter.com/HhUWCmfnGK

— LBSU Mens Basketball (@LBSUhoops) January 23, 2020

Splash! New career high on this slick move from Trever Irish who now has eight points. Beach up six, just under seven minutes to go. #GoBeach pic.twitter.com/V2NgP5dDtj

— LBSU Mens Basketball (@LBSUhoops) January 23, 2020

Isaiah cuts into the lead!

Catch the game on ESPN3Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.https://t.co/NSJIIBck89 pic.twitter.com/TdcxSBiGPa

— UCI Men's Basketball (@UCImbb) January 23, 2020

Beach on a 10-0 run after this steal and bucket from Colin Slater! The junior leads the Beach with 10 as LBSU on top 35-23 forcing a UCI timeout. #GoBeach pic.twitter.com/xdXHPwxKq4

— LBSU Mens Basketball (@LBSUhoops) January 23, 2020

Hear from Coach Turner following tonight’s game against Long BeachImage may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. pic.twitter.com/J8fgFWcN1y

— UCI Men's Basketball (@UCImbb) January 23, 2020

Preview and prediction for the top girls basketball game of the week

(The rankings are Orange County rankings and the records are through Wednesday.)

NO. 2 MATER DEI (20-2, 4-1) VS. NO. 1 ROSARY (16-8, 4-0)

Where, when: Rosary High, Thursday, 7 p.m.

Outlook: There’s plenty at stake after Rosary won the teams’ first game 65-55, snapping the Monarchs’ 90-game Trinity League winning streak. The Royals can take a major step toward their first undefeated league title since 2005 with a victory while the Monarchs need a win to stay in contention for a 13th consecutive league title.

Rosary won the first encounter behind the guard trio of Nicole Rodriguez, Kaylee Byon and Asia Avinger and its switching defense. Mater Dei struggled to mark all three players, who offer plenty of drives and perimeter shooting. It was a bitter pill for the defensive-minded Monarchs, who like to trap and press. The Monarchs don’t seem to have many options against the trio. If Rodriguez, Byon and Avinger are on, Rosary is tough to beat, especially at home. If that’s the case, Mater Dei will have to play better offensively to win. The Monarchs struggled with turnovers in the first encounter and were unable to capitalize enough on Brooke Demetre’s height size advantage inside. She was the X-factor last season. Look for Mater Dei to attack the perimeter more aggressively, perhaps utilizing the size of some of its reserves. If the Monarchs can get Rosary in foul trouble, take care of the ball better and find production inside, they can make this a very close game. Achieving all three of the goals might be asking too much but Mater Dei has another advantage: the revenge factor.

Prediction: Mater Dei

CARSON — Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez is no stranger to soccer fans around the world.

The all-time leading goal scorer for the Mexican national team has played on some of the world’s biggest clubs like Manchester United and Real Madrid.

The long journey that he’s been on since leaving Chivas de Guadalajara in 2010 has finally led him to the United States and Major League Soccer, joining the Galaxy.

Hernandez, 31, was welcomed to Los Angeles by a large crowd of Galaxy fans at LAX on Wednesday night, then on Thursday he met his teammates for the first time and spoke to a crowded room of media at an introductory news conference.

“I’ve been playing in this country with my national team since I was 16 years, I’ve been treated with a lot of value and a lot of respect,” Hernandez said. “I want that. … It’s coming from the best club in the USA and speaking about the effort that they did to bring me, speaks about that value, that respect and that admiration that they have in me and the confidence especially.

“Why not take this opportunity? From my point of view, it’s a win, win, win every time. You can see the expectation, you see all of the news because I’m here and the only thing I need to do is enjoy it and give them that confidence back and try and score as many goals as I can.”

The top priority for the Galaxy front office this offseason was to find a replacement for departed Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Ibrahimovic scored 53 goals during his two seasons with the Galaxy before returning to Europe.

Trying to replicate 53 goals is difficult, but the Galaxy believes Hernandez is the right player to fill Ibrahimovic’s shoes.

“I’m very emotional always and right now I am because it’s a very important move for the league and a very important move for my career,” Hernandez said.

Hernandez moved from West Ham United of the English Premier League to Sevilla in Spain’s La Liga. The move didn’t go the way Hernandez hoped, though. He made just 15 appearances and scored just three goals.

“Every move, every step that I did was always motivated, very excited and glad,” Hernandez said. “I’m very motivated. I’ve never been a selfish player. I’m completely motivated. You can see how all of this is creating in the MLS and in Mexico, it’s incredible.

“When you give someone so much, he doesn’t have any excuse not to deliver. Imagine they’re treating me like this, salary-wise, teammates, everything is giving, giving, what excuse am I going to have?”

Hernandez is signed to a three-year contract with an option for a fourth.

“With Zlatan (Ibrahimovic) being phenomenal here in MLS is something we have to (have respect) for,” Galaxy general manager Dennis te Kloese said. “Now after the season, there are a few prolific strikers in the world and one of them is Javier Hernandez.

“We’ve always approached it for on the field analysis. With Cristian (Pavon) on the field, with the possibility to bring in Alex (Aleksandar Katai) from Chicago, with Jonathan (dos Santos), Joe (Corona), Sacha Kljestan, Sebastian (Lletget) being able to provide a lot of support offensively, you can have a striker that is difficult to defend close to the goal, makes a lot of sense to us.”

The immediate debate is whether Hernandez’s signing is the biggest in MLS since David Beckham arrived in 2007.

Galaxy president Chris Klein was a player during Beckham’s early career with the club.

“This is certainly a big signing for the Galaxy and our league,” he said. “David was much different. He was first and he came at a time when I don’t know that our league was ready.

“When we stand here today and bring in a player like Javier in, it is meaningful to us as a club. Certainly, what he means to the Mexican community, a large community here in L.A., makes it a little bit different. Javier was at the top of our list, so to have that in this moment and where we are in this country, with where our club is and how our league is growing, makes it (this signing) significant. … So different than David (Beckham) but possibly equally as significant.”

More than once, Hernandez described himself as “motivated” and “excited” for the new opportunity. With his family sitting in the front row, he seemed content with the move and the challenges ahead.

“We want to bring the championship here,” he said. “I’m happy. I just want to play and this league is giving me that opportunity.”

First day at the office for @CH14_ Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. pic.twitter.com/sWuxjY6cFN

— LA Galaxy (@LAGalaxy) January 24, 2020

Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. Welcome home, @CH14_! pic.twitter.com/Ikmj9IOhdw

— LA Galaxy (@LAGalaxy) January 23, 2020

Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. CH14 MANIA Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. pic.twitter.com/udQvq3L8F5

— LA Galaxy (@LAGalaxy) January 23, 2020

It should be raining.

Maybe not at this exact moment, but January and February are when Southern California usually gets almost half of its annual precipitation.

Instead, 2020 is off to a dry start, and meteorologists aren’t seeing any indications that will change in the next month. While a couple of dry winter months don’t make a drought, they could turn spring and summer into particularly bad fire seasons.

“It means we’ll probably get more intense fires in the summer, and more grass fires in the spring,” U.S. Forest Service meteorologist Matt Shameson said.

The water year begins Oct. 1 and it started well, thanks to a few big storms in late November and December, most notably a deluge the day after Christmas. At that point, much of Southern California had received twice as much precipitation as the average for three months into a water year, according to data from the National Weather Service.

Since then, however, the skies have dried up.

Most of Southern California gets 2-3 inches of rain in a typical January; foothill communities can get twice that amount. So far this month, most of the region has received only a few tenths or hundredths of an inch. Out of about 75 weather monitoring stations with good precipitation data, only four — in San Bernardino, Idyllwild, Saugus and Culver City — had recorded more a half-inch through Thursday, Jan. 23.

No big storms 

The precipitation totals since Oct. 1 are now pretty close to average, give or take. (Long Beach is faring among the best, with about 30% more than normal.)

But they won’t stay there for long without some stronger storms. And the Forest Service meteorologists who help fire departments prepare for what’s to come don’t see a good chance of that happening.

“Most likely, we’ve seen our big rain for the season,” Shameson said.

A ridge of high pressure off the California coast is expected to remain strong for the next two to four weeks, keeping away the kinds of big soaking storms that pummeled the state last year.

The extraordinary 2019 rainy season led to an abundance of vegetation growth, built up the Sierra snowpack and replenished reservoirs. That was great news for California’s water supply managers, who remain happy about the outlook this year.

Fire outlook

But while Southern California did see some devastating wildfires in 2019, relatively little vegetation burned. Significant-sized fires burned only about 66,000 acres in central and Southern California last year, Shameson said. Average is about 300,000 acres.

So even if there’s below-average vegetation growth this year, Shameson said, “We have all the fuel from last year that didn’t burn.”

It’s still too early to predict spring precipitation, but a Forest Service seasonal outlook said to expect above-average temperatures and a normal amount of offshore Santa Ana winds.

If the combination of less rainfall and higher temperatures than usual causes vegetation to dry out a few weeks earlier than usual, those winds could compound the problem.

Santa Ana wind season usually lingers into early May, so having all that fuel dry out before the winds go away could create an above-normal potential for large fires in Southern California during April, the Forest Service outlook warned.

The way things are going, Shameson said, the region could start seeing thousand-acre grass fires by April.

Cal Fire leaders are keeping a close eye on conditions, said Chief Glenn Barley, head of the Cal Fire unit in San Bernardino County, and will staff up and start moving resources into place when weather and fuel conditions indicate it’s necessary.

“We’re always looking ahead, always looking to be prepared regardless of what’s being forecasted,” he said.

Of course, he noted, Southern California can have destructive fires regardless of seasonal weather trends.

“Particularly with fall fires, if we get a week of wind … we can have significant fire activity that sort of defines that year,” he said.

Barley said that just like firefighters have to be prepared, residents do, too. That means keeping their property cleaned up, removing vegetation and other materials around their homes that could catch an ember and start a fire.

“That gives them their best opportunity to protect their property, and help us protect their property, as well,” Barley said.

Water conservation

Southern California usually gets 75% of its annual precipitation in December through March — and 45% in just January and February.

While missing out on that rainfall this year wouldn’t be good, “One bad year doesn’t put us into a drought,” California Department of Water Resources spokesman Chris Orrock said.

Still, he said, “It’s not if, it’s when the next drought is going to come.”

That’s why water conservation should be a way of life for everyone regardless of the year’s rainfall, Orrock said, from turning off the faucet while you’re brushing your teeth to watering your yard less often.

“Doing little things now, when we have water, will mean a lot when the next drought comes,” he said.

The three passengers and pilot who died this week in a plane crash in Corona were identified Thursday by the Riverside County Coroner’s Office.

Joseph ZIngali, 85, of Torrance; Teresa Rodriguez, 63, of Whittier; Daniel Rodriguez, 70, of Whittier; and Paula Mitchell, 61, of La Mirada, all died when a Beech Bonanza went down shortly after takeoff at Corona Municipal Airport at around noon Wednesday.

The coroner’s office listed the time of death as 12:40 p.m. for all four occupants.

It was not immediately clear who the pilot was at the time of the crash.

National Transportation Safety Board investigators spent part of Thursday examining the burned wreckage of the single-engine airplane that crashed during takeoff from Corona Municipal Airport.

According to Corona police, fire crews reached the crash site within 10 minutes and found the plane engulfed in flames, which were doused after burning about a quarter-acre of brush. No homes or other structures were in the immediate vicinity.

A Corona Fire Department spokesman said that the Bonanza had been topped off with 80 gallons of fuel. The plane hit a fence after rising only a few feet from the runway surface, causing it to cartwheel onto vacant property owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Witnesses said that the pilot appeared unable to rotate the plane as he approached the runway edge. Corona Municipal Airport’s single general aviation runway is only 3,200 feet long, and is bounded at both ends by thick brush, with power lines on the east end of the field.

A preliminary NTSB report on the crash will likely be published next week.

The airport was reopened on Thursday afternoon, according to the Corona Fire Department.

LA JOLLA — With profuse apologies to our friends in the Coachella Valley, it must be said: The PGA Tour’s 2020 season began in earnest Thursday at Torrey Pines.

The autumn events that ostensibly begin the tour are teases, in a sense. The money and the FedEx Cup points are official, but the fields don’t include all of the big guys. The first three events after New Year’s, too, are limited; the Tournament of Champions at Kapalua is a select field of 34 event winners from the previous year, while the Sony Open in Honolulu and The American Express at La Quinta – you know, Bob Hope’s tournament – include some stars, but hardly all of them.

Now check the leaderboard here at the Farmers Insurance Open. Five of the top 10 in the World Golf Rankings are on it. No. 2 Rory McIlroy, playing his first tournament round since Nov. 3, navigated the North Course on Thursday in a 5-under-par 67, a shot behind first-day co-leaders Sebastian Cappelen and Keegan Bradley. No. 3 Jon Rahm shot a 68 at the North Course, and No. 6 Tiger Woods – who has the most fervent gallery whether he’s ranked No. 6 or No. 266 – birdied two of the last five holes to come in at 69.

For most of the afternoon, there was hazy sunshine. Once Woods, Rahm and La Cañada’s Collin Morikawa finished, a little before 3 p.m., heavy fog started to roll in. Is that one of the perks of stardom?

“We waited there for probably 20-30 minutes, and thankfully it cleared up,” said Bradley, who was three holes from the finish when the visibility grew worse. “There was a point where literally, you couldn’t see 20 feet in front of you, it was that thick.”

“It just felt like Torrey, seeing that fog come in,” Phil Mickelson said.

All in all, 12 of the top 30 and 22 of the top 60 are playing this tournament, which also will feature the first network TV exposure of the season when CBS takes over for the Golf Channel on the weekend. Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson and Justin Thomas are no-shows among the top five but I don’t get the sense they’re missed that much, considering the size of the galleries on the grounds Thursday.

McIlroy would topple Koepka from the No. 1 spot with a victory here. There is never an easy time to start your season, but the Northern Irishman was happy with his round Thursday considering that it was his first of the year and that he was working with a driver that he tossed into his bag after discarding the one he’d used in Wednesday’s pro-am.

“It’s funny, you know,” he said. “You go through that testing process at the start of the year with new equipment. There’s things that seem really good on the range, but once you actually play some rounds with them competitively and try to hit certain shots, things sort of, I guess, appear.”

For what it’s worth, McIlroy averaged 309 yards off the tee on Thursday, hit 78.57 percent of his fairways and needed 28 putts. (One of his birdies came from the fringe.)

What are his expectations for that first round of the new year?

“I don’t know if there are any expectations,” he said. “It’s just more, you know, see where your game is. You hope to see some good stuff in practice and then hopefully those good things you see translate onto the golf course and into some decent scores.

“I guess it was nice today that it did translate. The stuff that I’ve been seeing at home and in practice, I was able to continue that out onto the golf course.”

McIlroy might not have played a competitive round for 2½ months, but he’d had time to work on his game and gear up for his return. It is harder for him, he said, to take a break during the season and then recapture his game.

“You’re on a run of playing golf, you take two weeks off and it sort of stops any momentum you have,” he said. “From a standing start, which I’m sort of starting with, I think I’m pretty good, but if I have some momentum in a season and I stop for a couple weeks and then come back, I seem to struggle a little bit doing that.”

Cappelen, a 29-year-old from Denmark who played at Arkansas, was high on the leaderboard at La Quinta last week and finished in a tie for sixth. He had eight birdies on the South Course, the tougher of Torrey Pines’ two layouts, after having only walked the back nine. There might have been moments where he had flashbacks to last week’s 21 birdies and two eagles in the desert. But there is, of course, a difference.

“The fairways are narrow out here, and you’ll hit good drives that don’t go in the fairway and you’ll just have to accept that,” he said. “The greens are forgiving enough that if you get the line in the rough to get it on the green, you can actually put it on the green, where I’m sure it will be a lot different next summer.”

That was a sly reference to the U.S. Open, which returns to Torrey Pines in 2021. The last time it was here, in 2008, Tiger Woods won his 14th major in a Monday 18-hole playoff with Rocco Mediate that went into a sudden-death hole … while playing with a torn ACL and a stress fracture of his left tibia.

Woods has won eight tournaments here – including a Junior Worlds, as he pointed out to an interviewer who asked him about what it would be like to break the PGA Tour record for victories by winning his 83rd here.

“I have a lot of great memories here,” he said. “This was my first tournament I ever went to with my dad, the old Andy Williams (tournament), so we’ve been coming down here a long time. I’ve played here since I was single digits in age, all the way through. This golf course has a lot of great memories, and hopefully tomorrow I can piece all that together again like I did today.”

No wonder this course is one of his favorites. Even the fog cooperates with him.

NEW YORK — Not even the crowd at Barclays Center could contain themselves. Everyone freaked out the moment Jared Dudley’s 3-pointer splashed in to beat the third-quarter buzzer off a three-quarter-court scoop pass from Rajon Rondo.

But no reaction was more outsized than that of the Lakers, who immediately showered their 34-year-old “15th man” with congratulations as if he had just hit a game-winner. Anthony Davis dashed over to bump him. Then Troy Daniels. Then Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. LeBron James jumped into him twice – after the first one, Dudley had to spin around once to fully recover.

“I’m surprised Rondo threw it to me over the top of my shoulder, back to my tight end days in flag football,” he said. “I knew it was good coming off. … A big turning point to make it a double-digit game.”

After a blowout loss on Monday and a grinding win on Wednesday, the Lakers (36-9) had lacked a certain kind of spirit, slogging through the dog days of the season. Dudley sparked something within them, capping a 9-0 Lakers run to close the third quarter that gave them a 10-point lead and lighting the fuse that ignited a 17-2 run to begin the fourth quarter after they resumed play – a full flex of the Lakers’ considerable muscle for a 128-113 win over the Nets.

The Lakers had more energy and pace than they showed in the previous two games, no one more so than James who finished with his 10th triple-double of the season (27 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists). They rained down 19 3-pointers upon their hosts, shooting 50 percent from deep.

Davis was questionable entering the matchup, but he played through some discomfort in his bruised backside. He had 16 points on 4-for-9 shooting, but his most impressive highlight was a sky-high block of a shot by Kyrie Irving (20 points).

The idea, Davis said, was to grit through the second game of a back-to-back where muscles typically tire and spirits dampen. The Lakers have now swept all six back-to-backs they’ve played this season.

“We just tried not to fall into the trap of being tired or anything of that nature,” he said. “Not having fresh legs. Everybody plays back-to-backs. Guys have been in the league a long time, know how it feels. I think it makes us lock in a lot more, we knew it was probably going to be tight on a back-to-back, but we just try to fight through it and come up with wins.”

With JaVale McGee missing the start with flu-like symptoms, the starting center job fell to Dwight Howard, who made his biggest impact in the first half, finishing with 14 points and 12 rebounds.

Danny Green made three 3-pointers in the first four minutes of the third, pushing the Lakers’ lead to 88-75, but the Nets had it down to 95-94 after a 3-pointer by Irving with 49 seconds remaining. But then Davis and Rajon Rondo hit 3-pointers before Dudley, who played in Brooklyn last season, hit his shot from near the Nets’ bench to beat the buzzer and make it 104-94.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope made it four straight 3-pointers to open the fourth, extending the lead back to 13. James then scored eight in the quarter before taking a seat for good.

James said he wasn’t trying to get too ahead of that moment – the 76ers have said they will stop the game to honor him if it happens.

“I don’t think about it going into it saying, ‘OK, this is what I got to do. This is how many points I need, this is how many assists I need,’” he said. “When it happens, it happens. If it happens. And, so, I don’t know how I’m going to feel when it happens. But it’s a pretty cool thing, you’re just linked with one of the greatest of all time.”

There was a different kind of thrill for the Lakers afterward: They gaggled around former president Bill Clinton, sitting among the courtside audience. Several players and coaches strode over to shake his hand – James delved in for a hug. James called Clinton, along with Barack Obama, one of “my presidents” and someone he’s long admired.

“I know you all get sick and tired of hearing about the kid from Akron, but you have no idea where I come from and the odds that were stacked up against me,” James said. “So to be able to have moments where I could shake the president of the United States’ hands or just be on a first-name basis. It’s just crazy.”

Allow us to bless your timeline with this @JaredDudley619 buzzer-beater. #LakeShow pic.twitter.com/oxYxr9YwKO

— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) January 24, 2020

"LA, this was for you." @JaredDudley619 with @LakersReporter on his buzzer-beating three and the #Lakers sweeping another back-to-back. pic.twitter.com/9s9b9kHtAT

— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) January 24, 2020

27 PTS | 12 REB | 10 AST

The King couldn’t be stopped against the Nets Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. pic.twitter.com/snR6pYdvr9

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) January 24, 2020

"Whichever team decided to lock in defensively was going to win." Frank Vogel with @LakersReporter on the #Lakers' shift in defensive intensity and the bench providing a boost. pic.twitter.com/1sHs9qYMsY

— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) January 24, 2020

AD & Kyrie exchange words after a BIG block by The Brow Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. pic.twitter.com/U4CrqmFnF1

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) January 24, 2020

AD incoming Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. pic.twitter.com/cKBvKZ5cgo

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) January 24, 2020

“I don’t know if I like him like that.”

AD isn’t a lock for LeBron’s first pick Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. pic.twitter.com/aSETNTWibL

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) January 24, 2020

They staged the Bricks and Mortar show Thursday night at Gulfstream Park as the connections for the brilliant turf standout stole the show at the 49th annual Eclipse Awards dinner.

Bricks and Mortar, the 6-year-old retired son of Giant’s Causeway, was a runaway winner for Horse of the Year. He received 204 first-place votes to Mitole’s 19 and 14 for Maximum Security. Midnight Bisou, Omaha Beach and Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Vino Rosso received one apiece. One voter abstained.

It was a clean sweep for the members of Team Bricks and Mortar:

• Irad Ortiz Jr., who rode the horse in all six of his 2019 races, was voted an Eclipse Award as top jockey for the second consecutive year. He established a record for earnings with more than $34 million and won 11 Grade I races.
• Chad Brown made it four consecutive titles as top trainer, tying Todd Pletcher, Bobby Frankel and Lazaro Barrera for the most in succession. It was also the fourth consecutive year he’s led all trainers in earnings.
• Seth Klarman and William Lawrence were voted the Eclipse Award for top owners, and George Strawbridge Jr., who bred Bricks and Mortar, came home with the top prize in that category.

It’s only the second time in 49 years, and the first since John Henry in 1981, that the Horse of the Year connections swept all four human categories. Most of them were one-sided, with only the race for top breeder close. Strawbridge received 122 votes to runner-up Calumet Farm’s 94.

In 1981, Chris McCarron (jockey), Ron McAnally (trainer), the Dotsam Stable (owner) of Sam and Dorothy Rubin and Golden Chance Farm (breeder) swept the awards during John Henry’s Horse of the Year campaign.

Klarman gave much of the credit for Bricks and Mortar’s remarkable success, which included a 6-0 record with five Grade I victories, to Brown. Bricks and Mortar’s victories came at six different tracks in six different states. He won the inaugural Pegasus World Cup Turf at Gulfstream Park in January.

“Chad is a uniquely determined person,” Klarman said. “He’s always eager to learn, and filled with the grit and tenacity it takes to keep getting better. It’s never luck when you see Chad in the winner’s circle. It’s intensity, preparation, a man, a plan and a highly functioning team.

“I believe Chad and I are a great team, but I mean that in the sense that Chad and anybody are a great team. Chad in effect manages my stable, most of the buying and selling, the training facilities, the breeding decisions. Chad is a five-star, full-service trainer.”

Bricks and Mortar was also a unanimous winner as top male turf horse. He’s retired to stud at Japan’s Shadai Farm.

The only local winner on the night was the Peter Eurton-trained Storm the Court, who easily won for best 2-year-old male. The Court Vision colt, scheduled to make his 3-year-old debut in the Grade II San Vicente Stakes at Santa Anita on Feb. 9, won the award on the strength of his victory in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at 45-1.

“There are many people who have contributed to this colt’s special moment … Peter Eurton did an incredible job with Storm,” owner Ryan Exline said. “Peter’s an excellent horseman, but more so he’s like family to us. He has continually delivered us success on the biggest of stages and we’re lucky to have him on our team.”It’s great to bring this (award) back to California.”

Brad Cox-trained horses won three Eclipse Awards — Covfefe for best female sprinter and top 3-year-old filly, and British Idiom for top 2-year-old filly.

Other winners included:

• Maximum Security as top 3-year-old male. He won the Florida Derby, became the first horse to win the Kentucky Derby and be disqualified because of an infraction on the track, and then followed with wins in the Haskell Invitational and Cigar Mile. He’s scheduled to run in the $20 million Saudi Cup on Feb. 29 and then will begin a career at stud.
• The Eclipse for older dirt male went to Vino Rosso, who dominated while winning the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita. He also won the Gold Cup at Santa Anita earlier in the year and crossed the wire first in the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park but was disqualified to second because of interference in the stretch.
• Midnight Bisou, thought by many to be a strong candidate for Horse of the Year until a second-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff, took home top honors for older dirt female. The 5-year-old mare’s connections have ticketed her for a full campaign in 2020, which is scheduled to start in the Saudi Cup versus males.
• Uni, also trained by Brown, was voted best female grass horse after a campaign that saw her go three for four in 2019, including a victory in the Breeders’ Cup Mile against males.
• Breeders’ Cup Sprint winner Mitole won an Eclipse for top male sprinter, earning 236 of 241 votes. He also finished second in top older male, receiving 108 votes to Vino Rosso’s 129.
• Japan’s Kazushi Kimura won the award for best apprentice jockey in the closest race of the night. He received 74 votes to runner-up Julio Correa’s 60.

Follow Art Wilson on Twitter at @Sham73

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FULLERTON — Mater Dei’s girls basketball team had a few answers for Rosary on Thursday night, but the biggest one arrived with just 1.1 seconds left in fourth quarter.

Before a passionate and overflow crowd, Brooke Demetre put back her offensive rebound for a basket with 1.1 seconds remaining to lift the No. 2 Monarchs past top-ranked Rosary 64-62 in a high-octane Trinity League game at Rosary High.

Rosary (16-9, 4-1), which defeated Mater Dei in the teams’ first meeting, called time out after Demetre’s basket, but Ayanna Johnson stole the inbound pass at midcourt, igniting a celebration by the Monarchs (21-2, 5-1).

Brook Demetre puts in the winning basket for Mater Dei in a 64-62 win over Rosary. Great game by both teams @ocvarsity @ocvarsityguy pic.twitter.com/7L6wGDooIe

— Steve Fryer (@SteveFryer) January 24, 2020

“They stuck together,” Mater Dei coach Kevin Kiernan said of his squad, which had its 90-game league winning streak snapped by Rosary on Jan. 7. “Rosary took our best shot and kept coming. It definitely wasn’t easy, but I told them before the game, nothing worthwhile is easy. If you want to compete for a league title and beat this team at Rosary, it’s not going to be easy. … They were very happy after the game.”

After Rosary missed the front end of a 1-and-1 attempt at the foul line with 30 seconds left, Demetre followed a driving layup attempt by freshman point guard Caia Elisaldez to grab the rebound. She quickly shot and made the biggest basket of her Mater Dei career.

The junior finished with 17 points and eight rebounds, a major upgrade from her six-point output in the 65-55 loss to Rosary in the teams’ first meeting.

“Brooke stepped up,” Rosary coach Rich Yoon said.

Mater Dei’s bench also supplied an answer, outscoring Rosary’s bench 18-0 for the second consecutive showdown. Anna Bradley made three of the Monarchs’ seven 3-pointers en route to 12 points. Johnson added a late block and layup off an assist by Alyssa Durazo-Frescas to tie the score at 60.

“Everyone contributing,” Demetre said. “We want to win a championship and that’s what we’re going to do. This is a great momentum swing.”

Point guard Asia Avinger led Rosary with 20 points, including a spectacular, driving layup in the third quarter that she finished with a reverse touch while being fouled.

Avinger converted the three-point play. In the fourth, she made similar three-point conversion on a end-to-end burst that gave Rosary a 60-56 lead with 3:39 left.

“She’s special,” Kiernan said of Avinger.

How good was ⁦@AsiaAvinger⁩? This was her 2nd BEST basket of gm. It’s a great play but she had one in 3rd that was even better, I didn’t record that one but ⁦@McDAAG⁩ you get the idea ⁦@rosarysports⁩ ⁦@MaterDeiGBB⁩ ⁦@SteveFryer⁩ ⁦@HaroldAbend⁩ pic.twitter.com/NQCtnMDjwi

— Dan Albano (@ocvarsityguy) January 24, 2020

Kaylee Byon gave Rosary its final lead at 62-60 with a scooping, finger-rolled layup — similar to the one she made in the first game — with 1:15 left in the fourth.

The Monarchs charged the finish, scoring the final four points of the game.

Rosary’s Nicole Rodriguez made five 3-pointers en route to 15 points while Byon added 13 points, all in the second half.

Mater Dei and Rosary each have to play JSerra one more time, but without an upset, they could finish tied for the league title and both head to the Open Division for the CIF-SS playoffs.

CORVALLIS, Ore. — With the game in the balance, UCLA’s Chris Smith wasn’t about to settle for perimeter jumpers.

The 6-foot-9 guard scored nine of his 15 points down the stretch, leading UCLA to a 62-58 victory over Oregon State on Thursday night.

Smith’s three-point play with 4:23 remaining put the Bruins (10-9 overall, 3-3 Pac-12) in front to stay.

“At that point in the game, Coach (Mick) Cronin told me, ‘somebody’s gotta be able to drive to the cup,’” said Smith, the Bruins’ leading scorer this season. “I was attacking, so the right play was to get fouled. … I was just trying to do whatever I could to get a win for the guys.”

Smith, who was limited to just 17 minutes of court time due to foul trouble, was 4 for 6 from the field and 7 for 9 at the free-throw line. UCLA made its last nine free-throw attempts in the final 1:50 to stay in front.

“I was calling his number,” Cronin said of Smith. “He stepped up, got the ball in the paint and made sure that he got to the foul line.”

Zach Reichle made two free throws with 11.6 seconds left that brought Oregon State (12-7, 2-5) to within one point at 56-55.

Jalen Hill then made two free throws for UCLA, his first points of the game.

Tyger Campbell fouled Oregon State’s Ethan Thompson with 6.6 seconds left, preventing him from attempting a 3-pointer that could have tied the score.

Thompson made both free throws, cutting the lead to one.

Hill went back to the line at the 5.4-second mark and came through again with two free throws.

Thompson made one of two free throws with 3.1 seconds remaining, and UCLA’s Jules Bernard converted two free throws for UCLA to seal the win.

The Bruins play at No. 12 Oregon (16-4, 5-2) on Sunday.

“We’re gonna use this momentum, roll into Eugene, and try to keep the defensive effort up because that’s what got us to win tonight,” Smith said.

UCLA turned in a strong defensive performance against Tres Tinkle, holding the Pac-12’s second-leading scorer to 17 points on 4-for-14 shooting.

Jaime Jaquez Jr. added 14 points and four of the Bruins’ season-high 13 steals, and Jules Bernard also was in double figures with 11 points.

Thompson joined Tinkle in double figures for Oregon State with 14 points. Reichle hit three 3-pointers in the opening minutes and finished with 12 points.

“We’ve just gotta find a way to defend when we need to defend no matter what (defense) we’re in,” Oregon State coach Wayne Tinkle said.

UCLA opened the second half on a 13-2 run and took its biggest lead at 39-26 on Jaquez Jr.’s fast-break layup with 15:05 remaining.

Tinkle scored inside and Alfred Hollins hit a 3-pointer, cutting the lead to 42-36.

Thompson’s three-point play brought the Beavers within two points at 43-41.

Oregon State took its first lead since early in the game at 44-43 with 7:21 remaining on Tinkle’s three-point play, culminating an 18-4 run.

UCLA led 27-24 at the break and had held Tinkle without a basket. Oregon State connected on just 31.6 percent of its shots in the first half and was outrebounded 18-10.

NOTES

UCLA improved to 2-1 in Pac-12 road games. … Smith entered Thursday’s game as the only Bruins player averaging 10 points or more, but three Bruins were in double figures against the Beavers. … Oregon State coach Wayne Tinkle changed his starting lineup for the first time this season, going with guard Sean Miller-Moore in place of forward Alfred Hollins. … Tres Tinkle extended his double-figure scoring streak to 84 games, second in program history behind Mel Counts’ mark of 89.

UP NEXT

UCLA will be at No. 12 Oregon on Sunday at 2 p.m.

Oregon State hosts USC on Saturday at 2 p.m.

How about some highlights from that #Pac12Hoops road win? Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.#GoBruins pic.twitter.com/Aoq2wvVQAl

— UCLA Men’s Basketball (@UCLAMBB) January 24, 2020

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LOS ALAMITOS — The Surf League girls soccer match between Corona del Mar and Los Alamitos on Thursday at Los Alamitos High School wound up being a ball-control clinic put on by the Griffins.

Los Alamitos also set the tone with an early goal and went on to a 3-0 victory over the Sea Kings.

With Huntington Beach defeating Edison 2-0 on Thursday, the Griffins (19-3-3, 2-0-1) are in first place by themselves and the only undefeated team in league after the first round of league matches.

The Griffins, ranked No. 2 in CIF-SS Division 1, behind Upland, play host to the Chargers on Tuesday, Jan. 28 in a match that will likely have a huge impact in determining the eventual league champion. The teams played to a 2-2 tie in their first meeting on Jan. 16.

Corona del Mar (11-3-2, 1-2), ranked No. 8 in Division 1, had been on a roll, but has now lost two in a row. The Sea Kings will play a key Surf League contest against the Oilers (7-7-5, 1-2) on Tuesday.

The Griffins exhibited superior passing skills and dictated the tempo through much of the first half.

“That’s kind of our identity as a team,” Los Alamitos forward Colby Barnett said. “We have a lot of confidence on the ball.”

Marissa Salazar scored on a bullet of a shot from about 25 yards out to give the Griffins a 1-0 lead seven minutes into the match.

“It helps so much,” Los Alamitos coach Pat Rossi said of the early goal. “It settles the team down.”

In the 19th minute, Barnett made the score 2-0 on a perfectly-placed, high-arcing goal from a difficult angle into the left side of the net.

“I was originally planning to cross it in,” Barnett said. “Then I saw the space and I kind of curved it into the back corner.”

Lauren Jewett kicked a line drive through traffic and into the net in the 31st minute to make the score 3-0.

In the final minute of the first half, Corona del Mar Megan Chelf came close to scoring, but her hard-struck ball sailed over the net.

Corona del Mar did a better job of pressuring the Griffins defense in the second half.

“We came in a little bit panicked and it showed,” said Corona del Mar coach Bryan Middleton, whose team was coming off a 1-0 loss to Edison on Tuesday. “It was a tale of two halves.”

EUGENE, Ore. — USC staged a remarkable rally in a hostile environment on Thursday night, but the Trojans couldn’t quite finish the job against 12th-ranked Oregon in a tense battle between Pac-12 contenders.

Chris Duarte had 30 points, 11 rebounds and eight steals, and Oregon outlasted USC 79-70 in double overtime on Thursday night.

The Trojans had used a 17-2 run to take a four-point lead with 1:24 left in regulation, but they could not avoid overtime, and the Ducks eventually got the better of them.

“We’ve played a few close games this year. We won three or four close ones,” USC coach Andy Enfield said. “We were right there and we lost. It hurts when you lose a game and have a chance.”

Oregon’s Payton Pritchard added 24 points and seven assists, becoming the first Pac-12 player to reach 1,500 career points, 600 assists and 500 rebounds. When the achievement was noted on the video scoreboard at Matthew Knight Arena in the second half, the crowd gave the senior guard a standing ovation.

Pritchard is just the sixth player in Pac-12 history with 1,500 points and 600 assists, joining Oregon State’s Gary Payton, Arizona’s Damon Stoudamire and Jason Gardner, USC’s Jordan McLaughlin and UCLA’s Tyus Edney.

Oregon (16-4, 5-2) led by 11 in the second half before USC rallied with the 17-2 run to take a 62-58 lead, capped by Jonah Mathews’ 3-pointer with 1:24 left.

C.J. Walker and Pritchard hit consecutive layups to tie it at 62 and send the game to overtime.

Pritchard’s 3-pointer in the first extra period gave the Ducks a 65-64 lead, but Ethan Anderson’s layup and free throw put the Trojans up by two. Duarte made free throws for the Ducks to tie it again, and Mathews and Pritchard both missed shots down the stretch.

Duarte and Pritchard each hit a pair of free throws that gave Oregon a four-point advantage to open the second overtime. Duarte’s 3-pointer put the Ducks up 74-68, and USC (15-4, 4-2) couldn’t catch up.

Duarte’s eight steals, which he credited to paying attention to his opponent, were one shy of the school record.

“I was watching the point guard’s eyes. I was watching everybody’s eyes. So I knew where they were going to pass the ball,” Duarte said. “So I took that as an advantage.”

Oregon coach Dana Altman praised his junior guard.

“He was the difference in the game,” he said. “No doubt about it.”

Freshman Onyeka Okongwu had 23 points and 14 rebounds for the Trojans.

“You’ve got to take care of the ball. Some ill-timed passes that went to the other guys. We just have to make the right basketball play,” Enfield said. “Give them credit, they’re a good defensive team.”

It was Oregon’s third overtime game in league play.

Oregon was coming off a 64-61 overtime win at Washington last weekend. The Ducks overcame a 16-point deficit in that game and won it on Pritchard’s 3-pointer with 3.4 seconds left. But Oregon lost to Washington State 72-61 last Thursday, resulting in a fall from No. 8 to No. 12 in the AP Top 25.

USC had won nine of its last 10 games and three straight, including last Saturday’s 82-78 overtime victory against Stanford. The Trojans came back from a 21-point deficit in the second half to beat the Cardinal.

The Ducks built an early 15-7 lead after Duarte’s fast-break layup and 3-pointer. Oregon stayed in front, but USC closed to 24-23 on Daniel Utomi’s jumper.

The teams went to the break with Oregon ahead 32-30. Utomi led all scorers with 10 points.

Okongwu’s layup for USC tied it at 32 to start the second half but the Ducks responded with a 10-0 run, capped by Duarte’s jumper off a dish from Pritchard. Okongwu’s dunk ended the Trojans’ scoring drought.

Freshman forward Chandler Lawson’s layup stretched the Ducks’ lead to 49-38 midway through the second half.

“A lot of things we’ve got to work on. But we got some defensive stops when we needed it, we got some big rebounds when we needed it, and just found a way to win the game,” Altman said. “We’ve been doing that too much, though. We’ve got to find a way to get our offense cranked a little bit.”

Lawson made his first start for the Ducks after he had 16 points and 12 rebounds against Washington. Oregon was without center N’Faly Dante, who was questionable for the game after hurting his knee against the Huskies.

Pritchard was one of just two Division I players averaging at least 19 points, five assists and four rebounds per game, joining Pepperdine’s Colbey Ross.

NOTES

The Trojans started 4-1 in conference play for the first time since 2016. USC went 5-0 to open conference play in 2002. … Pritchard is closing in on Oregon’s career record of 614 assists held by Kenya Wilkins. … Pritchard has won 96 games as a Ducks player, one shy of Oregon’s career leader, Johnathan Lloyd.

UP NEXT

USC visits Oregon State on Saturday at 2 p.m.

Oregon hosts UCLA on Sunday at 2 p.m.

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A roundup of the Orange County boys soccer highlights on Friday:

Saddleback boys soccer coach Mel Silva, who recorded his 500th career win earlier in the week, added to his remarkable total Friday as the the Roadrunners defeated Estancia 1-0 in the Orange Coast League.

Silva, who has coached the Roadrunners since 1988, earned his milestone 500th victory Wednesday with a 3-1 win over Orange.

Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.

Silva has led the Roadrunners (6-6-4, 3-2-1) to two CIF-SS championships (2005, 2013).

Saddleback will continue Orange Coast League play on Wednesday against Calvary Chapel (4-9, 1-5).

In other games Friday:

ORANGE COAST LEAGUE

Santa Ana 4, Orange 1: Santa Ana (16-3-1, 6-0) remained unbeaten in league play with its victory against Orange (8-9-3, 0-4-2). Ceasar Zamora, Saul Ortuño, Abdi Diaz and Brayan Jorge each scored a goal for the Saints.

FREEWAY LEAGUE 

Sunny Hills 2, Buena Park 1: Kevin Meza and Donovan Fichtelberg both scored early goals for Sunny Hills (10-4-4, 5-2) to help them fend off Buena Park (3-4-6, 2-3-1).

The Lancers got a goal in the sixth minute from Meza and four minutes later Fichtelberg to double Sunny Hills’ lead.

GARDEN GROVE LEAGUE

Los Amigos 1, Santiago 0: Los Amigos handed Santiago its first league loss behind Adrian Villacana’s second-half goal.

The Lobos (7-2-4, 4-1-1) were able to keep the Cavaliers (13-3-1, 5-1) off the scoreboard thanks to a solid performance in goal by Brandon Santos (three saves).

PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE

Portola 3, Beckman 0: The Bulldogs (6-6-1, 2-3-1) got goals from Sherwin Salehi, Sam Alqaraghuli and SK Kim in the win against Beckman.

The Rams have another vacancy on coach Sean McVay’s staff after assistant offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch left to join the New England Patriots, according to a report in Boston on Friday.

Fisch joined the Rams in 2018 with the title of senior offensive assistant after a season as offensive coordinator at UCLA that saw him serve as the Bruins’ interim head coach for the last two games following the firing of Jim Mora.

Fisch has skipped frequently among NFL and college assistant coaching jobs during a two-decade career.

Under McVay, his role included helping McVay with clock management during games.

McVay, who turned 34 on Friday, now has at least three assistant coaching positions to fill, including those of special-teams coordinator John Fassell and running backs coach Skip Peete. Fassell left to join the Dallas Cowboys staff. Peete’s Rams contract was not renewed, and he too landed with the Cowboys.

Two weeks ago, the Rams said they were close to deals to bring in Brandon Staley from the Denver Broncos as defensive coordinator and Kevin O’Connell from the Washington Redskins as offensive coordinator. Staley would replace Wade Phillips, whose contract wasn’t renewed, and O’Connell would fill a new slot while McVay presumably would continue to call plays.

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HUNTINGTON BEACH — The Surf League boys basketball game between Newport Harbor and Edison on Friday at Edison High School wound up being a bit anticlimactic considering some of the story lines coming into the contest.

The Chargers set the tone by hitting five 3-pointers in the first quarter and were stingy on defense throughout, coming away with a 60-43 victory over the 14th-ranked Sailors.

Edison (16-9, 3-0), ranked No. 24 in Orange County, went undefeated in the first round of league games.

“We defended really well,” Edison coach Rich Boyce said. “That’s always a key for us. It’s not our offense. People always think we like to shoot a lot of 3s. We do at times, but we spend a lot of time on defense.”

Robbie Spooner opened the game with a 3-pointer for the Sailors (20-5, 2-1). Edison responded with four 3-pointers on consecutive possessions, two by Luke Serven and two by Connor Collins.

Serven and Collins went on to lead the Chargers with 19 and 18 points, respectively.

Trey Wilborn closed out the first quarter with a 3-pointer to give the Chargers a 19-5 lead, and the Sailors trailed by double digits the remainder of the contest.

“We’re going to enjoy this,” Boyce said, “but we know it’s going to be a war when we go back there (on Feb. 5), because they are going to watch this on tape a million times and be ready for us.”

The Chargers start the second round of league games with a home contest against Los Alamitos on Wednesday. Edison played near-perfect basketball in a 67-58 victory over the Griffins on Jan. 17.

In the third quarter, the Sailors went nearly five minutes before hitting their first basket.

Newport Harbor and the Chargers had both defeated Los Alamitos and Corona del Mar coming into the game and the Sailors were riding a nine-game winning streak. They were held to their lowest point total of the season.

“We’re having a hard time scoring right now,” Newport Harbor coach Robert Torribio said. “Edison is not, hence the 60-43 final. We were definitely not sharp tonight, but that had a lot to do with them and their ability to play basketball.

“They’re playing very well right now, so if you’re not going to defend, they’re going to make you pay. And if you don’t score at the other end, you’re going to get doubled up real quick.”

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ANAHEIM – Canyon vs. Villa Park might be the best rivalry in Orange County boys basketball.

For evidence look no further than their game Friday in a standing-room-only gym at Canyon High.

Canyon beat Villa Park 53-52 in a Crestview League game that featured clutch shots all game long.

Canyon, No. 13 in the Orange County top 25, is in first place in the Crestview with a 2-0 league record. No. 6 Villa Park is second at 2-1.

Canyon’s Joey Rouly made a 3-pointer with 1:34 remaining to give Canyon a 51-46 lead, the Comanches’ biggest lead. Villa Park’s Dino Sdrales followed 21 seconds later with a 3 to slice the Canyon advantage to 51-49.

Neither team would score again until Canyon’s Jake Martin made two free throws with 12 seconds left for a 53-49 lead.

Villa Park was not done. The Spartans’ Riley Schroeder hit a 3 from the corner with six seconds left to make it 53-52.

Villa Park had fouls to give and did so until the Spartans’ seventh team foul returned Martin to the line with four seconds left. Martin missed the free throw, the Spartans moved the ball quickly to the front court but could not get off a quality attempt, and Canyon started celebrating the win.

“This was incredible,” said Martin, a 6-2 senior guard who finished with 24 points. “I’ve never played in a game like this.”

Martin made five high-arching 3s, three of them in the third quarter and some of them from a few feet beyond 3-point line.

Canyon senior guard Nathan Williams scored 11 points with eight rebounds.

Villa Park junior guard Damien Parker provided two of the game’s highlights. Parker made a buzzer-beating 3 near midcourt at the end of the second quarter to put the Spartans on top 25-24 at halftime. He made a buzzer-beater from close to 30 feet at the end of the third quarter to give the Spartans a 39-38 lead.

“What a great high school basketball game,” said Canyon coach Nate Harrison. “How many great shots were made tonight?

“That kid (Parker) makes two half-court shots to keep them in the game. Jake kept making shot after shot. Joey Rouly comes up with the big shot and Riley hit that shot for them in the corner.”

Rouly might not have been the most likely Comanche to make such a crucial 3-pointer. But being successful in sports is not new to him. Rouly was a Crestview League offensive player of the year in football last fall as a receiver and kicker.

“Joey’s the heart and soul of our team,” Harrison said. “He’s just a winner.”

Canyon has defeated higher-ranked teams frequently over the years. It was a typical Canyon effort Friday. The Comanches tenaciously battled for every rebound and every loose ball, and had to because Villa Park was doing the same.

“We’re a tough team, man,” Harrison said. “We always play hard.”

BARSTOW — A small earthquake rattled the Southern California desert on Friday, but there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

Uh. Did I just feel an earthquake?!

— Kristina Hernandez (@KrisWroteThis) January 25, 2020

A temblor with a preliminary magnitude of 4.6 struck at 7:03 p.m. and was centered about 14 miles northeast of Barstow in San Bernardino County, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Yep we just felt #earthquake Burbank! YOU?

— Tim Conway Jr Show (@ConwayShow) January 25, 2020

The quake felt like a “good jolt,” but there were no reports of damage or injuries, county sheriff’s spokeswoman Cynthia Bachman said in an email.

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Tesoro’s girls basketball team almost upset Aliso Niguel in the first round of the South Coast League.

On Thursday, the Titans finished the job.

No. 12 Tesoro rallied from a 16-point deficit going into the fourth quarter to force overtime and defeated the host No. 7 Wolverines 74-65 to shake up the league race and potentially the Orange County rankings.

Tesoro (13-11, 3-2) outscored Aliso Niguel 18-2 in the fourth period and 14-5 in overtime to tie the Wolverines (17-6, 3-2) for second place in the South Coast.

Aliso Niguel made six 3-pointers in a 32-17 surge in third quarter and appeared primed to stay one-game behind first-place San Clemente (22-2, 5-0).

Freshman guard Celine Castaneda led Tesoro with 24 points while sophomore guard Lindsey Fukushima scored 20 points, including four 3-pointers.

Tesoro post Katie Schwan added 11 points and guard Aysia Castaneda played strong defense.

Sara Eyre led Aliso Niguel with 16 points while Catherine Swanson and Nicole Referente added 15 and 14 points, respectively.

Aliso Niguel defeated Tesoro 63-60 in the first round of league on Jan. 7.

In games on Friday:

In the Freeway League:

Sunny Hills 42, Sonora 35: Sophomore Jessica Kim scored 17 points and senior Annika Johnson added 14 to lead the visiting Lancers (17-7, 4-2), who moved into sole possession of second place.

In nonleague:

Canyon 63, Villa Park 62: Guard Suwemi Conti scored 24 points, including six 3-pointers, and grabbed 12 rebounds and guard Mia Farrell added 20 points and nine rebounds to lead the Comanches (17-7).

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Dana Hills pulled off one of the biggest upsets in Orange County boys basketball this season by beating No. 10 Tesoro 46-27 on Friday in a Sea View League game at Dana Hills High.

Tesoro had won 12 consecutive Sea View League games and had an average margin of victory of over 14 points in league play this season.

The Titans beat Dana Hills 46-32 on Jan. 8

Harrison Wiese, a 6-foot-7 senior, paced Dana Hills (16-7, 3-2) with 20 points. Senior guard Chris Na added 14 points.

Mike Mahlen led Tesoro (18-4, 4-1) with nine points. Matt DeAngelo, Tesoro’s leading scorer, played while battling the flu and had eight points.

Tesoro  has a half-game lead on San Juan Hills in the league standings. Dana Hills is a half-game behind San Juan Hills for second place.

The Dolphins will play San Juan Hills in the regular-season finale on Feb. 6.

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A roundup of the Orange County boys basketball highlights on Friday:

Kyle Kyckelhahn scored 20 points and Aliso Niguel ended a 14-game league losing streak by knocking off No. 19 San Clemente 69-59 in a South Coast League game Friday at Aliso Niguel High.

The Wolverines (13-11, 1-4) had lost 14 consecutive league games entering Friday and narrowly lost to San Clemente 51-50 on Jan. 8.

Tyler Weaver, Trent Giffin and Jacob Morris scored 16, 14 and 11 points, respectively, for Aliso Niguel.

San Clemente (15-9, 3-2) is tied with Mission Viejo for second place in the South Coast League standings. The Tritons will play first-place Capistrano Valley on Wednesday.

In other games Friday:

No. 9 Mission Viejo 51, No. 23 Trabuco Hills 49: Presley Eldridge made a shot at the buzzer to give Mission Viejo a win over Trabuco Hills in a South Coast League game at Trabuco Hills High.

The win was the 20th of the season for Mission Viejo, which has played a series of nail-biting games as of late. The Diablos (20-4, 3-2) lost in overtime to San Clemente last week and won by one point against El Toro on Wednesday.

Senior Nathan Hewitt led the Diablos with 15 points and Griff Higgins added 13.

Eldridge’s buzzer-beater pushed him into double-figures with 11 points.

Diablos beat Trabuco Hills with a buzzer beater 51-49. Awesome job @HoopsViejo @diabloathletics @ocvarsity pic.twitter.com/iRESJUf03H

— Susie Daher (@DaherSusie) January 25, 2020

Mission Viejo will host San Clemente on Friday Jan. 31.

Portola 37, Beckman 35: Portola took sole possession of first place in the Pacific Coast League with a victory at Beckman.

The two teams were tied for first place entering Friday’s game.

Mohsen Hashemi had a game-high 19 points for Portola (13-11, 5-1).

Ethan Bozzo led Beckman (12-12, 4-2) with 15 points.

No. 2 JSerra 43, No. 11 Santa Margarita 37: JSerra bounced back from its blowout loss to Mater Dei earlier in the week to beat Santa Margarita in a defensive battle.

The Lions scored a season-low 27 points against the Monarchs on Wednesday in a 37-point loss.

JSerra (19-4, 4-2) was led by Justin Williams who had 14 points. Sophomore Isaac Peralta scored 13 points and 7-foot senior Hugo Clarkin added nine.

The Lions were playing without Utah-signee Ian Martinez.

JSerra lost to Santa Margarita 45-43 at home in its Trinity League opener on Jan. 8.

Saddleback Valley Christian 64, Capistrano Valley Christian 50: Saddleback Valley Christian put itself in third place in the very competitive San Joaquin League by beating crosstown rival Capistrano Valley Christian.

To accommodate the expected large crowd, the game was played at San Juan Hills High. The two teams are tied for third place in the league standings and have beaten each other once this season.

Aidan O’Neill led the Warriors with 21 points. Gavin O’Neill scored 12 points for Saddleback Valley Christian (19-5, 2-3) and Omar Abonasser and Chris Miller each scored 10 points.

– Michael Huntley

No. 16 Los Alamitos 65, No. 21 Corona del Mar 51: David Olcomendy scored 25 points to lead Los Alamitos to a Surf League win over Corona del Mar.

The win was the first for Los Alamitos (15-9, 1-2) in league.

The Griffins will get a rematch with Newport Harbor on Monday, Jan. 27. The Sailors narrowly defeated Los Alamitos in their first meeting 56-55.

Brea Olinda 55, El Dorado 53: Brea Olinda held off El Dorado to secure an important North Hills League win.

The Wildcats (15-9, 2-1) stayed in second place in league thanks to a 16-point performance from junior Tristan Montera while Aiden Stewart added 15 points.

No. 22 Cypress 59, Tustin 54: Cypress slipped past a tough Tustin team in an Empire League game at Cypress High.

Elijah Vaielua had 21 points and 14 rebounds for the Centurions (19-5, 6-0). Kody Papke finished with 11 points and Eddie Spencer added nine points.

Tustin (16-8, 3-3) kept the game close thanks to Bradley Burdick (16 points) and Kyan Patel (12 points).

No. 3 Capistrano Valley 75, San Juan Hills 52:  Brody Sumner had a game-high 31 points to lead Capistrano Valley to a nonleague victory over visiting San Juan Hills.

The Cougars (22-1, 4-0) had three other players finish in double figures: Conner Gleason (14 points), Langston Redfield (11 points) and Zach Roberts (10 points).

Capo Valley resumes South Coast League action when it takes on San Clemente on Wednesday, Jan. 29.

No. 15 La Habra 76, Buena Park 52: La Habra (16-8, 5-1) bounced back from a tough loss to Sonora with a convincing road win over the Buena Park (18-4, 3-3) in a Freeway League game.

The Highlanders lost 59-56 against No. 7 Sonora on Tuesday for its first league loss.

Erik Howlin had a team-high 20 points for La Habra and Dylan Damico added 19 points.

– David Delgado