Highlights and top scorers from the Orange County basketball games on Wednesday, Dec. 19.

BOYS BASKETBALL

Huntington Beach upset No. 22 Corona del Mar 57-56 in a Sunset Conference crossover game Wednesday. The Oilers led 27-26 at halftime and the teams had identical scores in the second half. Sophomore James Downs led Huntington Beach with 15 points and Nick Saccacio added 13. Football standout John Humphreys led Corona del Mar with 22 points. Jack Stone had 14 points for the Sea Kings and Jake Hamilton had 13 in the loss.

In another Sunset Conference crossover game, No. 12 Newport Harbor beat Fountain Valley 66-57. The Sailors led by two at halftime and increased their lead to 10 in the third quarter. UC Santa Barbara volleyball commit Dayne Chalmers had a game-high 24 points for Newport Harbor. Sam Barela flirted with a double-double for Sailers, tallying 17 points and 9 assists. Newport Harbor has a challenging weekend ahead, playing No. 18 Marina in a Sunset Conference crossover game Friday and No. 7 Tesoro in the North/South Challenge Saturday.

No. 14 Edison cruised to a 15-point win over Sunset Conference newcomer Laguna Beach Wednesday. Aiden Garnett led all scorers with 23 points for the Chargers. Kaden Headington added 14 points for Edison in the 70-55 win. Laguna Beach sophomore Nolan Naess led the Breakers with 20 points and 9 rebounds. Edison plays Huntington Beach Friday before playing in the Rancho Mirage Holiday Invitational next week. The Breakers host Corona del Mar in a crossover game Friday.

GIRLS

No. 1 Mater Dei beat Carondelet of Concord 60-44 in the Nike Tournament of Champions in Phoenix. Brooke Demetre led the Monarchs with 22 points and 9 rebounds. Cailyn Crocker added 16 points and five assists. Mater Dei will play Dillard of Florida Thursday.

No. 5 Fairmont Prep narrowly beat Hamilton of Arizona 48-45 in the Nike Tournament of Champions. Anling Su Vera led the Huskies with 15 points, three steals and four assists. Ally Yamada scored 10 points and Casey Kuramoto added 7. Sheridan Glover grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds for the Huskies. Fairmont Prep will play Fremont of Nebreska Thursday.

No. 2 Rosary beat Skyline of Texas 65-51 in the John Anderson bracket of the Nike Tournament of Champions Wednesday. Junior guard Breanne Ha led the Royals with 14 points and Katherine Goostrey added 11. Freshman Soleil Montrose had a double-double for Rosary with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Rosary will play Cenetennial of Corona Wednesday. The Royals lost to Centennial 65-60 in their season opener in the Mark Keppel Invitational.

Saddleback Valley Christian dominated Liberty Christian 57-11 in a nonleague game at Saddleback Valley Christian High Wednesday. The Warriors have held three of their last four opponents under 20 points. Freshman Alicia Hill led SVC with 22 points and Zoe Smead scored 18.

Wednesday’s top scorers

BOYS

Pts    Player, school

30     Wright, Fairmont Prep

24     Chalmers, Newport Harbor

24     Ramirez, Century

23     Garnett, Edison

22     Humphreys, Corona del Mar

21     Pope, Orange Lutheran

20     Naess, Laguna Beach

17     Barela, Newport Harbor

15     Downs, Huntington Beach

14     Headington, Edison

14     Stone, Corona del Mar

14     Cisse, Fairmont Prep

13     Saccacio, Huntington Beach

13     Hamilton, Corona del Mar

13     Nguesso, Fairmont Prep

11     Thomas, Century

11     Horton, Edison

GIRLS

Pts    Player, school

24     Shelby, JSerra

22     Hill, Saddleback Valley Christian

22     Demetre, Mater Dei

18     Smead, Saddleback Valley Christian

17     McIntyre, Huntington Beach

17     Fust, Brea Olinda

16     Crocker, Mater Dei

15     Vera, Fairmont Prep

15     Iemsisanith, JSerra

15     Real, Huntington Beach

15     Shaw, JSerra

14     Ha, Rosary

11     Montrose, Rosary

11     Goostrey, Rosary

10     Yamada, Fairmont Prep

10     Avinger, Rosary

10     Mirhan, Valencia

10     Mackay, JSerra

Coaches and team representatives are encouraged to email their scores and stats after every game to the Register at preps@ocregister.com.

NEWPORT BEACH – A two-alarm fire damaged a home Wednesday evening on Lido Isle in Newport Beach, but no one was injured.

The fire was reported just before 7 p.m. in the 100 block of Via Dijon, according to a fire department dispatcher.

The first arriving crews saw that the second-floor of the home was fully engulfed in flames and a second alarm was called, the dispatcher said.

Crews knocked down the blaze by 7:12 p.m., he said.

PLACENTIA – El Dorado put Villa Park in an unfamiliar position early in the nonleague match between the two highly-ranked teams Thursday at El Dorado High School.

The Golden Hawks took control by scoring first and kept the Spartans from setting up anything close to a goal throughout the match.

El Dorado, ranked  No. 10 in CIF-SS Division 1, went on to win 2-0, handing the Spartans, ranked No. 4 in Division 1, their first defeat of the season.

The Spartans (9-1-1) had five shutouts in a row coming into the game and had outscored opponents 33-3.

“In our preseason we played a bunch of monsters, and I feel like it kind of prepared us for today,” Golden Hawks coach Kyle Thomas said.

In the 20th minute, El Dorado’s Hanna Alfaro dribbled wide of the goal and took what was close to a horizontal shot, but it went over the head of goal keeper Hope Pickler and into the net, giving the Hawks (7-3-4) a 1-0 lead.

The goal forced Villa Park to play from behind for the first time this season.

“It felt really nice to get the first goal,” said Alfaro, who will play for Mississippi State next season. “I knew if we could score before they could it would put them on their heels and make them re-think what they were doing.”

About seven minutes into the second half, El Dorado’s Karson Hauck was positioned in the center of the field, about 10 yards from the goal. She chipped a soft, high-arcing shot that went over the heads of the defenders and the goal keeper and dropped into the goal .

“I saw an opportunity when the girl had a bad touch, so I just hooked it with my right foot and hoped it would go in,” Hauck said. “It feels good because I  had a lot of minutes today and I don’t score often because I’m a defender, so it felt good to get it in the back of the net.”

The Spartans were successful in getting the ball to Jadenn Carrillo, their best offensive player. Carillo managed six good shots, but they were all from far out and right at the El Dorado goalkeeper.

“She’s a special player,” Thomas said of Carrillo. “A player we’ve know about for quite a few years and respect and we wanted to make sure we did our best to eliminate her as an option for their team.”

A federal judge sentenced a Walnut man to nearly four years in prison for a scheme to smuggle rifle scopes and tactical gear into Syria and Turkey to supply rebel groups, federal prosecutors announced Thursday, Dec. 20.

Prosecutors argued that  Rasheed Al Jijakli, 57, of Walnut, had smuggled rifle scopes, night-vision rifle scopes, laser boresighters, flashlights, a digital monocular, radios and a bulletproof vest to Ahrar Al-Sham and other armed rebel groups engaged in the civil war against the Syrian government.

Jijakli, who is a chief executive officer of Palmyra Corporation, an Orange County-based check cashing agency, also directed the deposit of $17,000 of his company’s funds to purchase tactical gear intended for Syrian rebels, federal court documents said.

Jijakli pleaded guilty in August to violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, a law intended give the president the authority “to deal with any unusual and extraordinary threat, which has its source in whole or substantial part outside the United States, to the national security, foreign policy, or economy of the United States,” during a declared national emergency.

At the time of Jijakli’s smuggling efforts, the U.S. government had used the law to level trade sanctions against Syria, which was designed “in part, to prevent private citizens from exacerbating a civil war,” court documents said.

According to court documents, Jijakli flew from Los Angeles to Istanbul, Turkey on two separate occasions in 2012 to smuggle the tactical gear. During one of his trips, Jijakli met with a member of the Ahrar Al-Sham, an armed Syrian rebel group, to hand over the gear, court documents said. Jijakli had also given the gear to other rebel groups in Syria and Turkey.

Jijakli and his conspirators willfully neglected to obtain licensing or permission from the U.S. government to export the tactical gear, prosecutors said in court documents

The members of the rebel groups who Jijakli worked with were not named in court documents.

Jijakli’s defense attorney, Katherine Corrigan was not immediately available for comment.

NEWPORT BEACH – Justin Schroeder had a vision of what Newport Harbor could be when he took charge of the girls soccer program two years ago, and Thursday’s 3-0 triumph in a showdown of unbeaten teams at Corona del Mar High served to confirm that the Sailors are, indeed, for real.

Newport Harbor (9-0-3), ranked seventh in CIF Southern Section Division 1, was clinical when it counted and flawless defensively in the Battle of the Bay rivalry game en route to its 11th shutout in a dozen outings and ninth in succession.

Reese Bodas provided a lead midway through the first half from Skylynn Rodriguez’s feed, midfield catalyst Emily Johnson converted a second-half penalty kick, and Kenna Robar headed home a late Alyssa Sims cross as the Sailors matched their season-high for goals.

Corona del Mar (8-1-3) struggled to make much of their chances as Newport Harbor’s backline, led by sophomore Samara Golan, frustrated striker Megan Chelf, who retreated into midfield and on the flanks in search of the ball and had little impact until the final 20 minutes.

“(Golan) was kind of the catalyst of frustration for them, to be honest,” said Schroeder, whose team already has more wins than the Sailors claimed in all but one of the past seven seasons. “She was doing a lot that made them frustrated, just the way she defends, and she’s strong but she’s very technical. … The goal of the program coming in (was to) start building from the ground up, and you’re kind of seeing a little payoff of the past few years.

“The players have always been here. They needed to be reminded that Newport Harbor is a proud school to play for. The soccer program should one of the best.”

Johnson returned to the Sailors for her senior year and Golan, who has played club ball most of the past decade alongside partner Jenna McConnaughey, joined this year after they skipped last season to play Academy soccer with Slammers FC.

It was a tight battle most of the way, but Johnson’s presence gave the Sailors a midfield advantage, and CdM backline leader Avery Doherty’s departure at halftime with a possible concussion and the Sea Kings’ inability to feed Chelf, who has 17 goals in 12 games, was pivotal.

“We’re going to have to battle in every single game in the Sunset Conference, and especially when we get into the Surf League, every game is going to be like this,” Corona del Mar coach Bryan Middleton said. “The one thing I’m proud of is we never folded or gave up. We played hard to full 80 minutes.”

Bodas got behind the backline to finish at the edge of the 6-yard box in the 19th minute after Rodriguez ran onto a loose ball about 10 yards outside the Sea Kings’ box. Johnson made it 2-0 from the penalty spot in the 61st after Katharine Caston took down Sadie Pitchess, and Robar netted the finale in the 72nd with an expert header that got under goalkeeper Giovanna Broderick.

“It’s obviously so great to beat our rival,” Johnson said, “but in the long run, it’s just another opponent that we have to beat. I think one thing that kept us in control of the game is that we saw it as more than just being a rival game. It’s another game in which we’re able to improve and play against a good opponent.

“We’re going to see teams like this in the future, and (this was) a good practice run for future games.”

LOS ANGELES — Doc Rivers was happy to revisit a “fun day” three years ago that will live forever in NBA – and social media – lore on Thursday, before his team tipped off against former Clippers center DeAndre Jordan, who was back to see his old team on his old home court for the first time.

Rivers said he wasn’t yet hip to Twitter in 2015, so he didn’t realize the ruckus that was happening outside of the house where he and other important Clippers personnel were hanging out with (or holding hostage, depending on who’s telling the story) Jordan, the star center who this summer actually signed with the Dallas Mavericks whom he’d spurned back in July 2015.

As was well-documented then, the Clippers really didn’t want him to sign with Dallas, so they visited him in Houston to let him know.

Don't agree with the furniture layout but I'm not an interior designer. pic.twitter.com/23PNgQB88z

— Blake Griffin (@blakegriffin23) July 9, 2015

“We had a good meal, food was great; D.J. went out and got fried chicken,” recalled Rivers, who was joined that day by Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, as well as Blake Griffin, Chris Paul, J.J. Redick and Paul Pierce. “It was funny watching Steve Ballmer eating fried chicken and collard greens.

“It was a weird day, but I think it was far weirder on the outside of the room than on the inside of the room,” Rivers continued. “… on the inside of the room, there was not a lot of stuff going on. I mean, basically D.J. basically told us he was staying within five seconds.

“Paul Pierce came up with the grand idea, ‘OK, we don’t believe you and we’re just going to stay until it’s time to sign.’ I actually thought we were going to leave right away, and it was smart by Paul because D.J. had (already) proven he could change his mind.

“It was a fun day. We actually watched the summer league games on TV, we ran out of things to watch. We ate two or three different times.”

All the while, participants in the drama (and outside of it) tweeted a series of updates – using a creative assortment of emojis.

“@CP3: ”

— Off the Glass (@otgbasketball) July 8, 2015

“I was oblivious to the social media scene at that point,” Rivers said. “I didn’t know all that was going on until the next day when I got home and I saw. It was pretty funny.”

That's why they brought me here lol pic.twitter.com/Z64Tkiyp01

— Paul Pierce (@paulpierce34) July 9, 2015

ANALYZE THIS

Billy Crystal is a Tony and Emmy-Award winning comedian, actor, producer, writer and director and a nine-time host of the Academy Awards – and on Jan. 31 he’ll finally have landed the role of Clippers color analyst.

Crystal will join Ralph Lawler – the play-by-play broadcaster who plans to retire following this, his 40th and final season calling Clippers games – on the mic when they call the team’s game against the Lakers on Fox Sports Prime Ticket.

“The fact that he decided he wanted to do this just tickled the heck out of me,” said Lawler, who said he was approached about the pairing recently by Gillian Zucker, the Clippers’ president of business operations.

“Our team president came to me and said, ‘Ralph, I’ve got something I’ve got to ask you about.’ I said, ‘Yeah?’ ” Lawler said. “ ‘We have a season ticket holder who just loves you so much and would like very much to sit in with you on a broadcast.’

“And she said, ‘It’s very important.’ And I go, ‘OK, I guess so.’

“She said, ‘Do you want to know who it is? … Billy Crystal.’

“I said, ‘Oh! That would work!’ ”

Current Nets analyst Mike Fratello also will join Lawler on Jan. 23 in Miami and Basketball Hall of Famer Hubie Brown will do the same for the March 24 game against the New York Knicks.

“I wasn’t looking forward to the farewell-tour kind of a thing,” Lawler said. “But it’s working out, and it’s going to be very, very nice.”

Billy Crystal to Call Clippers Basketball Game Next Month – Variety. HOW COOL IS THIS! https://t.co/tMt42sUzhY

— Ralph Lawler (@Ohmeomy) December 20, 2018

Patty Meyers, one of the finest multi-sport female athletes of her generation, passed away Friday at 71 after a long battle with cancer.

Meyers, the older sister of Southern California basketball giants Ann Meyers Drysdale and David Meyers, was a standout long before the NCAA-era of women’s sports, excelling in every sport she tried, winning an AIAW basketball title and earning All-American honors at Cal State Fullerton in 1970. She won eight state titles in assorted sports during her career at Fullerton College before moving to CSF.

“Patty was eight years older than I was, so I remember going to her games, no matter what the sport was, and saw how hard she played and how competitive she was,” Meyers Drysdale said in an email Thursday.

“When David and I started to play, people used to say ‘watch out for the Meyers Look.’ She had it long before us. I certainly looked up to her because of her passion for the game. She was a fierce competitor, and she’s the one who broke barriers long before I played.”

Meyers played basketball, volleyball, softball and field hockey on the collegiate level. She was also a professional softball player, played AAU basketball and was a member of The Gold Sox of Buena Park.

She later coached basketball at Pepperdine and still has the highest winning percentage in program history, going 146-70 over seven seasons. Her Anna’s Bananas AAU basketball team also won three straight AAU championships. Meyers, the oldest of 11 children, also was a scratch golfer, with six holes-in-one to her credit.

“I never had even one,” Meyers Drysdale said.

Services are set for Friday, Dec. 28 at 10 a.m. at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church (900 W. La Habra Blvd.) in La Habra.

Meyers was involved with Rock Steady Boxing and its fight against Parkinson’s disease. In lieu of flowers, donations are requested for Rock Steady Boxing Desert Cities, P.O. Box 12054, Palm Desert, California, 92255, in her remembrance.

I lost my big sister Patty yesterday to cancer. She was such a bright light and competitor. The best athlete in the family! Love You! pic.twitter.com/87QM2k04jm

— Ann Meyers Drysdale (@AnnMeyers) December 15, 2018

Highlights and top scorers from the Orange County basketball games on Thursday, Dec. 20.

BOYS BASKETBALL

Both Orange County teams in the Tarkanian Classic lost close games Thursday. No. 3 Orange Lutheran bowed to Bishop Gorman of Las Vegas 73-67. No. 15 Fairmont Prep closed a nine-point deficit to two in the last 1:48 but fell just short, 68-66, to Legacy of Nevada. Atin Wright had 27 points for Fairmont.

Judah Brown had 26 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks as No. 16 Pacifica Christian beat Sandy, Oregon, 72-59 in the Les Schwab The 8 Invitational in Hillsboro, Oregon. Houston Mallette added 16 points and Solomon Davis 16 rebounds for the Tritons, who will meet Silverton, Oregon, in the semifinals at 7 p.m. Friday.

No. 10 Mission Viejo fought off El Toro 69-60 in a Coast View crossover game. MV’s Jake Conerty and ET’s Zach Raigosa each scored 28 points.

No. 2 Santa Margarita scored 100 points but still lost 102-100 to White Mountain, the No. 2-ranked team in Alaska. White Mountain (9-0) will be back in Orange County on Jan. 5 to play No. 3 Orange Lutheran.

GIRLS

No. 10 Oxford Academy bowed to North Torrance 56-44 after Austyn Masuno, the second-leading scorer in Orange County, sprained an ankle and left the game with 6:20 left in the second quarter. Oxford Academy (12-1) suffered its first loss, while North Torrance improved to 11-2.

Grace Gentry pulled down 17 rebounds, 10 of them off the offensive boards, to spark San Juan Hills (9-4) to a 30-29 win over Trabuco Hills.

No. 1 Mater Dei (13-1) moved to 2-0 in the Nike Tournament of Champions in Phoenix with a 66-38 win over Dillard, Florida.

Aryn Press had 24 points and 14 rebounds as No. 16 University rallied past Irvine 54-52 in a double-overtime Pacific Coast League battle.  The Trojans (12-5, 2-0) trailed 26-11 at halftime but tied the Vaqueros on Giulia Roy’s 3-pointer near the end of regulation.

In another PCL thriller, Ashley Cheng hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give Woodbridge a 53-51 win over Beckman. The Warriors (5-8) scored nine points in the final 17 seconds. Kathleen Wasserman and Erika Maggard had 19 points each for Woodbridge.

Estancia nipped Century 38-37 as Andrea Rubalcava came off the bench in the fourth quarter and hit the winning basket. Queen Ceruti led the Eagles with 16 points.

Thursday’s top scorers

BOYS

Pts    Player, school

28    Conerty, Mission Viejo

28    Dubose, Laguna Hills

28    Raigosa, El Toro

27    Porter, Irvine

27   Wright, Fairmont Prep

26    Brown, Pacifica Christian

26    Liu, University

22    Thoerner, Beckman

21    Naranjo, Tustin

20    Tuktarov, Acaciawood

19    Fabisiak, Pacifica

18    H. Anderson, Irvine

18    Maker, Orange Lutheran

17    Ibarra, Rancho Alamitos

16    Mallette, Pacifica Christian

16    Pearson, Estancia

16    Uyesugi, University

15    Aboagye, Fairmont Prep

15    Higgins, Mission Viejo

15    Khaliq, Savanna

14    K. Anderson, Irvine

14    Gald, Mission Viejo

14    Hewitt, Mission Viejo

14    Nguyen, Rancho Alamitos

14    Patel, Tustin

GIRLS

Pts    Player, school

28    K. Chang, Laguna Hills

24    Press, University

19    Chambers, Dana Hills

19    Maggard, Woodbridge

19    McArthur, Dana Hills

19    Ross, Orangewood Academy

19    Wasserman, Woodbridge

18    Jones, Foothill

17    Rath, Newport Harbor

17    Tabayoyong, Portola

17    Watkins, Whittier Christian

16    Burdette, Los Alamitos

16    Ceruti, Estancia

16    Davis, La Habra

14    Jo. Corona, Whittier Christian

14    Gandy, Los Alamitos

14    Paredes, Beckman

14    Vickers, Newport Harbor

14    Wiltgen, Orangewood Academy

13    Caldera, Orangewood Academy

13    French, Beckman

13    Fullbright, Edison

13    Miller, Los Alamitos

Coaches and team representatives are encouraged to email their scores and stats after every game to the Register at preps@ocregister.com.

LOS ANGELES — One of the defining sequences in the disappointing start to the USC basketball season occurred last month in a win over Missouri State in Kansas City.

It was early in the first half when freshman Kevin Porter Jr. recalled running a fast break and attempting to use a crossover dribble to bypass a defender. His move was slowed when the defender’s knee plowed into his right thigh, causing a bruise.

Porter ultimately played 23 minutes in the game before doctors determined he had suffered a quad contusion that was expected to sideline him for 1-2 weeks.

Instead, the severity worsened for reasons not fully known, setting back the timeline for his recovery to 4-5 weeks. Porter reasoned cold weather in Missouri and the additional travel schedule stiffened the muscle.

It was exactly four weeks since the initial injury Tuesday when the Trojans lost at Santa Clara, 102-92 in double overtime, the fourth game in a row they have dropped, all of them in the aftermath of Porter first bruising his thigh, and they fell to 5-6 overall.

Porter will remain out when the Trojans host Southern Utah (5-3) on Friday night, but he said he was eyeing a return for the next game, the final nonconference tip-off against UC Davis on Dec. 30. There are eight days between the games and it will come after players and coaches take a brief Christmas break.

USC has suffered without Porter. Its four-game losing streak this month has included a 35-point loss to TCU that was the program’s most lopsided defeat in 15 years, followed by more humiliation at mid-major Santa Clara, which had not defeated a Pac-12 team since 2014.

Porter, a Seattle native who is viewed as the Trojans’ most talented player and a potential NBA draft lottery pick in June, had given them an obvious play-maker, an important need for a team that saw senior guards Jordan McLaughlin and Elijah Stewart depart after last season. In his first five games, he averaged 14 points while shooting 53.8 percent. As important as his efficiency, the 6-foot-6 guard was also able to create his own shot rather than rely on other players to set him up. Of his 28 baskets, 22 were unassisted, almost 79 percent.

In a loss to Nevada on Dec. 1, Porter attempted a brief comeback after he had missed the two previous games, feeling an urge to return to the floor, but was limited to four minutes against the Wolf Pack and had trouble making quick movements becaus of his bruised thigh. Trojans coach Andy Enfield seemed hesitant to play Porter at the time, as he did not check in until the second half and spent most of the first half on the bench with a heating pad on his thigh. He has been out for the three games since.

“It’s affecting my bending and my flexibility in my legs,” Porter said. “I can’t bend it basically. I can’t play if I can’t bend it.”

Some members of USC’s medical staff, who also treat football players at the school, have remarked the bruise is unusually severe for a basketball player to sustain.

Much of Porter’s rehabilitation has been with the basketball team’s athletic trainer, Jon Yonamine, who massages, ices and stretches his injured quad. Yonamine since added treatments, including shock-wave therapy and dry needling. Porter also avoided travel this week, not making the trip Santa Clara, in the case of possible aggravation.

Porter has not returned to practice this weekend, watching the end of the team’s workout Thursday at the Galen Center in a puffy Nike jacket, an increasingly common sideline perch in recent weeks.

The timing perhaps hurt the Trojans most of all, since his absence came amid a difficult stretch of games that include a trio of potential NCAA Tournament teams, including Nevada and TCU, as well as Oklahoma.

The Trojans’ best hope is for Porter to return before Pac-12 play begins in January and help them in what is being considered a down year in the conference, overall.

When asked where he could pay the biggest dividends when back on the court, Porter said, “setting the tempo and doing everything, contributing in any way that I can.”

Laguna Beach boys water polo coach Robert Grayeli, who in his first season led a promising Breakers team to the CIF-SS Division 1 playoffs and a tournament championship, has resigned, athletic director Lance Neal confirmed Thursday.

“Coach Grayeli informed me Monday that he was resigning as our head coach,” Neal said in an e-mail. “He explained that he had multiple things in his personal life that he need(s) to attend to and that he would not be able to put in the necessary time as our coach.”

Grayeli declined an interview request from The Register on Wednesday.

In the fall, the former Costa Mesa High standout guided Laguna Beach to an 19-12 record, a second-place finish in the difficult Surf League — ahead of traditional county power Corona del Mar – and a coveted spot in the CIF-SS Division 1 playoffs.

The Breakers lost in the first round of the playoffs but pushed Newport Harbor in a 9-6 decision and went on to place seventh in the tournament.

Laguna Beach highlighted its season by going 2 for 3 against Corona del Mar, capturing the late-season Steve Pal Memorial and playing an up-tempo style under Grayeli, who played at Golden West College and Pepperdine.

The Breakers’ top player was senior Colton Gregory but their roster included the rising Logan McCarroll – arguably the top freshman in the county – junior goalie Caden Capobianco and junior James Nolan among others.

Neal said Grayeli spoke positively about the season.

“He thanked the Laguna Beach community (student/athletes, parent/boosters, school staff) for a great season,” Neal said of Grayeli, also general manager of Laguna Beach Water Polo Foundation.

Grayeli replaced Trevor Lyle, who coached the Breakers two seasons during his wife’s battle with cancer.

Please send water polo news to Dan Albano at dalbano@scng.com or @ocvarsityguy on Twitter  

LONG BEACH — Long Beach State beat Pepperdine on Thursday night thanks to a sublime play in a game that was anything but.

Trailing by one with 20 seconds left, the 49ers maneuvered their offense in the direction of big man Temidayo Yussuf, as most everyone in the crowd and all five Pepperdine players on the court expected.

But the 6-foot-7 senior, who had made of 9 of 14 shots through brawn and effort, didn’t take the last shot. He took a pass, pivoted to draw a crowd and then neatly dropped a soft pass to KJ Byers, standing alone at the corner of the backboard, who took it fluidly and dunked for a 67-66 lead with 4.3 seconds left.

Pepperdine’s last attempt was a 30-footer on the fly by Jadé Smith that didn’t come close and the 49ers had their fourth win of the season, just their second in their last eight games, and a home win in just their fourth game in the Pyramid this season.

“They’ve been coming hard at (Temi) with a double, and before we broke the huddle (assistant) Mike Scholl reminded Temi that he could go to KJ on the side,” LBSU head coach Dan Monson said. “Ultimately, the kid has to make the play and it shows how much trust they have in each other.”

“I just wanted to be as aggressive as normal,” Yussuf said. “They were switching the defender on KJ so I just dropped it down.”

Yussuf led the 49ers with 21 points and 11 rebounds, his fourth double-double of the season, plus three assists while playing 32 minutes in a rugged and ragged fast-paced game. Jordan Roberts, Bryan Alberts and Byers each had 10 points for the 49ers, and Mason Riggins had seven rebounds and Roberts and Byers six each.

Colbey Ross made 9 of 22 shots on his way to a game-high 23 points for the Waves, who remain winless on the road. Eric Cooper added 13 and Darnell Dunn 10. Smith (11) and Dunn (10) led the Waves in rebounds.

Pepperdine (6-7) had an eight-point lead early in the first half after it sped up the tempo and forced a handful of Long Beach turnovers. But Yussuf had 11 points on his own personal run soon after to get the 49ers back on top. The teams went into halftime tied at 31.

Neither team could pull away in the second half as they both suffered from shooting woes. The 49ers (4-9) shot 39 percent and were a miserable 2 for 19 from the 3-point line. They were also 15 for 25 from the free-throw line.

The Waves shot 37 percent, were 6 for 27 from 3-point range, and 10 for 17 from the foul line.

Ross hit a jumper with 54 seconds left to put the Waves ahead 64-61, but Roberts scored at the basket and Byers hit a short jumper with 31 seconds left to put Long Beach up by one, 65-64. Ross hit two free throws to put Pepperdine back in front, setting the stage for Byers’ decisive dunk.

“It was pretty physical,” said Monson, whose team had been idle since a 74-68 loss at Pacific on Dec. 10, and had played nine of its first 12 games on the road. “The thing about a game like this is that it can be contagious. One guy scores and then you get some momentum and another guy scores.

“Or one guy misses, and then the next guy misses. Both teams were like that tonight. It’s great to win a game like that for your confidence.”

HUGE slam dunk!! KJ Byers gives the Beach the lead back with less than 5 seconds to play! #GoBeach pic.twitter.com/ovlp8zOxam

— LBSU Mens Basketball (@LBSUhoops) December 21, 2018

LOS ANGELES — The slow-starting Clippers stayed away Thursday, replaced by a rested, healthier version of the team, which accelerated off the starting line and looked like the group that began the season as one of the NBA’s biggest surprises.

With a much-needed infusion of Lou Williams, some determined offense from Patrick Beverley and Montrezl Harrell’s highest-scoring first half this season – all coming from the bench – the Clippers finally didn’t have to claw out of a hole.

And they managed to hang on after taking an 11-point lead into halftime, defeating the Dallas Mavericks 125-121 at Staples Center to snap a four-game losing streak.

“It’s good to get a win,” Williams said. “It stopped the bleeding, because we’ve had a rough stretch of games. Even a couple of those games, we had our opportunities to win, but it was good to get off of it tonight and move forward.”

Williams subbed in at the 3:51 mark of the first quarter – his first action since suffering a pulled hamstring early in a Dec. 10 game at Phoenix.

He was raring to hoop: He dished out seven of his eight assists in the first half, when he also scored seven points – three of which came after he fielded Tyrone Wallace’s scooping save pass near midcourt, stepped forward, got bumped, sank the 3-pointer and slapped hands with Rivers. He missed the ensuing free-throw attempt but the Clippers had a 39-30 lead.

Williams finished with 26 points in 23 minutes, weaving and winding his way through Dallas’ defense, sinking floaters and rattling in off-balanced shots – or finding his friends.

During a nearly six-minute span across the third and fourth quarters, Williams was the Clippers’ offense. He scored 18 consecutive points as his team worked to fend off the Mavs.

“Lou was fantastic,” Rivers said. “Early on his passing was fantastic and then he started the scoring barrage down the stretch. He just gives us a confidence. When you have him on the floor, it’s not necessarily you gotta go to him, but he’s gonna be involved. It gives us a closer at the end of the game.”

As Patrick Beverley put it: “We were fortunate to have Lou Williams tonight.”

Especially because Dallas went ahead 99-98 on a Maximilian Kleber dunk, after which both sides exchanged shots – including Gallinari’s third 3-pointer of the game, which tied it at 109.

From then, the Clippers used an 11-2 run to go ahead 119-111. Dallas answered with an 11-6 burst, but the Clippers (18-13) made all six of their free-throw attempts down the stretch to clinch the victory and improve to 10-4 at home.

At halftime, Danilo Gallinari was the Clippers’ only starter in double figures (with 13 of his season-high 32 points), but with 42 from their reserves (including 14 from an energized Harrell), they went into halftime with a 65-54 advantage over the Mavs (15-15), who fell to 2-12 on the road.

“How we came out of halftime, I thought we lost our pace,” said Rivers, who was sore but OK after he slipped and fell hard onto the court while arguing a non-call at the end of the third quarter. “We finally got it back as the half went on. That’s something, to me, we can’t ever do, but it’s nice to have a cushion. That helped us.”

The Clippers threw their most aggressive defenders, Avery Bradley and Beverley, as well as Tobias Harris, at Dallas rookie Luka Doncic, who finished with a career-high 32 points, among them a 3-pointer with 3.8 seconds left that cut it to 123-121.

“He has a complete game,” Gallinari said of Doncic. “He doesn’t have a lot of weaknesses, and offensively, he doesn’t have a weakness. He plays like a veteran, he plays at that pace where he can read the game very well, he can read the whole defense very well, so he’s very good.”

Said Rivers, with a smile: “I was sick of him.”

DeAndre Jordan, in his first game against the Clippers at Staples Center since leaving as a free agent last summer, had 11 points – including swishing two free throws with about a minute left to close it to 113-110. He also grabbed 22 rebounds.

“It was great,” Rivers said. “The reception, the fans were phenomenal. You knew they would be. Listen, he’s the favorite, he really is. Of all the guys and all the players who have ever put on a Clipper uniform, there’s no more favorite player than D.J. He epitomizes us.”

The Clippers, who were outrebounded 64-44 in the teams’ previous meeting, weren’t beaten nearly as badly on the boards Thursday. Dallas had the edge, though, 45-40.

“They killed us the last time we played them and that was a focal point,” Rivers said. “I thought Trezz, Marc (Gortat), Bobi (Marjanovic), all three, really battled D.J. and their bigs. I thought that was big for us.”

Tobias Harris finished with 16 points, nine rebounds and five assists after carrying much of the load in Monday’s defeat with a career-high 39 points. He gave Clippers fans a scare when he hobbled to the bench grimacing late in the third quarter, but he checked in again with 7:26 to play.

Intensity + focus = W@gallinari8888 at the mic with @ROSGO21 after the win. pic.twitter.com/Z503Th7aUA

— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) December 21, 2018

@gallinari8888 (season-high 32 PTS) & @luka7doncic (career-high 32 PTS) duel as the @LAClippers defeat DAL at home! #ClipperNation pic.twitter.com/63xHG8U7IA

— NBA (@NBA) December 21, 2018

LAGUNA BEACH – Laguna Beach’s top-ranked girls water polo team used staggering depth Friday to sprint past visiting No. 6 Mater Dei 14-6 in its final tune-up for the Holiday Cup.

With Coach Ethan Damato substituting all six of his field players for six fresh ones throughout the nonleague match, the Breakers (6-0) played fast and keyed on specific matchups.

Damato played 15 different field players in the first half and even employed “special team lines” on the power plays.

“We played really fast and being able to get some rest allows you to do that,” Damato said.

“We had different people matched up with them, so every time we subbed we had two different matchups on their center and on their defender. … And our girls know, you got to play two, three minutes as hard as you possibly can, and if you’re not, you might not be getting back in.”

Laguna Beach’s depth led to a creative approach to marking Stanford-bound left-hander Hannah Constandse of Mater Dei. Damato first deployed rising sophomore Nicole Struss to guard the senior and later used co-captain Claire Kelly, who came off the bench.

Sophomore Molly Renner also guarded Constandse.

Constandse scored twice on penalty shots but didn’t net an even-strength goal.

Laguna Beach’s swift counterattack surfaced early as Renner scored 1:02 into the first period off a save and long outlet pass by goalie and co-captain Quinn Winter.

The Breakers made it 2-0 about 1 ½ minute later after sophomore Emma Lineback scored on the power-play off a pass from Renner. Former Mater Dei standout Tea Poljak drew the exclusion at center to create the chance with the extra attacker.

Damato then replaced all six field players with a fresh batch. About a minute later, he called timeout with another power-play chance and inserted five different players, including Kelly who scored.

“We’ve got a team full of starters,” said Damato, who credited Laguna Beach Water Polo Club’s 14-and-under program for being the Breakers’ pipeline.

Laguna Beach led 6-1 after the first and by as many as eight goals in the third.

Lineback, a left-hander, scored three of her match-high five goals in the first quarter and finished with four drawn exclusions.

Sophomore Rachael Carver converted on two penalty shots and seven other players scored one goal apiece for the Breakers. Renner finished with two assists and two steals.

Laguna Beach’s defense also excelled against Mater Dei’s power-play. The Breakers’ held Mater Dei (6-1) to a 1 for 9 effort.

The UCLA-bound Winter made two of her seven saves against the power-play while Renner added a thumping field block against one first-period shot.

Laguna Beach went 3 for 3 with the extra-attacker in the first period but slowed to a 5 for 13 finish (38 percent). Sophomore center Imani Clemons created several of the chances by drawing five exclusions.

Mater Dei freshman goalie Jada Ward contributed to Laguna Beach’s struggles by recording 10 saves.

Laguna Beach and Foothill are the top-two seeds for the Holiday Cup, which runs Dec. 28-29 at Newport Harbor and Corona del Mar. The Breakers are the tournament’s five-time defending champion.

Mater Dei girls basketball coach Kevin Kiernan tied the California record for career coaching victories Friday with a 57-31 triumph against Cherry Creek of Colorado at the Tournament of Champions in Phoenix, Ariz.

Brooke Demetre had 18 points and eight rebounds and Alyssa Frescas added 16 points, including four 3-pointers, as Kiernan recorded career victory No. 761, tying him with Joe Vaughn of Buena for the most in California girls basketball history.

Kiernan, who also coached the girls at Troy and La Quinta before arriving at Mater Dei, can claim sole possession of the record Saturday afternoon if the Monarchs defeat Redondo in the finals of the Joe Smith Division at the Tournament of Champions.

Kiernan returned to coaching only last week after having hip replacement surgery.

Mater Dei’s boys basketball coach Gary McKnight is the all-time leader in state boys coaching victories.

HUNTIINGTON BEACH – Newport Harbor needed only a quarter to build a double-digit lead over Marina in their nonleague boys basketball game Friday at Marina High School.

The lead was more than 20 by halftime and by game’s end, the Sailors won by a margin that seems to be routine for them this season.

Robbie Spooner scored a game-high 27 points, including six 3-pointers, as the Sailors cruised to a 79-52 victory over the Vikings.

The victory was the ninth in a row for the Sailors (13-1), who also won by at least 25 points for the eighth time this season.

“I think our guys just have that next play mentality,” Sailors coach Robert Torribio said. “And when you are shooting the ball like we do and defend really well, these nights are going to happen.”

The Sailors, ranked No. 12 in Orange County, were also the quicker team and scored often off fast breaks led by point guard Sam Barela, who got the ball in the hands of outside shooters Spooner and Will Harvey, who finished with 22 points, including three 3-pointers.

“We shoot what’s open,” said Torribio of his team’s success from behind the arc. “They were open tonight.”

Jakob Alamudum, the top scorer for the No. 18 Vikings (9-9), was held scoreless in the first quarter and scored just three points from the free throw line in the second quarter.

The Lehigh commit finally got going in the third quarter and wound up leading the team with 23 points.

“He’s a great player,” Torribio said of Alamudum. “We’ve competed against him for four years now, and every night he’s a tough matchup for anybody he plays, so Ill give our guys a lot of credit for doing a good job on him tonight.”

The Sailors are ranked No. 16 in Division 2AA of the CIF Southern Section.

Newport Harbor’s only defeat was against Villa Park on Nov. 30 in the Godinez Tournament semifinals.

LOS ANGELES — After all the build-up, a week of fiery yet futile speculation, Friday’s game between the Lakers and the New Orleans Pelicans proved to be the rare match-up that lived up to the hype.

A 112-104 Lakers victory was not assured until the final minute, when LeBron James made a pair of free throws, spot starter Ivica Zubac delivered an authoritative blocked shot, and L.A. rode out the threat of MVP candidate Anthony Davis and company.

Afterward, James, who missed shootaround with an unspecified illness, said he was feeling the effects of going all-out for the win as his sore feet rested in ice water.

“My energy is very low right now,” James said. “I guess being back on my home floor and being around my teammates gave me enough energy to make plays and help us win.”

With so many storylines and angles floating around the game, it was difficult to keep track. All of the subplots delivered to some degree:

• Much of the pregame hysteria centered around James’ comments that it would be “incredible” to play alongside Davis, which opposing coach Alvin Gentry said amounted to tampering. But if the two stars are planning to team up sometime in the future, it wasn’t readily apparent during the game. James earned his third triple-double of the season, flexing his playmaking muscle more than his scoring prowess with 14 assists to go with 22 points and 12 rebounds. Davis was his dominant self, scoring and rebounding, with 30 points and 20 boards, but was limited to just four points in the final frame.

Afterward, James said he didn’t think his comments were inappropriate or tampering. And he wasn’t surprised by how much attention they drew: “Of course not. No. Anything I say will generate something.”

• Randle, the former seventh overall pick of the Lakers in 2014 who grew to be alienated from the organization, returned to face his old team in the midst of a career year. He was given an appreciation video in the first quarter, but nonetheless attacked the Lakers with fury: He finished with 21 points and eight rebounds, but his last shot was blocked by Zubac, his former teammate, and the sequence essentially ended the Pelicans’ last hope.

The video was a nice touch, he later said.

“It was a nice gesture, just being able to reflect on my four years here,” he said. “It was a good thing. It was exciting. I’m appreciative.”

• Brandon Ingram and Rajon Rondo returned to the lineup after lengthy injury stints. Rondo made his first three shots and piled up nine assists coming off the bench against the Pelicans, for whom he played last season. Ingram had some clear rust (6-for-14 shooting) but nonetheless provided a needed scoring punch with 18 points.

Walton praised both players, but Ingram in particular for finding a way to blend back into the Lakers’ playing style at both ends of the court. Ingram acknowledged sitting out for seven games helped him adapt.

“What I learned the most was how good the ball movement was and on the defensive side where we need to help and how good they got each and every game,” he said. “So I just try to add to it, I just try to put myself in the position where I can help.”

• The third straight absence of JaVale McGee created an opening for an unlikely Lakers starter: Zubac. The third-year big man – who has spent most of the season out of the playing rotation – had one of his best games ever from the opening possession, when he flushed a dunk off a pick-and-roll with Lonzo Ball. He finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds on 8-for-10 shooting, and McGee (who has been out with illness) tweeted his pride in his younger teammate in the fourth quarter.

WELCOME TO THE LA ZU! ONLY LIONS TIGERS AND BEARS IN HERE! @ivicazubac

— Javale McGee (@JaValeMcGee) December 22, 2018

While Davis, Randle and Jrue Holiday were all strong for the Pelicans, their overall supporting cast paled in comparison to the Lakers. It might be food for thought for Davis if he’s truly considering pushing to move West.

It might also be something to think about for James, who lit media fires in the past week by speaking openly about a desire to play with Davis and 2003 draft pick Carmelo Anthony. Several Lakers said in the last few days that James had not addressed his comments to the team as of Friday morning, when he skipped shootaround. His current cast helped pick up the shooting on a night when he was a pedestrian 8 for 20 from the field and could not hit a 3-point shot.

James acknowledged the team feeling more whole played a major role in the win.

“When we have our depth,” he said, “we’re very good.”

Behind another LeBron James triple-double, the Lakers battle down to the end and beat the Pelicans, 112-104 #LakersWin pic.twitter.com/V97mr4xsDN

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) December 22, 2018

"With JaVale down I knew I had to step up."@LakersReporter speaks with @ivicazubac after finishing with a double-double in tonight's win. pic.twitter.com/m8TwGaPpoL

— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) December 22, 2018

Luke Walton praises Brandon Ingram on his first game back from injury, and Ivica Zubac’s double-double. #LakersWin pic.twitter.com/iVUImVGcP6

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) December 22, 2018

LOS ANGELES — The basketball zig-zagged like a pinball during the series of passes.

It was late in the first half of USC’s 91-49 rout of Southern Utah on Friday night when Derryck Thornton drew a pair of defenders as he drove toward the left side of the lane and found Shaqquan Aaron cutting along the opposite side. Without taking a dribble, Aaron bounced a pass toward Nick Rakocevic on the low left block as the lanky forward completed the rapid sequence by slamming a two-handed dunk.

The flush came as the first half was ending, the Galen Center buzzer sounded two seconds later, and the Trojans’ coaches and players left the court in a more delighted mood.

In each of the three previous games, the Trojans were down at halftime, trailing by at least 11 points, slow starts that contributed to their four-game losing streak. This time, though, they led Southern Utah by 14 at the midway point, en route to snapping the unusually long skid, the first time in six seasons under Coach Andy Enfield that they had dropped four consecutive nonconference games.

“Everybody was excited since we got the win,” Aaron said. “Also, it’s the holiday. So everybody’s trying to get a win for the holidays and they go see their family.”

The victory, Enfield’s 100th as USC coach, was USC’s first in more than three weeks and it leveled the Trojans’ record at 6-6 overall with one nonconference game left.

The frontcourt was instrumental for USC, led by forward Rakocevic, who finished with a season-high 21 points, and senior forward Bennie Boatwright, who had 18 and collected 10 rebounds in front of 3,125 at the Galen Center on Friday night.

Boatwright scored several baskets out of the low post, taking advantage of his 6-foot-10 height against smaller defenders, finishing four points shy of his season-high while shooting 46.7 percent.

“I tried to impose my will and score,” Boatwright said.

Junior guard Jonah Mathews added 14 points, going 4 for 5 from 3-point range.

The performance from the starters was needed as the Trojans were limited to a shortened rotation with only eight available scholarship players. While reserve forward Victor Uyaelunmo returned after missing a pair of games due to knee soreness, freshman Elijah Weaver was out with a sore ankle.

Weaver, the backup point guard who underwent surgery on his left ankle in August, aggravated it against Oklahoma last week and was limited in Tuesday’s loss at Santa Clara.

On Friday morning, Enfield said he received a text message from Weaver that said his ankle had swollen and he would be unable to play.

“We just can’t get out of our way with injuries,” Enfield said.

When Mathews picked up a third foul late in the first half, walk-on Devin Fleming stepped onto the floor in relief.

As the Trojans built a double-digit lead over Southern Utah (5-4) in the first half, they used a series of finishes in transition.

When Rakocevic blocked a shot along the baseline in the early minutes after tip-off, he corralled the ball, then flung a pass up the court to Thornton who found Mathews who would hit a quick 3-pointer.

About midway through the opening half, Thornton poked the ball loose, then passed ahead to Boatwright who found forward Jordan Usher for a layup.

The Trojans were often able to capitalize on the 24 turnovers committed by Southern Utah and swiped 11 steals. They also had three blocks.

Enfield was complimentary of his team’s defense, which held the Thunderbirds to a season-low 49 points, well below their season average of 83. They had recently scored 78 points in an overtime win last week against Pepperdine.

“We played very well defensively, so we held them down,” Enfield said. “But they’re a very good team. We just haven’t played well. They’re going to have a good season in their conference (Big Sky). They’re dangerous because they can score the ball.”

When the final buzzer sounded, the arena speakers soon blared “All I Do Is Win,” the DJ Khaled hip-hop track from 2010.

For the Trojans, it was new music.

The Trojans snap a four-game losing streak with a double-digit win over Southern Utah.

Don’t miss the highlights! #FightOn pic.twitter.com/cgQo3XYqV0

— USC Men's Basketball (@USC_Hoops) December 22, 2018

WATCH LIVE: Trojans speak to the media following their win over Southern Utah. https://t.co/yFJBLq3yCy

— USC Men's Basketball (@USC_Hoops) December 22, 2018

RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA – Godinez beat San Juan Hills 54-49 Friday in the first game of the North/South Challenge at Tesoro High.

Sophomore Andrew Valdez led the Grizzlies with 16 points and Ilijah Robles scored 15 points and made four 3-pointers.

“One of the things we like is when Drew (Valdez) can penetrate and attract people and kick it to Ilijah down the floor,” Godinez coach Greg Coombs said. “We did a good job breaking the press and getting down the floor to get open shots. We aren’t very big so open shots are at a premium for us sometimes.”

Godinez (6-8) played a 2-3 zone defense in the fourth quarter and made San Juan Hills work hard to get open looks. David Miramontes was in the middle of the Grizzlies’ zone and it forced the Stallions to take more outside shots. Miramontes added 12 points on the offensive end for Godinez.

San Juan Hills (7-10) was playing without center Cade Albright and backup center Cameron Freestone, who suffered a knee injury in the first quarter Friday. Adam Weingard scored 23 points for San Juan Hills and Cooper Kitaen added 9.

Also in the North/South Challenge:

Capistrano Valley 60, Valencia 33: Capistrano Valley routed Valencia 60-33 in the North/South Challenge at Tesoro High.

The Cougars scored the first 12 points of the game and never looked back. Capo Valley led the Tigers 32-8 at halftime.

“Our team plays really hard. We aren’t the most skilled Capo team, but we play hard and that makes up for some things our team can’t do,” Capo Valley coach Brian Mulligan said. “We were aggressive on the ball, rotated well and we were strong and physical.”

Capo Valley (6-5) will have three transfers become eligible when they play in the Rancho Mirage Holiday Invitational on Wednesday – Spencer Egbert from San Clemente, Langston Redfield and Landon Li from Mission Viejo. In their absence, Conner Gleason has picked up the scoring slack for the Cougars. Gleason is the team’s leading scorer this season and scored a game-high 16 points Friday.

“He has a super crafty game and he works on it all the time,” Mulligan said of Gleason. “He is trying to become a leader out here and it’s pretty cool.”

Brian Lak added some scoring for the Cougars, scoring 13 points and making three 3-pointers. Zach Roberts scored 9 points for Capo and grabbed five rebounds.

Valencia (7-8) struggled offensively but got to the rim more successfully in the second half. Dalton Sloniger led the Tigers with 9 points. Valencia will play Godinez in the first game of the Century Tournament Wednesday.

Jia Dee of the Philippines walked away with the WSOE 2 Hearthstone Showdown title and the $15,000 grand prize after her 3-2 victory over “Songbird.”

The event was hosted by WSOE in Manhattan Beach and featured 16 of the top female Hearthstone players from around the world to compete.

Thank you to all of our players, talent, staff, and viewers for a fantastic #WSOE 2: The Hearthstone Showdown! Your Champion, @jiadee_ fought hard across three days of competition and earns $17,000 with 1st place and two bout bounties! pic.twitter.com/t4fuuUU6XP

— WSOE (@WSOE) December 22, 2018

Los Angeles-based gamer “Alliestrasza” reached the quarterfinals of the event before she was eliminated by Fade2Karma teammate “Slysssa.”

You can re-watch the final day of action including the finals below:

Tune in and watch the final day of #WSOE 2: The Hearthstone Showdown! https://t.co/9PKNjiJ516

— WSOE (@WSOE) December 21, 2018

It’s time!

The Top 8 compete for $30,000 and the title at @WSOE 2: The Hearthstone Showdown!https://t.co/6auQEj6ggP pic.twitter.com/tiMFM8UwES

— Twitch Esports (@TwitchEsports) December 21, 2018

Cypress is not the tallest team in Orange County boys basketball.

The Cypress players are well aware of that.

So what the Centurions do is play at as fast of a pace as possible. They did that successfully Friday in a 72-62 win over San Clemente on the first day of the two-day Orange County North/South Challenge at Tesoro.

Cypress moved its winning streak to 11 games. The Centurions, No. 6 in the Orange County top 25, is 12-1. San Clemente is 5-8.

San Clemente’s Tritons took a 6-2 lead. Then Cypress did what it does well, creating turnovers and converting them into transition baskets. The Centurions took off on a 16-1 run and exited the first quarter with a 19-9 lead.

Cypress had a 40-24 advantage at halftime. San Clemente outscored the Centurions by five points in the third quarter to make it 53-42. The Tritons got as close as four points, 61-57, in the fourth quarter. Cypress closed strong, scoring 11 of the game’s final 17 points to take the 72-62 win.

Centurions 5-foot-10 senior guard Jared Brown scored a game-high 27 points, including 12 of Cypress’ 13 third-quarter points, and was named the game’s MVP. Anthony Tello, a 6-1 senior guard, scored 20 including three 3-pointers.

Anthony Smetona led San Clemente with 20 points. Zeeshan Ihani added 15 points for the Tritons.

San Clemente’s zone defense was effective against Cypress’ half-court offense but the Tritons could not match the Centurions’ up-and-down-the-court team speed.

Brown said the Centurions have seen, and will see, plenty of zone defenses from opposing teams.

“That’s what teams do to try and slow ups down,” Brown said. “So we’ve got to push the pace so other teams can’t set up in the zone.”

Tello said the Centurions’ fast pace is fun but also a necessity.

“That’s all we can do,” Tello said, “because we’re usually the shorter team.”

Cypress, which played Friday without 6-1 starting guard Clifton Patterson who is recovering from a concussion, plays at Staples Center on Saturday. The Centurions’ game against Torrance follows the Saturday afternoon Clippers game. They play in a tournament in Las Vegas starting Wednesday.

Centurions coach Derek Mitchell said he tries to downplay their winning streak.

“We try not to make it a big deal,” Mitchell said. “But the kids do talk about it.”

San Clemente next plays in the Tustin Classic tournament at Tustin High on Wednesday when the Tritons play Western at 11:30 a.m.

The North/South Challenge, in its 20th season, the first 18 of which were at El Toro High,  continues Saturday with these games at Tesoro:

Capistrano Valley Christian vs. Pacifica, 12:30 p.m.; El Toro vs. Corona del Mar, 2 p.m.; Dana Hills vs. Woodbridge, 3:30 p.m.; Mission Viejo vs. Beckman, 5 p.m.; Tesoro vs. Newport Harbor, 6:30 p.m.; Saddleback Valley Christian vs. Northwood, 8 p.m.

Also at the North/South Challenge:

Tustin 41, Aliso Niguel 29: Defense long has been a Tillers’ boys basketball staple. It was defense that carried them to the win over the Wolverines.

Tustin (8-4) help Aliso Niguel (5-7) to single-digit scoring each quarter. The Tillers had an 18-17 lead at halftime. They pretty much put the game away by outscoring Aliso Niguel 17-8 in the third quarter to bring a 35-35 lead into the fourth quarter.

Tillers 6-3 junior forward Ben Ahinaquah scored 10 points and was the game’s only player with double-digit points. Ahinaquah also had 10 rebounds.

“Both of our teams were offensively challenged at times,” said a grinning Tustin coach Ringo Bossenmeyer.

He was pleased with the Tillers’ effort, especially on defense. They always play an aggressive defensive style.

“This is another group that buys in completely,” Bossenmeyer said. “We know we’re going to struggle scoring at times and defense will keep us in games.”

Kyan Patel added eight points for Tutstin.

Rees Garcia and Isaiah Frazilus scored eight points each for Aliso Niguel.

Tustin’s next game is against Northwood on Wednesday at 10 a.m. on the first day of its Tustin Classic tournament at Tustin High. Aliso Niguel is off to a tournament in Las Vegas on Wednesday.