Men's basketball team has showdown with Fullerton on Friday.
Jan 10, 2008
The Irvine Valley men's basketball team won its first Orange Empire Conference game by 32 points.
Things should be a lot tougher Friday night. The Lasers, who are ranked third in the state, take on eighth-ranked Fullerton in a match-up that could show who is the conference favorite. Riverside, ranked seventh in the state, also figures to be in the mix.
Fullerton has a record of 14-4 overall. The Hornets opened Orange Empire Conference play Wednesday night, beating Saddleback, 87-49, at home.
Fullerton’s Justin Carter led all scorers with 16 points and added eight rebounds. Wayne Andrews scored 14 points, had five rebounds, a block and a steal. Darrian McKinstry and Larry DeHughes both put up 10 points. McKinstry also added four assists and two steals. Mitch Burrell also contributed to the win with 11 points.
Fullerton has five players scoring in double figures on the year. Carter is averaging 21.6 points per game. He is also averaging 6.9 rebounds and 2.6 assists and shooting 52.4 percent from the field.
McKinstry is averaging 14.3 points, 5.1 assists and 2.5 steals. Andrews is averaging 13.6 points and 6.1 rebounds, Mike Cox is averaging 10.6 points and 5.2 rebounds and DeHughes is averaging 10.1 points and 4.3 rebounds. DeHughes is also shooting 41.9 percent (26 of 62) from three-point range.
Fullerton is shooting 47.4 percent from the field as a team and is averaging 81.9 points per game.
Allen Caveness is in his first year of guiding the Hornets after spending the previous three seasons as the head coach at Compton College.
Irvine Valley improved its record to 17-2 with a 71-39 win over Orange Coast in its conference opener on Wednesday.
Irvine Valley led only, 32-26, at halftime, but used a strong defensive effort in the second half to pull away for an easy win.
The Lasers limited Orange Coast to just three field goals (3 for 21) in the second half. Meanwhile, the Lasers shot 64 percent in the final 20 minutes.
Blake Wallace led the way with 21 points, nine rebounds and three blocks. Kashif Watson had 13 points, nine rebounds and four assists. Jason Toney finished with 11 points and three steals and Bryce Webster added 10 points and five rebounds.
On the season, Watson leads the team, averaging 13.7 points. He is also averaging 5.5 rebounds and 2.9 assists. Wallace is averaging 13.0 points, 6.2 rebounds and shooting 60.8 percent from the field.
Webster is IVC’s third player in double figures, averaging 10.9 points per game. He is also averaging 5.6 rebounds, 1.9 blocks and is shooting 58.9 percent from the field.
Jeff Ledbetter and La’Shard Anderson are each averaging 8.7 points a game.
IVC is shooting an impressive 50.5 percent from the field as a team. And the Lasers are averaging 79.5 points a game.
Irvine Valley will play another tough contest next Wednesday, traveling to Riverside for a 5:30 p.m. game.