A Wounded OV Presses On

After last night’s dogfight with La Habra, it is really hard to cope with the idea that there are teams that are good enough to beat Ocean View. The final score may reflect a “fairly” competitive game, but if I told you that it wasn’t a complete brawl (not physically, but metaphorically) I would be lying.

Ocean View students are bored with La Habra's starting lineups

The game started off like normal, OV got up to a double digit lead, and carried it into the half. OV dominated on the glass, but never shot particularly well. Then in the 3rd quarter, things got a little shaky; Ocean View went into the quarter up 13, but left the crucial 3rd quarter with a 7 point lead, and got outscored 21-15. After the game, Avery Johnson told me “Man, they could really shoot.” Oh man, was he right, La Habra knocked down basically everything that they threw up. At one point, La Habra’s 9-0 run aided them to a chance of a lifetime-

OV had the ball with about a minute left, and led by 2, Avery Johnson pro-hopped inside of the 3 point line and put the ball up and in off the glass to make it a four point game. That basket sealed the deal en-route to Ocean View’s second consecutive CIF-Semifinal Berth.

The biggest story was, of course, Billy Keller’s absence. I was informed by several players that Billy was ready to go, but the coaches decided to keep him out for the entire game for safety reasons. It was obvious that the depth was challenged, as every one of the starting 5 had symptoms of cramps, and were given medication for cramps in the second half. So, the huge comeback was part Ocean View’s bad luck with fluids, and part La Habra shooting the lights out.

OV will face Palm Springs on Friday at Mater Dei High School. No they are not playing Mater Dei. Palm Springs, 7:00 @ Mater Dei High School

CIF Round 3 (Elite 8): OV vs. La Habra

After last week’s road trip, OV is carrying plenty of momentum into this elite 8 matchup, it will be tough to knock them off this week. However, La Habra is a worthy (finally) opponent of Ocean View. The Highlanders are 17-12, and the Seahawks are an outstanding 25-3.

Surprising for an Elite 8 team, La Habra averages 56.5 PPG, while Ocean View has the upper hand easily with 76 PPG. On the boards, Ocean View also has the advantage with 36.3 RPG to La Habra’s 28.7 RPG. As for spreading the ball around, Ocean View averages 19.3 assists per game, while La Habra has 13.7 per game. The closest categories are on defense; Ocean View averages 11.4 steals and 3.3 blocks per game, while La Habra is in a close trail with 10.6 steals per game, and 3.0 blocks per game.

Just taking a look at the stat rundown, Ocean View has every advantage possible, but La Habra is above the national average  in every category as well. All that means is that we are finally into the “tough teams,” in other words, the competition will be through 4 quarters from here on out.

Let’s break it down position by position:

Guards:

Ocean View is lead by superstars Anthony Brown and Avery Johnson, Brown leading the team with 17.2 PPG, and Johnson is leading the team with 4.9 APG, and 2.5 SPG. Billy Keller is still an integral part of the starting unit; if he isn’t 100 percent, it will be hard for Ocean View to separate from the Highlanders early in the game. Aaron Delgado is one of the most underrated parts of the offense, especially because of his team-mates, something tells me he’ll have a good game and that will be an important part of Ocean View’s offensive, and defensive arsenal. First off the bench is Steven Yoon, a huge part of the depth for Ocean View, and I have a felling that he’ll have a good game as well.

La Habra has a trio of important guards on their team: #3 Trent McShane, #23 Burresch Joshua, and #25 Ben Hall. The most important is Burresch Joshua- he averages 13.2 PPG and 2.2 Steals per game. He’s 6’0″, and is the most dynamic scorer for La Habra. Next is Ben Hall, Hall averages 8.4 PPG, but has practically no range for a guard, but being 6’0″ gives him a small excuse. Trent McShane averages 6.4 PPG, and is a pretty good rebounder with good size at 6’2″.

Forwards:

Ocean View has quite a few different combinations at forwards- the starters have the most traditional lineup though. Anthony Brown might be 6’5″, but he is really a guard. The only true post player is Ryan Okwudibonye, who has really impressed me in the past two rounds. Expect a good competition in the paint between Ryan and La Habra’s big man.

La Habra’s big man Marcus Wimberly is listed as a forward, but is extremely physical at 6’6″. He averages 5.4 RPG, but is a legitimate post threat on defense only, with a relatively small low post offensive arsenal. Much like Keauyon Fields from Apple Valley, the athletic type player should be a real challenge for Ocean View.

Predictions

Quite honestly, if Ocean View isn’t in the game mentally, they can easily fall to the Highlanders, but if they buckle down and separate early, they should be able to outrun the Highlanders in the fourth quarter. Notice how I didn’t say the second half, but the fourth quarter- this will be a competitive game, but Ocean View is just the better team.

Ocean View 71

La Habra 54

The game is at 7:00 pm, and don’t forget to wear white! We are going for a packed house!

Updated Brackets (Elite 8)