In a Top 10 matchup featuring two physical and tough teams that are extremely well coached, #7 Pacifica Christian outlasted #10 Orange Lutheran 54-53 at the 3rd Annual BSN Sports Showcase on Saturday. The Tritons entered Saturday’s matchup with a 12-7 record and ranked #4 in CIF Division 2A while the Lancers came into last night’s matchup ranked #2 in CIF Division 2AA with a record of 10-5.
OLU opened the game playing stout, physical defense but Sophomore EJ Spillman got downhill and had two and one finishes to help give Pacifica Christian a 13-12 lead after the 1st. It was a back and forth 2nd but the Tritons would hold the Lancers without a field goal in the last 1:54 of the 2nd to take a 27-26. Spillman led Pacifica Christian with 6 and Parker Strauss added 5 in the half, which featured 15 lead changes. OLU was led by Zion Paleo and Andrew Nagy, who were a combined 7-12 from the field to score 8 apiece.
OLU took a 35-32 lead with 4:07 left in the 3rd after Mateo Ledon hit back-to-back 3’s for the Lancers and stretched their lead to 6 with 1:48 left in the 3rd. Ledon’s 9 points in the 3rd, while shooting 3-3 from 3, would give OLU a 42-38 heading into the 4th. Pacifica Christian would outscore the Lancers 16-11 in the final quarter and EJ Spillman pushed their lead to 53-46 with 1:09 left when he beat the shot clock on a nice euro to his left. The Tritons would hold off a late rally from OLU, who missed a transition 3 at the buzzer, and improve to 13-7 on the season with the win.
Leading Scorers and Player Evaluations
Pacifica Christian
EJ Spillman (11): Strong, shifty guard who gets into gaps & finishes strong in traffic.Willing passer w/ great vision.
Parker Strauss (10): Smooth, under control guard who does not force it & scores on all 3 levels.
Orange Lutheran
Andrew Nagy (14): Strong big w/ a soft touch & good footwork. Excellent passer out of the post.
David Manea (13): Powerful wing w/ a solid mid-range game. Scores on all 3 levels & plays w/in the game and doesn’t force it.
Zion Paleo (11): Tough, physical true PG w/ good vision who is crafty at the rim and can score from mid-range.