LA HABRA—Going into halftime, La Habra was looking to pull away from Fullerton.
“There were no X’s and O’s, we just had to go back to playing our style of basketball,” said La Habra Head Coach Dave Ploog.
That style of basketball seemed to work out well for La Habra, as the Highlanders (9-12, 2-2) were able to break away from the Indians (5-13, 0-4) for a 70-48 win Friday night.
The game started of fairly even, as the first quarter saw the lead change seven times. The Highlanders were able to take a 21-17 lead after the first quarter.
Fullerton started the second quarter on a 9-0 run, fueled by sophomore Ryan Chang. Both teams went back and forth for the rest of the quarter, as the score was tied at 30 apiece.
Once the second half began, La Habra got a huge lift from sharpshooter Zach Varvis, as he drilled 3 straight 3-pointers during a 20-2 run for the Highlanders.
A scary moment happened in the early stages of that Highlander run, as Fullerton’s senior guard Terry Kang went down hard after he drew a foul on La Habra’s Chris Breen. Kang did not get up for a few minutes and had to be helped off the court by a trainer, as he did not return for the reminder of the game. Fullerton Head Coach Scott Sinek said that Kang went to the hospital with a wrist injury, and a timetable for his return is unknown.
Fullerton was hit hard as they lost their starting point guard, and they could not recover, as they were outscored by 27-6 in the quarter.
Coach Ploog was proud of his defense’s effort in the third quarter.
“We decided to put pressure on defense, and it forced them into taking bad shots,” said Ploog.
The Highlanders were able to keep the pressure on Fullerton for the remainder of the game, to seal a 22-point win.
“It was a tough challenge and we are a young team. We will grow,” said Fullerton Head Coach Scott Sinek.
La Habra will host Sunny Hills on Tuesday night, while Fullerton will host Freeway League powerhouse Sonora.
Sinek knows that his team will not have an easy task in beating Sonora, but he is confident in his squad.
“We just need to learn to compete, and shoot better…we will be good,” added Sinek.
