Marina comes up short, 73-66

Right after Marina scored a road victory last Friday over Esperanza in a key Sunset League boys’ basketball game, only then was Vikings Coach Roger Holmes able to give his full attention to what lay ahead: a Monday showdown against Los Alamitos.

In order to emerge victorious, he said his squad would have to take care of the “little details” and play a solid game. The winner Monday would assume sole possession of first place in the standings with a perfect mark in a game that also marked the end of the first round of league play.

The host Vikings came out smoking but the Griffins turned up the defensive heat over a key stretch that consumed the last-half of the second quarter until the midway point of the third quarter, a span that allowed Los Al to gain control and eventually come away with a hard-fought, 73-66, victory.

A 24-2 run was the difference in the game, as the Griffins turned a 31-22 deficit with 4:40 left in the first half, into a 46-33 advantage with 3:42 to play in the third quarter.

“We just didn’t get any shots or any good look at the basket during that stretch,” Holmes said. “They are the best defensive team we’ve faced this year, by far. We missed free throws and turned the ball over too many times, which is really uncharacteristic of us. Their defense had something to do with that. They definitely are one of the top teams in southern California.”

Marina would score 12 points over the final 3:30 of the third quarter to narrow the deficit to 51-45 by the end of three quarters. A free throw by Brendan Holmes started a 7-0 run that included consecutive three-point baskets by brothers J.J. James and Garrett James. The Vikings still trailed, 62-53, with 2:54 to play, when Brendan Holmes went to work. He hit three treys from way downtown - a couple of which had to be close to 28-feet away - over the next 1:25, to draw Marina within 64-62 with 1:29 to go.

On Los Al’s ensuing trip down the court, senior forward Nathan Berger was able to emerge from what appeared to be a jump ball situation, to hit an off-balanced jumper from the left-side of the key with 55 seconds left. That shot gave the Griffins a 66-62 lead.

The Vikings would get no closer.

The Griffins latched on to Brendan Holmes at the outset of the game, hoping to slow the hot-shooting junior guard. The tactic worked, but only for a half. Holmes, who scored just two points in the first quarter en route to a season-low deuce at the half, went on to score 19 in the second half to end up with 21 points. He hit four three-pointers in the game.

By double-teaming Holmes, Los Al was exposed by the sure-shot of the steady Garrett James. The senior guard had a terrific first half, scoring 17 points, and went on to post a game-high 28 points that included seven three-point baskets.

Marina led, 21-15, at the end of the first quarter.

Clark Evans, the Los Al quarterback who will play next fall at Colorado, led the Griffins with 27 points. James Walter was the other Griffin in double figures with 24 points.

Marina had a nine-game win streak snapped in falling to 4-1 in league and 17-4 overall. The Vikings begin the second half of league play with a 7 p.m. home game Friday against Fountain Valley.

Los Al increased its win streak to 18 games to improve to 20-1 overall. The Griffins are 5-0 in league.