YORBA LINDA — Jordan Laws scored a game-high 22 points and collected 13 rebounds as the Yorba Linda boys basketball team took sole possession of first place in the Freeway League with a 50-45 win over El Dorado on Friday at Yorba Linda High.
Mustangs coach Jason Pietsch acknowledged his team’s recent struggles with the Golden Hawks and was pleased to get a crucial league victory, especially after blowing a huge lead in their last meeting with El Dorado.
“It’s important because I don’t know that we’ve beaten El Dorado that much in recent years,” Pietsch said. “We played them a month ago in the (Gary Raya) tournament, we blew a 19-point lead, so there was a bad taste in our mouth for the past month.”
“And,” he added, “both of us were 2-0 in the Freeway League, so it was a big game.”
Yorba Linda moved to 15-5 overall, 3-0 in league, and El Dorado fell to 18-4, 2-1.
Laws scored eight of his 22 points in the fourth quarter. The 6-4 senior did most of his damage near the basket, relying on his agility and size.
“When he wants and when he’s motivated to play, he’s as good as anyone,” Pietsch said of Laws.
“Jordan Laws took over in the fourth quarter,” El Dorado coach Ryan Mounce said. “He’s the best athlete in our league.”
Rocco Gaffoglio was the only other Yorba Linda player to finish in double figures with 14 points.
Gaffoglio nailed a 3-pointer late in the third quarter and Yorba Linda’s Holden Nagin tied the game, 36-36, with a bucket to end the quarter.
The game was tight the entire way as neither team was able to pull away.
El Dorado managed to take a six-point advantage into halftime after a buzzer-beater 3-pointer by Caleb Hendrix.
Elias Rodarte and Noah Barker each scored 11 points for the Golden Hawks. Rodarte knocked down three 3-pointers while Hendrix finished with eight points, including a pair of threes.
Mounce admitted that Yorba Linda’s size posed a challenge that his team was unable to overcome this time,
“If you’re going to be a championship-level team we have to make more shots than we had, and their size makes it difficult,” Mounce said. “Your opportunities are far and few between if you don’t take advantage of your opportunities.”
The Golden Hawks shot 27% from the field and were outrebounded 44-26.
Center Elyas Hasseem grabbed 13 boards and blocked two shots for the Mustangs, who will face Brea Olinda next week.
El Dorado will continue Freeway League play with a game against Villa Park on Tuesday, Jan. 14, at Santiago Canyon College.
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