Los Alamitos holds off Huntington Beach, looks to secure playoff spot

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Photo by Ted Apodaca Joseph Ojeda drives to the hoop for a layup in a win over Huntington Beach on Friday.

Los Alamitos High’s boys basketball team had wins over Huntington Beach and Marina to improve its record to 6-2 in Sunset League play and maintain a slight edge for second place in the league. Corona del Mar has a solid hold on first place at 9-1, but the Griffins are looking to secure a playoff spot and make some noise.

The Griffins pulled away late in a game against Huntington Beach on Friday, winning 64-57. The Oilers rallied to tie the game at 51-51, but the Griffins clamped down. They outscored the Oilers 16-7 in the third quarter to regain control.
Senior Tyler Lopez hit a three pointer and then assisted Ethan Lee on a layup for a 56-53 lead. Lopez had an offensive rebound and putback that stretched the lead to 58-53 and the Griffins held off the Oilers from there.

Lopez led the Oilers offense with 21 points. Senior Joseph Ojeda and sophomore Riley Bowers each had 15 points. Senior Ethan Lee had 8 points, including four in the fourth quarter. Juniors Ethan Huynh and Wyatt Unger each had 14 points to lead the Oilers. Senior Jonah Kim added nine points.

The Griffins dropped a non-league game against Servite on Saturday, but rebounded with an 86-69 league win over Marina High on Monday.

The Griffins will host Newport Harbor on Friday and then Edison on Monday. Both games are at 7 p.m. Edison is one game behind the Griffins at 5-3 heading into the final weekend of the regular season.