Tustin remains tied for first place in Empire League with road win over Fullerton

Tustin was led by (from left) Yuri Klines, Moe Hernandez and Terrelle Morales. Klines suffered a cut below his left eye in the first half. (PHOTO: Tom Connolly, For OC Sports Zone).

Moe Hernandez scored 18 points and helped lead a strong defensive attack to help Tustin defeat Fullerton 50-45 in an Empire League boys basketball game Wednesday night at Fullerton.

The Tillers (17-6, 3-0) remained undefeated in league and will host Costa Mesa Friday, with first place in league at stake.

Tustin led 42-30 at the start of the fourth quarter. However, the Indians (14-9, 1-2) went on a 9-2 run to start the quarter, highlighted by a 3-pointer by Jordan Myvett that cut the lead to 44-39 with 4:32 to play.

Hernandez helped the Tillers regain their composure with a clutch basket at the 2:55 mark that gave Tustin a 46-39 lead. Fullerton cut the lead to 47-42 on Jad Mustafa’s 3-pointer with 44 seconds left but Yuri Klines converted three of four free throws in the final 20 seconds to seal the victory for Tustin.

“We came out with energy in the first half and continued to play well in the second half,” said Hernandez, who also had 10 rebounds. “This win will give us drive to keep pushing forward.”

“We played good defense, and we didn’t allow them to have any long runs,” added Klines, who scored 10 points and played a strong defensive game. “Our goal is to go 8-0 in league.”

The Tillers went 17 for 22 at the free throw line while the Indians struggled and missed 10 of 15 free throws.

“You can’t do that at home,” said Fullerton Coach Erik Kamrath. “It was a five point game; we must make at least 10 of those free throws. Against Costa Mesa, we made 12 of 14, so missing the free throws hurt us and cost us the game.”

Terrelle Morales was also a defensive force for the Tillers scoring nine points and pulled down critical rebounds at both ends of the floor.

“We played with deep intensity and also with the right mind set,” Morales said.

Myvett led all scorers with 21 points and Jad Mustafa added 9 points for the Indians.

“They played us tough defensively,” said Myvett. “We need to move on from this loss and get the next one.”

Tustin led 13-9 after one quarter. Hernandez scored nine points in the second quarter as the Tillers outscored Fullerton 17-10 in the quarter to take a 30-19 halftime lead.

Indians guard Jeremy Guillen’s 3-pointer cut the lead to 33-28 at the 3:44 mark of the third quarter but Tustin rallied and went on a 9-2 run to end the quarter and lead 42-30 after three periods.

“Fullerton had won something like 10 games in a row; they have talented players, and we knew it would be a battle coming in here,” said Tillers Coach Ringo Bossenmeyer. “Ethan (Contreras) ran our offense and defense, and we made our free throws. I am very happy with this win.”  

Kamrath said the second quarter hurt his team’s chances.

“I had two starters get in foul trouble in the second quarter and they took advantage of the match ups,” said Kamrath.

Notes:

—The Tustin Tillers are 13-3 on the road this season.  

—Klines suffered a cut below the left eye scrambling for the ball in the first half. He played the second half with a bandage over the cut and scored eight of his 10 points in the second half. Hernandez also suffered a cut to his right hand in the second half but was still effective at both ends of the floor.  

—Myvett was injured as he drove to the basket with 2:03 to play. He remained on the floor for several minutes and was helped off the court by his teammates. He returned with one minute remaining and scored a 3-pointer. Myvett said after the game he suffered a leg cramp.