Headington tunes out the home fans and leads Edison to 59-50 Surf League victory over Corona del Mar

Edison’s Kaden Headington is guarded by Jake Hamilton of Corona del Mar during Friday’s game.

Edison’s senior guard Kaden Headington was not bothered one bit by the vocal and enthusiastic Corona del Mar students who showed up for Pack the Gym Night Friday night at CdM.

They dimmed the lights at CdM for the introductions which included an entertaining slide show and music blaring through speakers.

To see the slide show, please click on the first photo.

Headington seemed to thrive in the atmosphere. He poured in a game-high 33 points to lead Edison to a 59-50 victory over Corona del Mar in the Surf League boys basketball opener for both teams.

“Coach (Rich Boyce) wanted us to stay focused,” said Headington. “They came out with the introductions and it felt like a college atmosphere and he said none of this matters, just stay focused and stick to our game plan and that’s what we did.

“I think it pumps me up even more and it actually makes me play better. I love when they are chanting our names and trying to get in our heads. But it makes me a better player.”

Headington was on fire from the start, scoring 12 points in the first quarter and five in the second quarter. Aiden Garnett added 10 points for the Chargers.

“Kaden played really well,” said Edison Coach Rich Boyce. “I told him I didn’t want to bring up the fact that ‘you were awful the last time we played them,’ but I could see the determination in his eyes and he went out and played as good as a point guard can play in a game. By his own admission, he didn’t play well but he made up for it tonight. He was great.”

Edison lost to CdM 48-43 in the Beach Bash Tournament Dec. 14.

But the Chargers were determined for a different outcome Friday night.

Edison (16-8, 1-0) led 30-19 at halftime and 47-37 going into the fourth quarter.

Corona del Mar (15-6, 0-1) battled back in the fourth quarter, cutting the lead to 43-39 on a follow shot by John Humphreys with 6:53 remaining in the game.

Edison got going again, but CdM got to within five points with under two minutes remaining. But a basket by Garnett and two free throws by Headington pushed the lead to 55-46 with 1:30 remaining.

The teams were called for a double techical following a brief skirmish around the CdM basket but ordered was restored quickly. Each team shot two free throws following the double technical.

CdM was led by Humphreys, who scored 21 points and Jake Hamilton who had nine points.

“It’s tough when they shoot that well,” said CdM Coach Ryan Schachter. “Kaden was on fire. I don’t know how many open shots he got; they were almost all off the dribble, guys in his face. He was big tonight and he really carried them. We didn’t particularly shoot the ball well and we kind of got behind. But that’s a good team and when they shoot that well, they’re really hard to beat.”

“I think every game is going to be like this. I hope we don’t end up on the bottom of every game. You got to play well. And not only do they shoot well, they’re definitely more aggressive, they got more offensive rebounds than us, they were quick to the loose balls. They definitely out-competed us and out-shot us. They deserved it tonight.”

Boyce, the Edison coach, expects battles like Friday’s game throughout the season.

“I always just tell the coaches, ‘why don’t we just put the game tied with two minutes on the clock and then we can go home early,'” Boyce said with a smile. “There are not only good players, but you’ve got such good coaches. It’s going to be a battle every night and you have six of these in a fun league.”

-Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com