Capo Valley Christian puts up a battle but falls to Mayfair 88-82 in nonleague game

Luke Powell of Capo Valley Christian is defended by Nick Adimora of Mayfair Wednesday night. (Photo Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone)

Capo Valley Christian’s boys basketball team gave Mayfair all it could handle Wednesday night but fell short 88-82 in a nonleague game at Orangewood Academy in Garden Grove.

“It was a tough one, but they hit some big shots at the end,” said Capo Valley Christian Coach Chris Childress. “I think our guys played extremely hard and I’m proud of the group. They stepped up tonight.”

The game, which was a home game for Capo Valley Christian, was moved to Orangewood Academy because Mayfair, led by Josh Christopher, a highly-recruited 6-5 senior guard, has a large following. The Eagles’ gym would not be able to accomodate the expected turnout.

The one-sided gym at Orangewood Academy was nearly full Wednesday night and Christopher lived up to the hype, scoring a game-high 31 points. Dior Johnson added 26 points for the Monsoons (10-9).

But Capo Valley Christian (12-9) was in the game until the final minute. The Eagles cut the lead to 83-81 with 30 seconds remaining on a basket off a steal by Jalen Constantino. However, Mayfair finished strong to seal the victory.

Capistrano Valley Christian got strong efforts from Luke Powell (24 points, four 3-pointers), Adam Garza (19 points, four 3-pointers) and Dylen Roberts (14 points).

“I’m proud of the group, obviously coming in as the underdog, they fought and they battled,” Childress said.

The Eagles had their hands full with Christopher, who scored 21 points in the first half to help Mayfair move out to a 40-34 halftime lead.

“He’s a tough cover, we just tried to make it tough on him,” Childress said. “And throw different bodies on him, but he still made shots though.”

Capo Valley Christian outscored Mayfair 31-27 in the third quarter to cut the lead to two points going into the final stanza.

Capo Valley Christian returns to San Joaquin League play Friday night hosting Pacifica Christian at 7 p.m.

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