PHOTOS: Godinez battles back in second half and defeats Irvine 61-50 in tourney

Godinez was led by (from left) George Te, Joseph Lopez, Andrew Valdez and Roger Aquino Friday night (Photo Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone)

Godinez High’s boys basketball team overcame a 10-point halftime deficit with a strong second half to defeat Irvine 61-50 in a pool play game at the Lodinez Tournament Friday night at Loara.

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

Kade Zimmerman of Irvine is guarded by Roger Aquino of Godinez.

Godinez High defends against Irvine's Tristan Le.

Roger Aquino of Godinez brings the ball up Friday.

The Grizzlies (8-4) trailed 28-18 at halftime but battled back, outscoring Irvine 21-6 in the third quarter to take control.

“It was a real good team effort,” said Godinez Coach Greg Coombs. “We had some guys step up. George Te hit some shots, Roger Aquino did a very nice job of keeping us in the game early when we got behind.

“The best time to be behind is in the beginning because you have more time to come back. At halftime, we were within shouting distance and I thought we played just a much more inspired second half. There were a lot of good things in the second half from a lot of different players tonight.”

Joseph Lopez scored 13 points, Christopher Figueroa and Aquino had 12 points each and Te contributed 11 points. The team’s leading scorer Andrew Valdez, held scoreless in the first half, bounced back with inspired play in the second half and eight points.

“He was outstanding in the second half and that’s what you can expect from him in the future,” Coombs said. “He has a great future in front of him.”

Irvine (4-8) played well in the first half led by Kade Zimmeran, who scored 17 points in the opening quarter and wound up with 26 points. minutes. Will Wu added 12 points for the Vaqueros.

But Godinez came out more inspired and went on a 10-0 run to start the third quarter and set the tone.

“It was a good victory because we were down in the first half,” said Lopez. “We came back and shows us the type of team we are and we’re capable of anything. We made major adjustments defensively and offensively, so it was a good adjustment.”

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