Strong defensive effort powers Orange past Duarte in CIF Division 5A playoff opener

Orange players and coaches celebrate after Wednesday’s CIF playoff opener. (PHOTOS: Tom Connolly, For OC Sports Zone).

Before Wednesday night’s opening round CIF Division 5A boys basketball playoff game with Duarte, Orange Coach Jacob Rhodes said his defense had to be aggressive for the Panthers to win.

Rhodes’ message sunk in with his players as Orange held the Falcons to their lowest point total of the season with a 46-32 victory at home.

“Our defense was the key; we held them to 13 points in the second half,” said Rhodes. “We felt if we held them in the low 40’s we have a good shot to win. Vic (Ceja), Ivan Kim and Sebastian (Nunez) kept the defensive pressure on them in the second half and helped us kill the clock. It’s a really big win for us.”

Orange assistant coach Rob Nasman said the Panthers attack in the second half was critical.  

“We got off to a 12-4 run to start the third quarter and that was huge for us,” said Nasman. “We were a little scared how we started off the game, but we recovered nicely.”

Panthers senior forward Mark Hernandez-Chino recorded a double-double: 16 points and 16 rebounds, and Ceja added 15 points to propel Orange (6-24) into the second round of the playoffs Friday at South El Monte.

“I knew what I had do to with my skill set,” said Hernandez-Chino, who raised havoc for Duarte on the boards at both ends of the floor. “Everybody knows their roles and their place, and we put it together, built a lead and won a playoff game.”

Ceja also noted that the defensive play of the Panthers was crucial.

“We pride ourselves on our defense; we spent a lot of time in practice working on defense,” said Ceja, who helped Orange force 15 Duarte turnovers. “We had great intensity, and we were hungry for a win.”

The Panthers started the third quarter on a 12-4 run. Kim’s free throws gave Orange a 31-23 lead at the 3:26 mark of the quarter. Hernandez-Chino’s three-point play and Kim’s two free throws completed a Panthers 19-6 surge in the third quarter as Orange extended its lead to 38-25 after three periods.

“We paid special attention to our defensive play tonight and its feels amazing that we are moving on,” Kim said.

The Panthers continued their defensive pressure in the fourth quarter and held the Falcons to six points over the final eight minutes of play. Manuel Wright Jr.’s basket with 3:36 to play put the Panthers up 42-27 and took the wind out of Duarte’s comeback hopes.

“We made some adjustments and played tough man defense,” said Wright Jr., who also had a strong game on the boards. “This is my first time in the playoffs and I’m so happy to be part of this team.”

Nunez was instrumental in helping the Panthers kill the clock in the final quarter and frustrated the Falcons efforts to get the ball back.

“We came together and had good communication tonight,” said Nunez, who directed the Orange attack and scored seven points. “It’s tough to lose and at one point this season we lost 18 straight games. It was hard to come to practice, but that shows you the character of this team. We kept working hard and now we’re making noise in the playoffs.”

Both teams started the game sluggish, and the score was tied 7-7 after one quarter and then tied 19-19 at halftime. Ike Devance led Duarte with 11 points.

Duarte Coach Steve Goldstein said the Panthers were too physical.

“They were tougher than we were, and they were more physical than we were,” said Goldstein. “We didn’t make shots, and it was our lowest output of the season. It’s disappointing.”