Luca Chiappini of Yorba Linda drives to the basket in Thursday’s game vs. Edison at the Grizzly Invitational.
It went down to the final seconds but Yorba Linda’s boys basketball team held off a late charge by Edison to capture a 52-48 victory over the Chargers Thursday night in the championship quarterfinals of the Grizzly Invitational at Godinez.
Trailng by three points, Edison (3-1) got the ball back with 9.9 seconds left but was unable to hit a 3-pointer to tie the game. Luca Chiappini made one of two free throws for Yorba Linda with one second left to account for the final margin.
Yorba Linda moves on to face Capistrano Valley Christian Friday night at 6:15 p.m. at Godinez.
The Mustangs (6-3) overcame a 41-37 deficit after three quarters to take the lead outscoring the Chargers 15-7 in the final stanza before Edison battled back in the final minute.
“We played better defensively tonight and executed our game plan which was do not give up too many open looks at 3-pointers and rebound the ball,” said Yorba Linda Coach Jason Pietsch. “Offensively, I told the kids to relax and shoot with confidence tonight. We seemed tight yesterday and I wanted to make sure they were loose and playing with effort and attitude.
“More importantly, we had Luca Chiappini starting for the first time and Chance Sandoval coming off the bench giving us good minutes and filling up the stat sheet.”
Chiappini, named the Mustangs player of the game, scored 9 points. Cory Knutson led Yorba Linda with 12 points. Alec Mena had 9 points and Connor Platt contributed 8 points for the Mustangs.
Kaeden Headington led Edison with 17 points. Luke Serven had 11 points and Justin Strauss 10 points.
“It went right down to the wire; I think both teams played hard,” said Edison Coach Rich Boyce. “We didn’t play entirely smart and we didn’t shoot the ball particularly well but it’s early in the season and kids are adjusting to playing new positions. The kids played hard and they battled back a little bit at the end.
“We wanted the 3-point shot; their defense took us out of it a little bit. I think we had a better look on the other side, but the key to the game it’s tough for kids to make that decision that quickly. It’s all right, we got a shot off.”
HERE’S THE FULL SCHEDULE FOR FRIDAY’S SEMIFINALS
-Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com
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