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Sports

JSerra Beats Yorba Linda in Boys Basketball, 62-51

Lions survive shaky start against the upstart Mustangs to win their fourth game in a row in the quarterfinal round of the Beckman Tournament.

JSerra survived a sloppy start against Yorba Linda Thursday evening to advance to the semifinals of the Beckman Shoot-Out Tournament in Irvine. The Lions prevailed, 62-51, in a contest marred by mistakes.

Although JSerra (6-2) held the lead throughout the quarterfinal matchup, nothing came easy offensively. The Mustangs (1-5) kept the Lions' normally potent attack in check.

Most expected a blowout in a game they figured to be a mismatch, but the opening quarter came to an end with JSerra clinging to an 11-9 lead, indicating that the Mustangs might have been ready to pull off the tournament's biggest upset.

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Lions assistant coach Matt Garrison attributed his team's shaky play to a week of poor practice leading up to the contest.

"You play how you practice and we haven't been focused all week," Garrison said. "Yesterday was a tough day at practice and it showed on the court tonight."

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Considering the fact that three of JSerra's top five scorers are underclassmen, occasional inconsistent play is to be expected, according to the coach.

"There's a lack of experience involved," Garrison said. "We've got to learn that on any given night you've got to come out playing hard no matter who you're playing."

The Lions quickly atoned for a lackadaisical first quarter with energetic play early in the second. JSerra began using a half-court press, which immediately messed with the Mustang's ball-control offensive strategy and translated into transition points.

JSerra senior Trenton Coggins, who came into the game averaging 17 points, struggled mightily in the first half. Coggins made only one of seven shots from the field for two points, but the Lions' offensive leader helped JSerra gain some separation with his defense.

Coggins accounted for two steals and two blocks in the second quarter, as the Lions built a 26-12 advantage with a 15-3 run.

"I noticed that the ball wasn't going in on a lot of my shots," Coggins said. "So I decided to try to set stuff up for my teammates. Coach always tells me if I want to play D-1 in college, defense is the first thing teams look at, so that's what I've really tried to work on the most."

JSerra still struggled to find an offensive groove, but kept itself afloat with success at the charity stripe. The Lions attempted 14 free throws in the first half, compared to only one for Yorba Linda.

Sophomore forward Chase Brenner provided the hustle highlight of the night when he erased a Mustangs fast-break chance to close the quarter. Brenner swatted away a Yorba Linda lay-up attempt, perfectly timing the rejection from behind in the final seconds.

Coggins came alive offensively after intermission, scoring 11 of his team-high 13 points in the second half. His effort helped push the Lions' lead to 45-30 after three quarters.

Point guard Andre Darville contributed 10 points and combined with Coggins, his backcourt counterpart, to force seven total steals. JSerra also owned the offensive glass, thanks in large part to center Johnny Marks. The 6-foot-5 sophomore pulled down five offensive rebounds to spark JSerra's efforts.

Yorba Linda refused to be blown away but time eventually ran out on the Mustangs' upset bid, sending JSerra to a semifinal showdown with Katella (4-1), which knocked off Anaheim Thursday. 

The Lions are now off to their most successful start to a season since 2007, but they cannot afford another lackluster effort if they hope to claim the tournament trophy.

"We've got to come out ready to play and be efficient every day, whether it's a practice or a game," Garrison said. "That's going to be the key."

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