EMPIRE LEAGUE : Jones Makes Certain Esperanza Holds Off No. 4 Los Alamitos

Esperanza was self-destructing before Marcus Jones’ eyes. The Aztecs had just blown a five-point lead to fourth-ranked Los Alamitos and led by a point with 1 minute 50 seconds left.

Jones could no longer watch the nightmarish scenario unfold. So he made a basket and a steal in the next 20 seconds to carry Esperanza to a 61-53 victory over visiting Los Alamitos on Friday night.

The victory was Esperanza’s second of the season over Los Alamitos and gave the Aztecs’ sole possession of first place in the Empire League.

“We had to come up with a big play,” said Jones, a senior forward who scored eight points. “It was scary. But I knew this was our game from the start.”

Jones made sure it stayed that way when he darted into the lane and grabbed Rashaan Clark’s missed free throw. His first shot was swatted back in his face by center Brady Pope, but the ball came right back to him and he quickly sank a five-foot jump hook to give Esperanza (13-5, 3-0) a 56-53 lead with 1:15 left.

Before Los Alamitos (14-4, 2-1) could look for a three-point shot to tie, Jones was at it again. He snatched the ball from an unsuspecting Dan Graham and was fouled with 50 seconds left.

“The guy wasn’t looking,” Jones said. “He was sitting there talking to the coach. So I stuck my hand in there and came up with the ball.”

Jones missed the front end of his one-and-one, but it didn’t matter because Los Alamitos turned the ball over again when Esperanza’s Mike Oliver stepped into the passing lane and made a steal. Oliver made both free throws and the Aztecs had a 58-53 lead with 25 seconds remaining.

Los Alamitos made another turnover the next time down.

“We didn’t protect the ball at the end and it cost us,” Los Alamitos Coach Steve Brooks said.

Turnovers almost wound up costing Esperanza a victory. The Aztecs led, 38-28, in the second quarter and, 53-48, in fourth quarter, but each time they were content to sit on their lead.

The five-point lead in the fourth quarter vanished when Collin Burke sank a short jumper and Steve Carbone converted a Tim Lin steal into a layup and free throw to tie the score, 53-53.

“We started to panic a little,” Jones said.

Before Jones took over, Mike Thimgan and Clark took turns carrying Esperanza. Thimgan nailed three three-pointers in the first quarter and scored 15 of his game-high 26 points in the first half.

But Thimgan stopped getting his shots in the second half.

“That’s the kind of team we are,” he said. “I don’t have to score for us play well.”

Clark, coming off a four-game bout with the chicken pox, picked up Thimgan in the second half--scoring nine of his 14 points.

Steve Carbone led Los Alamitos with 17 points and Ryan Staniec added 14 points and five rebounds.

In other league games:

Katella 76, Cypress 57--Brian Carlson had 15 points and 11 rebounds and Nick Roditis had 15 points for visiting Katella (13-4, 2-1). Tyson Weaver had 21 points and Bart Boulton 17 points for Cypress (8-9, 1-2).

El Dorado 61, Loara 51--John Simonsen had 16 points and Chris Remala had 15 points to lead El Dorado (6-12, 1-2) past visiting Loara (5-12, 0-3).

Scott Davis led Loara with 13 points.