ALISO VIEJO — The CIF-SS boys basketball playoff game between Glendora and Aliso Niguel on Friday was a clash of styles and one of them proved to be superior.
Aliso Niguel’s 3-point shooting propelled the Wolverines to an 87-73 win over Glendora in the second round of the Division 3 playoffs at Aliso Niguel High.
Aliso Niguel (22-8) made 15 3-pointers and shot 56 percent from 3-point range.
“When you shoot over 50 percent from three, things are going really well,” Aliso Niguel coach Keith Barnett said. “I thought we shared the ball well and it sort of fed off of that. You don’t go into a game thinking you’re going to make 15 threes but to have that kind of game is pretty special.”
Glendora (19-12) played with the intention of getting the ball to its big men in the paint and it worked for much of the game. Jeremiah Garzon had 27 points with 11 rebounds for the Tartans with 24 of those points coming in the paint.
“We really game-planned for him too,” Barnett said. “We were diving on him, trapping him, but he’s a wide load. He’s a good player. We felt like if we could make it hard for them to shoot on the outside, the 2-pointers wouldn’t be enough if we made our threes and we did.”
Three players made over four 3-pointers for Aliso Niguel which made it hard for Glendora to focus its defense on one player. Jayden Mysin led the Wolverines with 20 points and made 6-of-9 3-pointers.
Mysin, who broke the school-record for points in a game (42) earlier this season, also had a team-high seven rebounds.
“We were moving the ball and playing good basketball. We are very unselfish,” Mysin said. “It’s been three years of us learning and playing off each other to get to this moment. It’s hard to beat us the way we’ve been looking out here lately.”
Sophomore Collin Tjin had 19 points and made five 3-pointers. Wyatt Richmond made three of his five 3-point attempts in the second half and had 14 points.
The Wolverines led by eight at halftime but blew the game open in the third quarter. Aliso Niguel outscored Glendora 27-14 in the third quarter and led by 21 points early in the fourth. The Wolverines made three consecutive 3-pointers to give themselves a 14-point lead which prompted a Glendora timeout.
Jay Keys had nine points with three rebounds and two steals in the third quarter to contribute to the run. Keys had 17 points in the game and made all six of his free throw attempts.
Keys and Mysin are seniors and three-year starters for the Wolverines. The other three starters: Richmond, Tjin and Henry Coulston are two-year starters and the continuity the team has shows on the court.
“These are such great kids who work their tails off and for them to have the opportunity to keep playing is great,” Barnett said. “They play hard for each other and it’s been fun.”
Aliso Niguel forced 19 turnovers including 12 in the second half when it built its big lead. Freshman Miles Iribarne had four steals and Richmond had four blocks.
Glendora had 38 points in the paint compared to 24 for Aliso Niguel. Tanner Grable had 12 points for the Tartans and Max Hilgenfeldt added 11.
The Tartans beat Portola in its first round game on a buzzer-beater 3-pointer from Hilgenfeldt.
Aliso Niguel will host Alta Loma in the quarterfinals on Tuesday. This is the first time Aliso Niguel has reached the quarterfinals since 2018 and the Wolverines last won a CIF championship in 2005.
