ANAHEIM — The Esperanza boys basketball team left no doubt about who the top team is in the North Hills League.
The Aztecs avenged their only loss in league this season by beating Troy 54-41 on Tuesday night at Esperanza High to earn sole possession of the league championship.
Esperanza (24-3 overall) finished 7-1 in league and earned an automatic berth in the CIF-SS playoffs that begin next week. Troy (14-14, 5-3), which had beaten the Aztecs 75-73 on Jan. 16, also qualified for the playoffs. The CIF-SS pairings come out Saturday.
“It means everything,” Esperanza coach JoJo Ballestero said of winning the league title. “We got a great group of seniors. On our Senior Night, it’s kind of a storybook ending for these guys. … I just think it’s great for our program, but really, it’s great for us going into the playoffs. It’s great momentum.”
Senior forward Alex Van Otterloo, senior guard Nicholas Sosa and Jackson Fries each scored 10 points for the Aztecs. Mason Moore added eight points off the bench.
Esperanza gave up 75 points in the loss to the Warriors the first time the teams met, but this time the Aztecs focused on bringing defensive intensity for 32 minutes.
“Loved our defense tonight, we did a great job.” Ballestero said. “That was our key emphasis. Playing them last time, they scored 70-something points. We kept them at 41 tonight, which was huge.
“We were able to empty out the bench, get everyone some run. So it was just awesome, awesome game for us.”
Troy was led by Luke Marshburn, who scored 11 points, and Andrew Green added 10 points.
Senior guard Jordan Fermin knocked down a pair of 3s in the first quarter and senior Vincent Garza ended the quarter with a 3-pointer to give Esperanza a 17-8 lead.
Fries also knocked down a couple of shots from beyond the arc in the second quarter as the Aztecs built their halftime cushion to 15 points, 34-19.
Moore helped Esperanza stretch its lead to 19 points as it entered the fourth quarter.
“Our seniors have been huge for us all year, and, I mean, let’s not forget about Mason Moore. That kid’s a stud,” Ballestero said. “He’s everywhere defensively, all over the glass. He’s really like our energy guy, really gets our guys going. But that game was for our seniors tonight. Our seniors did a phenomenal job and they’ve earned this one.”
Ballestero also noted that league title was an important step for the Aztecs program.
“For us, it means a lot because that’s our first time winning league outright coaching here at Esperanza,” Ballestero said, referring to his brother Anthony, who helps him coach the team. “When we came into the program, Coach (Mark) Hill was at the end of his run. He’s a phenomenal coach. We came into the program (after it won just two games the previous season). We take pride in turning a program around, and just so proud of our guys.”
