Lobos Struggle in Lackluster Loss

Los Amigos High’s boys basketball team suffered a 45-37 loss to Saddleback High in their third game of pool play at the Garden Grove Christmas Classic Tournament that had head coach Larry Isaacs shaking his head.

The Lobos had won their first two games, but on Wednesday at Century High, the Lobos were inconsistent and not ready to play, from Isaacs’ perspective. “It’s just a total lack of effort,” Isaacs said.

The Lobos were without two starters, junior Raymond Rembert, who separated his shoulder last week, and senior David Ortiz, who is on vacation. But they had beaten Saddleback in two previous meetings this season, by scores of 74-45 and 56-38. And despite getting off to a slow start on Wednesday, the Lobos had battled back from several deficits and looked like they might pull out another win against the Roadrunners.

The Lobos (6-4) entered the fourth quarter trailing 35-29. After the Roadrunners scored the first basket of the quarter, the Lobos went on an 8-0 run to tie the game at 37-37 with just under four minutes to play. A steal and lead pass to junior guard Jorge Bedolla cut the lead to 37-31. Junior center Michael De La Vega then had an offensive rebound and putback to cut the lead to 37-33. Junior point guard Hector Hernandez then made a drive and dish assist to sophomore forward Adrian Bedolla for an easy lay-up that cut the lead to 37-35.

After another defensive stop, Hernandez made a drive and sweeping layup that tied the scored at 37-37. But the game got sloppy from there. The Roadrunners scored all but two of the final eight points from the free throw line. The Lobos missed the front end of two one-and-one free throw opportunities that could have potentially made the game a 43-41 Saddleback lead with about a minute to play. Instead, the Roadrunner sealed the game.

The Lobos had scored just eight points in the first quarter and trailed 12-8. But they were able to find their offense in the second quarter and roared back to take a 24-20 lead by halftime. Jorge Bedolla scored eight of his team-high 11 points in the second quarter, including hitting two three-pointers to spark the run. Senior Rafael Villa also hit a three-pointer during the run.

But in the third, the Lobos again went cold, scoring just five points in the stanza and missing five of eight free throw attempts. Adrian Bedolla had nine points in the game for the Lobos and Hernandez added eight. Earlier in the tournament, the Lobos had defeated Century, 54-38, led by 17 points from Jorge Bedolla. Jorge Bedolla had also sparked the Lobos to a 64-41 win over Santa Ana Valley in the tournament opener, with 24 points.

The Lobos will continue in the Century Tournament with a game against Santa Ana on Thursday at 12:25 p.m. at Saddleback Valley Christian School. The Lobos will play a non-league home game against Oxford Academy on Dec. 28.

After their winter break the Lobos will open Garden Grove League play at Garden Grove High on Jan. 11. The Lobos are looking to bounce back from several down seasons in league play, including a 1-9 campaign last year. While they had appeared to make some strides, Isaacs is left to wonder how they might respond in their final pre-league opportunities.

“After today, everything is out the window,” Isaacs said. “I’d like to think when we get [Rembert and Ortiz] back we’ll be fine, but after today’s performance, it’s hard to see any positives.”