Ocean View survives, will face Serra

HUNTINGTON BEACH — The Ocean View High boys’ basketball team needed some speed on defense if it was going to walk away with a win in its last home game of the year.

Enter senior forward Chris Martinez.

He provided it, shutting down Verdugo Hills junior center Chris Dees in the second half as Ocean View won, 65-53, before a raucous crowd Thursday night in a CIF SoCal Regional Division III second round game.

No. 4-seeded Ocean View (29-4) plays at top-seeded Serra (32-2) in a Division III regional semifinal at 7 p.m. Saturday night.

The 6-foot-5 Martinez got extended run in the second half as Verdugo Hills was beating Ocean View down the court in transition. All he did was shut down the 6-7 Dees, who scored none of his 14 points after halftime.

“He was getting a lot of rebounds, getting put-backs,” Martinez said. “I just wanted to make him work.”

That effort off the bench, which also included Martinez’s three-point play on a pass from senior Avery Johnson, helped Ocean View start the fourth quarter on a 15-2 run. That, after the Seahawks were up by just two, 48-46, after the third.

“Everybody on the bench has to be ready, and Chris is ready to play whenever,” senior Anthony Brown said. “He’s really, really underrated.”

What also helped the Seahawks against the L.A. City Section Division III champions were that Johnson and Brown were, well, Johnson and Brown. Brown scored 29 and Johnson 24, as they accounted for over 81% of their team’s points.

Brown also had the dagger, a falling-away three-pointer from the corner that gave the Seahawks a 61-48 lead with 2:45 remaining.

“That was as big-time a play as you’ll see in high school,” Ocean View Coach Jim Harris said. “That basically put it away.”

Billy Keller scored four, Steven Yoon had a three-pointer and two steals and Ryan Okwudibonye added a basket for Ocean View. Senior guard Aaron Delgado led the Seahawks with four steals.

Nick Brown scored a team-high 25 points for Verdugo Hills (25-8).

The game was played in front of a good size crowd — and both teams’ supporters were loud. But only the Seahawks had Darrell Bailey — “Clipper Darrell” — leading the chants.

At one point, Bailey, a Keller family friend, he even got the OV crowd to do the wave.

“It’s the last home game for the seniors, ever,” Harris said. “They gave them something to remember. I felt embarrassed [in the CIF Southern Section Division III-AA title game loss] at the Honda Center, because the fans showed up but we didn’t. They deserve this kind of game. We truly have a sixth man.”

Next up for Ocean View comes a rematch with Serra. The Seahawks ended Serra’s season last year in the CIF semifinals but Serra won, 72-65, in the final of the Ocean View Tournament of Champions on Dec. 12.

“I’m looking for a big-time showdown,” Anthony Brown said. “We ended their season last year, and this year they beat us. We’ll have to leave it all out on the floor.”