No. 1 Eagles Roll Past No. 3 Tustin

At the moment, there is little question that Santa Margarita is the county’s top team.

The unbeaten Eagles won’t get an argument from third-ranked Tustin, which was beaten convincingly, 84-62, Monday night at the 33rd Orange Holiday Classic.

Santa Margarita won its 12th straight by using a suffocating zone defense to eliminate any inside game by the Tillers (12-2), who had to depend on outside shooting. And even though Tustin made 10 three-pointers, the Tillers could score only 13 points in each of the first three quarters.

Tustin also hurt itself at the free throw line, making 10 of 35.

Santa Margarita plays Mater Dei tonight for the tournament championship.

T.J. Williams of Santa Margarita led all scorers with 22 points, and forward Ryan Forehan-Kelly--who made four of Santa Margarita’s nine three-pointers--added 17.

“Missing the free throws was the biggest difference,” Tustin Coach Andy Ground said. Santa Margarita was 19 of 25 from the line.

“But they are by far a better team. They didn’t hurt us as bad on the inside, and that was our major concern. But they shot very well from the perimeter, which is what an experienced team does.”

Eagle Coach Jerry DeBusk said he never felt comfortable with the lead, even though Tustin was down, 45-26, at halftime.

“They’re a tough, physical team,” DeBusk said. “They made us play through some things.”

Tustin’s free-throw shooting was especially cold at a key point in the second quarter.

Santa Margarita was leading, 32-24, when Carlos Lua, who had 19 points, was fouled on a three-point attempt. He missed all three free throws.

In the other semifinal:

Mater Dei 67, Fountain Valley 49--The eighth-ranked Monarchs (7-3) forced 18 turnovers. After a close first quarter, Mater Dei outscored Fountain Valley, 54-39, over the final three quarters to win its third consecutive game.

Mike Bayer had 13 points and Derrick Mansell had 12 for Mater Dei. Ryan Moreau scored 12 points for Fountain Valley (7-5).