Santa Margarita boys basketball survives late scare from Village Christian

RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA — Midway through the fourth quarter of Friday’s nonleague basketball game between Village Christian and Santa Margarita, it seemed like garbage time was looming.

Santa Margarita had a big lead but it had to hold off a late rally to beat Village Christian 92-85 at Santa Margarita High.

The Eagles (10-1) led by 23 points with four minutes remaining in the game when coach Justin Bell cleared his bench and told his starters to relax.

Village Christian (6-3), ranked No. 4 in the LA Daily News Top 10, opted not to relax and went on a 19-0 run to cut Santa Margarita’s lead to four points with just over a minute left in the game.

Bell put his starters back in the game and the Eagles were able to win.

“I thought we played hard and I don’t want to take that away from them,” Bell said. “It got away from us at the end but that was my fault. I told the guys that. It was nobody else’s fault but mine.”

Santa Margarita, which is ranked No. 1 in Orange County, had a dominant game offensively. The 92 points are the most for the Eagles this season and it was their highest point total in nearly two years.

The Eagles shot 41 percent from 3-point range and made 11 3-pointers. Washington State signee Brayden Kyman led Santa Margarita with 24 points and made five 3-pointers.

Santa Margarita also shined in the rebounding game, particularly on offensive rebounds that led to second-chance points. The Eagles had 36 rebounds, 21 of them being offensive rebounds.

Oregon State signee Drew Anderson led Santa Margarita in rebounds with 12 and also had 19 points. Eight of his 12 rebounds were offensive rebounds including a put-back dunk in the first half.

“He’s been doing a good job,” Bell said of Anderson. “He’s been crashing hard, he stays active. That’s what he does. He’s a hard-nosed dude.”

Five Santa Margarita players scored in double-figures. Kaiden Bailey had 16 points with six assists. Rodney Westmoreland had 10 points with six assists and Markee White added 10 points.

The game was tied at the end of the first quarter, but Santa Margarita went on a 9-0 run early in the second which prompted a Village Christian timeout. Anderson had seven points in the second quarter and the Eagles led 48-32 at halftime.

Valley Christian freshman Will Conroy, son of former NBA player and current USC assistant coach Will Conroy, scored a game-high 26 points. Fifteen of his points came during Village Christian’s 19-0 run during a 2:30 stretch late in the fourth quarter.

Conroy also added eight rebounds and five assists. Pedro Villanueva had 17 points for the Crusaders and Aaro Salo added 12 points with two blocks.

Santa Margarita recently returned home from a tournament in Washington, D.C., where it went 2-1. The Eagles also opened last season with a 10-1 record.

“I like where we are right now,” Bell said. “Like every team, we need to get better but we are trending in the right direction.”

The Crusaders, who have lost three consecutive games, host Chatsworth on Saturday.

Santa Margarita will host Millikan on Saturday.