IRVINE – The heavyweights of the Pacific Coast League tipped off Tuesday with the biggest puncher in the league on the sidelines.
Still learning to play without Jaden Sabino – a two-time all-league point guard, a 25-point scorer, and a strong MVP candidate who was injured during the Christmas break – league favorite Woodbridge was hoping to restore some order to the PCL standings.
Portola had other ideas.
The Bulldogs grabbed the league race by the collar on a night they didn’t play typical Portola basketball. They remained undefeated at home and in league with a 50-48 victory over Woodbridge.
Portola improved to 16-5 overall, 3-0 in league. With its fourth loss in five games without Sabino, Woodbridge dropped to 13-8 overall, 1-2 in league.
“It was a growth opportunity,” Portola coach Brian Smith said. “Didn’t have a single player in double-digits, didn’t break 60 points.”
A game that Smith thought would be played at a frenetic pace didn’t materialize, though it did speed up in the fourth quarter when the Bulldogs protected a six-point lead despite making only one field goal.
Pretty? No. Effective? It got the job done.
Portola had seven players with at least five points. Chase Wright led the way with nine, followed by Regis Hearn’s eight. Lucas Ip and Gavin Nguyen scored seven each.
“They had such a great game plan tonight, controlling the tempo,” Smith said of Woodbridge. “They did a good job of slowing down our pace. Garrett DiCostanza had a great game for them, especially in that second half. We just had to make plays down the stretch.
“Different guys stepped up throughout the night. A little bit of luck on our side, I would think. We’ve been preparing for a team to slow us down a little bit; we didn’t know if we could score under 60 and still win. I’m proud of the guys.”
It was the fewest points by Portola this season. It made only one field goal in the fourth quarter, a runner by Ip 32 seconds into the period that gave the Bulldogs a 47-42 advantage. But for as stifled as Portola’s shooting was in the fourth, Woodbridge also struggled – connecting on only three field goals.
Down by six points after three quarters, Woodbridge pulled to 49-48 on a 3-point basket by Sabino’s understudy, sophomore Jahan Adloo, with 58 seconds remaining.
The teams traded steals, and Woodbridge took the ball out with nine seconds left and a chance to win. Three players handled the ball after the inbounds, but DiCostanzo’s 3-point shot bounded long off the back of the rim with two seconds remaining. Portola’s Hearn covered the rebound to end it.
“We executed pretty good for the most part,” said Ip, a senior, about the fourth quarter. “Got some important boards.”
The difference in scoring was decided at the free-threw line. Portola converted 9 of 16 while Woodbridge made 6 of 11.
Woodbridge coach Steven Scoggin didn’t look at the end as the decisive moment. He pointed to Portola’s four-point run at the end of the half – including Hearn’s putback with one second left – as the difference. It gave Portola a 32-28 lead at the break.
DiCostanzo led all scorers with 13 points. Kishan Pandhoh and Zaccaria Saleh scored 8. Adloo, who had averaged 16 since replacing Sabino, added 7.
Woodbridge is hoping Sabino’s fractured left hand heals by the time the PCL tournament begins at the end of the regular season. Each team will play each other once during the regular season, and the results will be combined with the tournament to determine the four teams that automatically advance to the playoffs.