MISSION VIEJO — The Aliso Niguel boys basketball team that came out of the locker room after halftime of its game against Mission Viejo was unrecognizable from the team that played the first half.
After a poor first half, the Wolverines dominated the second half to beat Mission Viejo 65-56 in the Sea View League opener for both teams Wednesday at Mission Viejo High.
Aliso Niguel (12-8, 1-0) trailed by seven points at halftime and had been outrebounded 16-8 in the first half.
In the second half, the Wolverines outscored Mission Viejo (11-9, 0-1) by 16 points and had 19 rebounds compared to six for the Diablos.
“We were getting outhustled, outworked and they did a really good job going to the boards in the first half,” Aliso Niguel coach Keith Barnett said. “I thought we did a better job finding guys and limiting second-chance points in the second half.”
A major catalyst for Aliso Niguel’s change in the second half was Wyatt Richmond. The junior forward had 12 points and eight rebounds in the second half, including nine points in the third quarter to bring the Wolverines back into the game.
“We had a good talk in the locker room and realized we needed to hit bodies on the boards,” Richmond said. “Once we started doing that we got easy buckets. I didn’t shoot as well as I usually do, but I thought I played pretty well.”
“When he gets going it takes pressure off of everyone,” Barnett said of Richmond. “He was a little bit off in the first half, but his third quarter really gave us a jump to finish the game.”
Mission Viejo led by one point entering the fourth quarter, but never regained the lead after Aliso Niguel scored on its opening possession of the quarter.
The Diablos built a lead by opening the second quarter with a 13-1 run that prompted an Aliso Niguel timeout.
Jeremy Gonzalez led the Diablos with 14 points and nine rebounds. Tyson Koedel and Damian Navarro each had 11 points and Sawyer Thompson had 10 points.
Richmond finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds. His teammate, Jayden Mysin, who recently scored a school-record 42 points in a win over Tennyson in the Desert Holiday Classic, scored 18 points.
Jay Keys had 14 points and made all five of his free throws in the fourth quarter.
Mysin and Keys are three-year starters for Aliso Niguel. Richmond and sophomore guard Collin Tjin are also returning starters.
“The experience is huge and these guys are good friends off the court as well,” Barnett said. “Playing at Mission Viejo is always a challenge so this is a real big win for us.”
Aliso Niguel is ranked No. 24 in the Orange County Top 25 and is the only Sea View League team in the rankings.
The Wolverines have been the second-place finisher in the Sea View League the last two seasons behind Dana Hills and Capistrano Valley, respectively. Neither of those teams are in the league anymore and the Wolverines are seeking their first league championship since 2021.
Aliso Niguel will host Beckman in a league game Friday. Mission Viejo will host El Toro on Friday.