Poor 3rd-Quarter Shooting Leads to Rio Mesa’s Demise

Senior forward Bryant McLemore scored six of his game-high 14 points in the third quarter to lead Irvine Woodbridge High past Rio Mesa, 61-49, in a Southern Section II-AA Division quarterfinal at Camarillo High on Friday night.

Woodbridge (20-9) broke open a tight game in the third quarter behind McLemore’s play under the basket and the Warriors’ defense, which limited Rio Mesa (13-14) to only two field goals in the period. Rio Mesa shot just 13% in the quarter, missing 13 of 15 shots.

Woodbridge expanded a 33-29 halftime lead to 47-34 at the start of the final quarter. Woodbridge then slowed the tempo, forcing Rio Mesa to foul. The Warriors answered the call at the free-throw line, converting 10 of 16 shots to assure the victory.

Woodbridge, second-place finisher in the Sea View League and the third-seeded team in the division, built a four-point halftime lead even though foul trouble sent McLemore, 6-foot-7 center Mike Fenton and starting guard Todd Loewe to the bench for much of the second quarter.

After the Spartans fell behind, 8-0, at the outset, Rio Mesa forward Jeff Howatt scored eight of his 10 points in the first quarter as the Spartans took a brief 16-12 lead with a minute left in the period.

Manuk Kayaoglu came off the bench to lead Rio Mesa with a team-high 12 points.

Woodbridge forward Ryan Rauch added 12 points and seven rebounds.