BREA — The El Modena boys basketball team entered its North Hills League game against Brea Olinda on Friday knowing a victory would put the team in control of the race for the league title.
The Vanguards got it done with long-range shooting, defense and rebounding in a 60-54 victory over the Wildcats at Brea Olinda High School.
The Vanguards (16-10, 3-1), who snapped a four-game losing streak, are trying to win their first league championship since 1993.
El Modena players, from left, Brady Limnitzer, Drew Rodriguez and Nick Weed scored 16, 12 and 18 points, respectively, in a 60-54 victory over Brea Olinda on Friday, Jan. 27. (Photo by Lou Ponsi, Contributor)
The first-place Vanguards made 12 steals and pulled down 14 of their 28 rebounds on the offensive end.
El Modena defeated Brea Olinda (10-16, 2-2) twice in league play, giving them the tiebreaker advantage if the teams finish with identical league records.
“We knew we were going to have a shot at (the league championship) with this group of seniors,” Vanguards coach Matthew Henderson said.
El Modena closes out its league schedule next week with home games against El Dorado (Tuesday) and Esperanza (Thursday).
Esperanza handed the Vanguards their only defeat in league, 66-63 on Jan. 24.
Brea Olinda will take on the Aztecs (15-11, 2-2) at home on Tuesday in a contest that will likely determine second place in the league standings.
Most of El Modena’s nine seniors were members of a freshman squad that went 21-7, Henderson said.
One of those seniors, forward Nick Weed, came off the bench Friday and scored a team-high 18 points.
Weed’s two baskets toward the end of the third quarter helped give the Vanguards a 49-41 lead.
“We knew what we had to do,” Weed said. “We kept our cool. We kept our composure.”
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Junior guard Brady Lemnitzer scored 16 points, with 12 coming on 3-pointers, and senior guard Drew Rodriguez scored 12 points, including two 3-pointers.
The Wildcats also shot well from long range and connected on 10 3-pointers.
El Modena led by a point at the half, but they pulled away by outscoring the Wildcats 20-13 in the third quarter.
Lemnitzer and Rodriguez each hit a pair of 3-pointers in the quarter.