Sonora Is Swatted by Son of a Legend

IRVINE — Sonora, the second-ranked boys’ basketball team in Orange County, had a shot to win its game at the Pacifica Premier Invitational Monday at the Bren Center, but Luke Walton blocked it.

Sonora forward Josh Lien’s 10-foot fall-away jumper with two seconds remaining was blocked by Walton, the son of former UCLA and NBA star Bill Walton. The 6-foot-7 junior grabbed the rebound to preserve University of San Diego High’s 43-42 victory over Sonora.

Sonora (16-2) had the ball with 36 seconds remaining, trailing, 43-42, when Coach Mike Murphy called a timeout.

“But we didn’t plan to take the shot at the buzzer,” Murphy said.

Although Walton’s size and defense helped seal the victory, guard Adam Abramowitz put the Dons (11-4) in a position to win.

Walton had 14 points and seven rebounds to lead an imposing front line that at times intimidated Sonora’s front-court players, Murphy said. But Abramowitz, a 5-11 junior who finished with 13 points and five assists, keyed a 10-3 run late in the second quarter when USDHS took control.

“Our guys got tired and they took advantage of us,” Murphy said. “That’s my fault for not getting to our bench early enough.”

Perhaps fatigue figured into the Raiders’ poor shooting performance. They made only 37% (16 of 43) shots from the field. Ben Jones finished with 16 points and eight rebounds and Lien finished with 10 points, but others struggled.

Jeffrey Berokoff, who averaged 14 points heading into the game, finished with eight points, making only two of 11 from the field.

“Just look at Berokoff, he made only one of six three-pointers,” Murphy said. “So if he is just remotely close to his normal shooting night . . . “