EVERY FREE throw was important in Edison-Marina game (Tribune photo).

By Miles Gaskin/Orange County Tribune

Despite jeers and negative chants from the crowd directed at Marina senior point guard Barak Simon all game long, it was Simon and the Vikings who got the last laugh, as Marina escaped Edison with a narrow 68-66 win in a thriller of a game on Monday night.

Edison led for most of the first half, and led by as many as nine early on, but Marina remained within striking distance for the entire game, and by the start of the fourth quarter, Edison’s advantage had dwindled down to a two point lead.
In the last minute of the game Marina possessed the ball with a three point lead, 68-65, but Edison came up with a big defensive stop.

Then during the final possession of the game, with less than four seconds on the clock, Edison senior shooting guard Jayden Oei was fouled shooting a three-point shot.

He missed the first of three free throws, made the second, and then was forced to miss the third on purpose in hopes of a rebound, but Marina was able to secure both the board and the victory.

Marina’s season will end with them finishing at 17-11 overall and 5-7 in the Sunset League. With the loss, Edison drops to 17-11 and overall and 7-5 in the Sunset League headed into the playoffs.

Simon led the way for the Vikings stuffing the stat sheet, finishing with 18 points, eight assists, four rebounds, and two steals.  Marina also received key contributions from senior small forward Luke Pratali who finished with 12 points and seven rebounds, and freshman shooting guard Shane Gloger, who had a 10-point third quarter.

Edison junior point guard Derick Johnson led all scorers with 20 points and finished with two assists and two rebounds.  Senior power forward Connor McNally also had a big game for the Chargers, finishing with 15 points, eight rebounds, and an assist.