Chino Hills’ 60-game basketball winning streak came to an end on Saturday night in the Nike Extravaganza at Santa Ana Mater Dei.
Mouth of Wilson (Va.) Oak Hill did something no team has been able to accomplish in two seasons _ find a way to topple the Huskies.
It was Iowa State-bound Lindell Wigginton leading the charge that resulted in a 96-91 Oak Hill victory before a sold-out crowd of more than 3,300.
Wigginton finished with 35 points and made clutch shot after clutch shot in the fourth quarter. Oak Hill fell behind, 16-4, in the first quarter and was down by 10 points at halftime. But the Warriors wore down Chino Hills, something few teams have done.
LaMelo Ball scored 36 points for Chino Hills (25-1). LiAngelo Ball re-injured a sore ankle in the second half and that seemed to hurt his effectiveness. He had 23 points on eight of 35 shooting.
Chino Hills was down six points with under 30 seconds left. LaMelo made a three to cut the lead to three, 94-91. Then Chino Hills forced a turnover and had the ball under its basket with 9.9 seconds left. But LiAngelo Ball failed to connect on a three-point attempt after the inbound pass, there was a foul, two free throws made and that was the ballgame.
Oak Hill outrebounded the Huskies, 52-47. Billy Preston, who grew up in Southern California, finished with 16 points and 21 rebounds. He’s a McDonald’s All-American.
Eli Scott had 12 points and 16 rebounds for Chino Hills. Onyeka Okongwu had 14 points and 11 rebounds.
Chino Hills went 35-0 last season. The Huskies’ 60-game win streak was six short of tying the California state record held by Compton. It’s the third best in state history.
