A newcomer to the Corona del Sol varsity boys hoops scene made the difference late Tuesday night as the Aztecs outlasted visiting Mesa Mtn. View, 53-50, in a 6A Conference game at Corona del Sol. It was the second game for Corona, which played eight days ago and the first game of the new season for Mountain View.

Junior swingman Melek Alexander, in his second varsity game, came up aces with seven of his nine points in the fourth quarter, including the go-ahead free throws with 15.6 seconds left. 

'I think it's just a matter of time for Melek," Corona del Sol coach Neil MacDonald said. "He played well tonight, and we needed him to. This was a physical game. A grinder. We both have a lot of new faces."

Alexander, who paid his dues on the freshman team and then last year on junior varisity, helped Corona maintain a small lead in the final period. He made a strong move to the basket for two and later ripped the nets from 3-poiint range as the Aztecs held a 49-45 lead with 4:27 to play. The biggest lead of the game for either team was six points.

Corona (2-0) wouldn't score again until Alexander's free throws. In the meantime, Mountain View clawed back behind senior Nick Sessions. Sessions, who finished with a team-high 17 points, completed a three-point play with 4:05 left to pull Mountain View within one. At the 2:58 mark he hit a short jumper for the Toros' final lead at 50-49.

That's when the game got a bit wacky. Instead of the teams trading baskets, they proceeded to mostly exchange turnovers to the finish. Mountain View committed five turnovers in the final three minutes -- each time with a chance to improve its lead. Corona turned it over twice  and the other three times senior standouts Alex Barcello and Saben Lee couldn't get shots to fall.

Mountain View coach Gary Ernst felt the excruciating pain of the last two turnovers -- a 10-second violation and five-second call sandwiched between a Lee offensive foul.

The five-second call led to Corona getting the ball in the hands of Barcello. Barcello tried to drive the lane and ended up shooting a jumper that was blocked by his defensive nemesis of the night -- Matt Clark. 

Barcello managed to notch a game-high 19 points, but they were hard-earned with the defense Clark applied. After the block, Sessions was fouled and went to the line for a one-and-one with 21.7 seconds left. Sessions missed the front end and Alexander ended up at the line on the other end after a blocking call on the Toros. Alexander swished both to make it 51-50.

Mountain View had a chance to tie or take the lead as Sessions was fouled while shooting 6.3 seconds left. Both shots missed. Barcello sank the final two points of the game from the line with 4 seconds left..

Mountain View's Grant Peterson was able to get off a final shot -- a long three  -- but it bounced off the rim at the buzzer.

Ernst, impressed with his team's play overall, summed up the loss succinctly.

"Turnovers and missed free throws," Ernst said. lamenting a 10-of-22 effort from the stripe. "I liked the other things we did, but the turnovers and free throws hurt."

Corona made 12 of 15 free throws and was 8-for-8 in the second half. Lee finished with 10 points and freshman Eric Blackwell tossed in eight.