Laguna holds top spot

Focus and intensity. Those are the two fundamentals Coach Bret Fleming is looking for from his Laguna Beach High boys’ basketball team as it heads into the stretch drive of the regular season.

Laguna, ranked No. 9 in CIF Southern Section Division 4AA, has five games left on its regular season schedule, all five against Orange Coast League opponents beginning with a 7 p.m. home game Friday at Dugger Gym against defending league champ Godinez. The Breakers (5-0 league) hold a one-game lead in the chase for the league championship heading into the final two weeks of the season.

Laguna stretched its win streak to six games Jan. 22 by storming to a 66-25 victory at Calvary Chapel. The Breakers (17-5 overall) held a commanding, 32-6 halftime lead on the Eagles.

“We played pretty well especially on the defensive end,” Fleming said. “We came out strong. The guys really stepped up and defended well which helped us take the 32-6 halftime lead.”

In addition to their defensive stance in the opening half, their balance showed on offense as 10 Breakers hit the scoring column. Leading the way were sophomore forward Blake Burzell and senior guard Darin Richardson who were in double figures with 14 and 11 points, respectively. Sophomore guard Charlie Rounaghi scored nine points, senior guard Isaac Wulff seven points, senior center Nick Rahder six points, sophomore forward Adam Armstrong five points, senior guard Spencer Wong and junior guard Karam Jones both had four points, and junior forward Ryan Meisberger and sophomore guard Owen McMurray both scored three points.

After taking on Godinez Friday, Laguna will play host to Costa Mesa at 7 p.m. on Wednesday in a key contest. Entering the start of the second half of league play Friday, the Mustangs (4-1 league) were a game behind the Breakers in the league standings.

Costa Mesa’s lone loss was a 60-51 home setback to the Breakers Jan. 13. The Mustangs are coming off a 53-42 win Jan. 22 over Saddleback.

Godinez, a 58-49 winner Jan. 22 over Estancia, holds third place in league at 3-2.

The Breakers went to Godinez for a league opener Jan. 8 and took a 67-48 win from the Grizzlies.

“I think the key for us at this point in the season, is to maintain our focus and intensity,” Fleming said. “I feel that when we come out and play with focus, especially on the defensive end of the floor, everything else falls into place.”

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Girls’ Basketball

The Breakers won for the 14th time this season by defeating visiting Capistrano Valley Saturday, 45-34, in a nonleague game at Dugger Gym. Senior forward Alexandra Lewis sank five three-point shots and led all scorers with 21 points. Senior guard/forward Jackie Cenan was right behind Lewis with 20 points.

Junior guard/forward Rachel Kenney and sophomore guard Jasmine Banks both scored two points.

The Breakers opened the second half of Orange Coast League play Thursday against Godinez. The score wasn’t available at press time.

In their final game of the first half of league play, the Breakers upended host Calvary Chapel, 44-38. Cenan scored a game-high 15 points and Lewis hit four three-point shots and was next with 14 points.

Banks had five points, junior forward Marissa Lee four points, and Kenney and senior guard Ashley Brown each scored three points to close out the Laguna scoring.

“This was a bounce back game after a tough, emotional loss to Estancia two nights prior,” Laguna Coach Mark Lewis said. “Calvary is well-coached and has made great improvement this season, so they are certainly a formidable opponent. The game was a battle from start to finish.

“I’m proud of the way the girls battled. It was a gritty, gutsy win for us and it kept us in the hunt for league. It was also a challenging game as we were adjusting to a new roster due to our second season-ending ACL injury (junior guard Nicole Davidson in third quarter of a 53-43 loss Jan. 19 to Estancia). So, a lot going on with the loss to Estancia and the loss of our starting point guard. But, the girls found a way, dug down deep, and gutted it out.”

The Breakers entered the week 4-1 in league — one game behind league-leading Estancia (5-0), and 14-7 overall.

In league action next week, the Breakers host Costa Mesa Tuesday and play at Saddleback Thursday. Both games tip at 6 p.m.

“I thought the girls played very well the first half of league,” Mark Lewis said. “We were really firing on all cylinders the first three games. Against Estancia, which is always a tough game, we were playing well and were right there with them. When Nicole [Davidson] went down, it changed our approach to the game, but the girls carried on mid-stream and stayed right there. A fourth quarter push by Estancia, led by Maya Van Den Heever, gave Estancia the separation they needed to come away with the victory. Then, we closed out the first half of league with that tough win at Calvary.

“The second half of league is always tougher as now everyone has seen each other once and adjustments will be made to counter those things that worked well in the first half of league. We, or course, are having to not only make adjustments to counter what the other teams do, we are also making adjustments within our own structure due to the loss of our starting point guard [Davidson] and our first guard off the bench, [senior guard] Amy Nygaard, both of whom have suffered the season-ending ACL injuries. To continue our push to stay in the hunt for league title, we will have to win out.

“We have a tough test right away beginning with Godinez at home [Thursday]. I think all of our games the rest of the way are going to be challenging. We just have to be ready. Keys for us will be improving our defensive mindset, taking care of the ball, and limiting the other team’s possessions and second chance opportunities. With Nicole and Amy gone, others will have to step up offensively to backfill the contributions of those two.”

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CIF Weekly Rankings

Boys’ basketball: No. 9, Division 4AA.