3-A : Corona del Mar Stops El Dorado

Corona del Mar High School put the brakes on El Dorado’s high-scoring offense and scored a stunning 61-43 victory Wednesday night in Placentia in the opening round of the Southern Section 3-A division playoffs.

Corona del Mar (16-9) opened a 9-0 lead and trailed only once, stopping El Dorado’s 14-game winning streak with a fine defensive effort.

El Dorado had scored 80 or more points in seven games and averaged 78.1 points per game during its winning streak, but its fast-breaking offense was reduced to a half-court game.

El Dorado (20-5) made only 16 of 58 shots, and center Matt Luke was the only effective player offensively with 13 points and 9 rebounds.

“I can’t be disappointed with our season, but I was disappointed with this game,” said Wayne Carlson, El Dorado coach. “They took us out of our game and then we lost our poise. Give them credit, they’re tough.”

Unlike most of El Dorado’s opponents, Corona del Mar did not play a transition game with the Golden Hawks, trading baskets in a blistering pace. Instead, Corona del Mar played tenacious, man-to-man defense and set the pace with a slower tempo.

Corona del Mar methodically wore down El Dorado in the third quarter, outscoring the Golden Hawks, 18-6, as El Dorado managed to make only a single field goal.

Corona del Mar guard Matt Cwiertnia limited Mike Renaud, El Dorado’s leading scorer with a 16.4-point average, to only nine points. Center Brian Spratt contained Luke, the county’s leading rebounder with a 13.5 average, and led all scorers with 23 points.

Teammate Matt Herrington was instrumental in cutting off El Dorado’s outlet passes, continually preventing fast-break opportunities.

Paul Orris, Corona del Mar coach, said he smelled an upset as early as Sunday when the pairings were announced.

“I sensed they were nervous when I realized they didn’t like their draw,” Orris said. “I think they were looking over their shoulders. We limited them to a half-court game, and they got frustrated right from the start.”

El Dorado’s frustration reached it a point where two players were accessed technical fouls in the third quarter as the season was slowly slipping away. Corona del Mar opened a 38-28 lead with 27 seconds remaining in the third quarter and it was apparent an upset was in the making.

Spratt sealed the victory in the final quarter, scoring 11 points before Orris cleared his bench with 1:18 remaining. At that point, El Dorado had scored only 38 points.

“A great defensive effort, and a great team effort,” Orris said.

Corona del Mar advances to play Laguna Hills Friday at a site to be determined.