Corona del Mar Does It Again; Beats Notre Dame to Gain Final

The question was inevitable.

No sooner had Corona del Mar High School Coach Paul Orris finished speaking with reporters following his team’s 67-58 3-A semifinal victory over Sherman Oaks Notre Dame Friday night when a fan swung Orris around, shook his hand, grinned, and said:

“You’re going to take it one step further this year, aren’t you Paul?”

While Orris didn’t seem to have an immediate response to that question, his team certainly seems ready to improve on its performance of last year, when it lost to Trabuco Hills in the sectional final.

It will get its chance Wednesday, when it meets Dos Pueblos--a 76-65 winner over Harvard--in the 3-A championship game at the Bren Events Center in Irvine at 6:45 p.m.

“This has been a great group for four years,” Orris said. “I knew when they were freshmen they were special. They’ve deserved this.”

Friday night, in a packed Estancia High School gymnasium, Corona del Mar (19-9) was deserving for several reasons:

--Turnovers. Unlike its last game when it made 25 turnovers, Corona del Mar turned the ball over just 10 times as opposed to Notre Dame’s 18.

--Balanced scoring. Four players scored in double figures: Warren Johnson had 17 points, John Upham had 13, John Paulsen 11 and Mark Flint 10.

--Defense. Corona del Mar’s pesky man-to-man defense kept a hold on Notre Dame’s big scorers, especially Bobby Dacorsi, who was held to just four points after averaging more than 18 this season.

Flint also had four steals, including three in the third quarter.

--Poise. Although Notre Dame pressured the Sea Kings with an intense man-to-man throughout the game, Corona del Mar held steady. At the free throw line, Corona del Mar made 27 of 38 (71%), including 11 of 16 in the fourth quarter.

And while Corona del Mar generally likes to play a deliberate offense anchored around center Jeff Jackson, the Sea Kings showed they were adept at playing an up-tempo game, as they scored many baskets on fast-break plays.

“I like to run--if it’s there,” said Flint, the point guard. “We have to listen to what Coach says, though. He’s the reason we win.”

Corona del Mar took a 15-10 lead into the second quarter, but Notre Dame tied the score at 17 when G.C. Marcaccini made both ends of a one-and-one.

But with a 15-foot jump shot by Weston Johnson, a full-court lay-up by Flint off Weston Johnson’s steal, and a jumper in the lane by Warren Johnson, Corona del Mar surged to a 29-23 halftime lead.