DIVISION IV-AA : Fouls Leave Laguna Beach Defenseless Down the Stretch

Laguna Beach High School’s basketball team couldn’t win its fight against attrition Friday night. And the Artists couldn’t beat Downey Pius X, either.

Three Laguna Beach starters and a key reserve fouled out in the final 4 minutes 13 seconds of a 62-49 loss to Pius X in a Southern Section Division IV-AA quarterfinal game at Laguna Hills High.

The Artists (16-11) committed 17 second-half fouls, including 12 in the third quarter. Starting guard Eric Fegraus fouled out with the Artists trailing, 51-38, with 4:13 left in the game.

Laguna Beach cut the deficit to 55-47 after Darren Gravley hit a three-pointer with 1:51 left, but starters Tom Ravensberg (13 points) and Brad Berberian (four points) fouled out down the stretch, as did reserve Taylor Butcher (four points).

“We were trying to be aggressive defensively,” Laguna Beach Coach Bret Fleming said. “There were a couple of legitimate reach-in (fouls), but there were some blocking calls that weren’t. In a quarterfinal game, I would think the officials would let the kids play.”

Pius X converted Laguna Beach’s fouls into points.

The Warriors made 19 of 32 free throw attempts, including 12 of 18 in the fourth quarter, while Laguna Beach made only four of eight from the line for the entire game. The Artists didn’t attempt a free throw in the second half.

Laguna Beach wasn’t exactly shooting well from the field, either. The Artists missed their first 10 shots of the game and trailed by seven in the first half. But Gravley scored 12 second-quarter points with Berberian and Ravensberg on the bench with three fouls each as the Artists cut the deficit to 27-23 at halftime.

Baskets by Fegraus and Berberian tied it, 27-27, but Pius X outscored the Artists, 17-6, the rest of the quarter to take the lead for good.

Michael O’Quinn, a 6-foot-4 junior, led Pius X (21-5) with 25 points. Gravley led Laguna Beach with 24 points.