SOUTHERN SECTION BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS : Corona del Mar Sweats, Wins : Division IV-AA boys: Coleman’s two free throws with 35 seconds left give Sea Kings 47-46 victory over Playa del Rey St. Bernard.

This was the type the game Corona del Mar wins.

Work the offense. Work the clock. Work the opponent. Once again, it worked.

Brian Coleman’s two free throws with 35 seconds left gave the Sea Kings a 47-46 victory over Playa del Rey St. Bernard on Friday at the Bren Center.

It wrapped up their second Southern Section Division IV-AA championship in three seasons, one that was won--after some considerable sweating--in a style Corona del Mar fans had become accustomed.

“We don’t run up and down the floor, we play smart basketball,” Coach Paul Orris said. “A one point victory is as good as a mile.”

So was the miss by the Vikings’ Darren Harris. Brandon Granville drove baseline and dumped to Harris, whose five-foot jumper hit the lip of the rim with four seconds left. Corona del Mar’s Dominic DeGrazier chased down the loose ball and the Sea Kings survived.

“I was never worried,” said guard Brian Fracalosy, who scored a game-high 15 points. “We have a great half-court offense and it can do anything.”

It nursed them through the second half, which saw a 10-point halftime lead slowly dwindle.

Still, the tempo was familiar to the Sea Kings (18-11), as was the score. They won their last title in 1993, 47-46, over St. Bernard.

“We win these games,” Fracalosy said.

By the end, Corona del Mar had the advantage in almost every Corona del Mar category. The Sea Kings had a 27-19 rebounding edge, with Coleman grabbing nine. They outshot the Vikings, hitting 49%. The one glitch was their 18 turnovers, 12 of which came in the second half.

Corona del Mar led, 18-9, after the first quarter, when Fracalosy hit a 35-foot shot at the buzzer. They pushed that to 30-20 by halftime, taking all the press and stress the Vikings could apply.

“We can run with people,” Fracalosy said. “But when it gets close, we are comfortable with playing a half-court game.”

The Sea Kings began working into that comfort zone in the fourth quarter. They led, 38-29, at the end of the quarter after Joel Owen sank a buzzer-beating five-footer. But St. Bernard (17-12) began to close immediately.

The Vikings scored the first nine points in the fourth quarter. The final three coming when freshman guard Brandon Granville (12 points) banked in a three-pointer with 5:17 left.

“We quit attacking,” Orris said. “We had opportunities against their press, but we didn’t take advantage of them.”

What saved the Sea Kings was their defense, which allowed only nine shots in the fourth quarter.

St. Bernard had three chances to tie the score early in the fourth quarter. Twice the Sea Kings came up strong defensively. Fracalosy forced a turnover and Adam Klinke then blocked a shot by Michael Johnson. Harris then missed two free throws.

The Sea Kings worked more than a minute off the clock and got a layup from Eric Schiff.

A Fracalosy free throw gave them a 45-41 lead with less than two minutes left. It was an-easy-chair-type of a lead that became very uncomfortable.

Harris drove and scored and was fouled. His free throws cut the Sea King lead to one. When Darren MacDonald’s pass then sailed out of bounds, the Vikings had their chance.

Johnson sliced inside for a layup to give the Vikings their first lead since 7-6. It didn’t last.

Less than 10 seconds later, Coleman went inside and was fouled.

“That was the sort of thing you dream about, making the game-winning free throws,” Coleman said. “I wasn’t going to miss.”