Artists Knock Off Estancia

With no team ranked in the county top 10, the boys’ basketball in the Pacific Coast League has often been overlooked this season.

The fact of the matter is, it might be the most competitive league.

There was more evidence Friday night as host Laguna Beach got all it could handle but held on to beat Estancia, 51-49.

Laguna Beach (14-4, 2-1), which committed 15 turnovers, took the lead, 51-49, when senior guard Jesse Obrand made two free throws with 12 seconds remaining.

But Estancia (9-10, 2-1) wasn’t finished. Center Brett Valbuena, who had game-highs of 24 points and seven rebounds, drew a foul driving into the key with seven-tenths of a second left.

Valbuena, who made 10 of 25 field-goal tries and five of 11 free throws, missed his first attempt. Estancia Coach Rich Boyce called timeout and told Valbuena to miss his second shot off the front of the rim. Valbuena obliged. Teammate Darshaun Garner grabbed the rebound and put the ball back up. But it hit the underside of the rim as time expired.

“It’s like this in this league every night,” said Laguna Beach forward Kurt Beimfohr, who scored 12 points and had five rebounds. “Especially for us against Estancia. It’s a big rivalry for us. This league may not be as strong as it was last year, but every team in it comes out and busts its butt.”

Guard Travis Hanour gave Laguna Beach its largest lead, 46-40, with 5:40 left to play on a three-point shot. He led the Artists with 20 points.

Jon Cantrell, who helped Estancia take a 17-8 lead with two three-pointers, finished with 13 points. Obrand scored 14.

In other league games:

Aliso Niguel 70, University 68--University’s Andy Lawrence missed a 15-footer as time expired in a game that featured six technical fouls and four ejections. Dave Camadini scored 22 points for Aliso Niguel (10-8, 2-1).

Laguna Hills 63, Costa Mesa 46-- Laguna Hills (9-10, 1-2) outscored Costa Mesa (3-13, 0-3) 38-24 in the second half. Forward Jeffrey Eittreim led the Hawks with 17 points and eight rebounds.