Ocean View Has No Defense for Artesia’s Domination

It all came into focus in the second quarter with a flurry of crisp jump shots, a scoop layup and a thunderous two-handed dunk.

Lakewood Artesia guard Jon Steffansson nailed two jumpers, guard Franklin Matos converted a nifty layup and forward Amaury Fernandez put an exclamation mark on the Pioneers’ run with a jam to remember.

By then top-seeded Artesia had decided the outcome of Saturday’s Southern Section Division II-A boys’ basketball championship game against second-seeded Ocean View. The only thing left to determine was the magnitude of the victory.

Artesia proved itself vastly superior in an 83-46 rout at the Arrowhead Pond. It was the Pioneers’ third consecutive division title, coming on the heels of two championships in Division I-AA.

“It could have been worse,” Ocean View Coach Jim Harris said of the 37-point defeat. “They had quite a few turnovers.”

Artesia committed 25 turnovers to Ocean View’s 29, but it made sense to stop counting after the Pioneers (29-2) committed 17 in the first half and led 37-21.

How thorough was the domination?

Artesia’s top two post players, the 6-foot-9 Fernandez and 6-8 forward Jack Martinez, accounted for 38 points and 10 rebounds. Their counterparts, 6-7 forward Neal Smith and 6-4 forward Jeremiah Bell, had 15 points and five rebounds.

Seahawk swingman Torin Beeler had more fouls (five) than points (three), and point guard Ryan Westbrook had twice as many turnovers (eight) as assists (four).

“You can’t play good every day,” said Beeler, who fouled out with 2 minutes 52 seconds left in the third quarter on a charging call. “I can’t dwell on the past. I have to go on to my next game.”

The defeat figured to be especially difficult for guard Marques Crane, though he indicated it didn’t bother him. Crane was a reserve for the Pioneers his freshman and sophomore years before transferring to Ocean View.

“I felt like we could play with them,” said Crane, who finished with a team-high 15 points. “Things weren’t going our way and we didn’t box out. Some of us quit [in the third quarter] and some played really hard and were still digging.”

Artesia took command by dominating the post--Fernandez finished with a game-high 20 points and Martinez added 18--and cutting off the Seahawks’ usually strong perimeter game. Ocean View (29-3) made only one of seven three-point shots.

“As the game went on we became more intense defensively,” Pioneer Coach Wayne Merino said. “Our perimeter defense shut them down in the second half.”

Harris conceded that he and his players might have been the only people in the building who thought Ocean View had a chance. Still, he said, there was no excuse for the margin of defeat.

“I don’t care who they are,” Harris said. “They shouldn’t have beaten us by 30-something points.”