Corona del Mar Knocks Off San Diego University, 49-46

Kevin Hansen put Corona del Mar ahead late in the fourth quarter to help the Sea Kings upset second-seeded San Diego University, 49-46, Tuesday in the first round of the Division III Southern California boys’ basketball regionals.

Hansen laid in an assist from fellow senior Alec Hanson with 1 minute 32 seconds left to give Corona del Mar its first lead since the opening seconds of the second quarter and the No. 2 seeded Dons (24-7) couldn’t answer.

Hansen, who finished with a game-high 17 points, then netted a baseline jumper with 51 seconds left and Corona del Mar’s defense made it stand up.

The Sea Kings (23-7) advanced to regional semifinal Thursday at Inglewood Morningside High.

“Teams win ballgames; individuals don’t win ballgames,” Sea King Coach Paul Orris said. Orris, still quivering with emotion, was referring to University’s 6-foot-8 seniors, Chris and Kam Walton.

Chris Walton, the San Diego State-bound son of NBA Hall of Famer Bill Walton, finished with six points, 11 fewer than his average.

Cam Walton, Bill’s Harvard-bound nephew, had only two points.

Still, the Waltons were impressive in the first half, prompting Orris to issue a heated halftime challenge to his team and, more specifically, 6-7 senior center Joel Templeton.

“I chewed their butts at halftime,” said Orris. “The CdM tradition is about playing tough, hard-nosed basketball at both ends of the floor. We started off like we hadn’t played [since Feb. 25] and I thought we were flustered. I thought we put our heads down and felt sorry for ourselves. But in the second half, we stepped up.”

It was CdM’s first state tournament win since beating San Diego Lincoln in the 1990 first round.