Win Over Brea Is a Thing of Beauty to Laguna Hills

Laguna Hills advanced in the Southern Section Division II-AA boys’ basketball playoffs after a three-pointer and two ugly looking free throws helped the Hawks hold off defending division finalist Brea Olinda, 55-52, Friday at Brea.

The three-pointer gave Laguna Hills the lead for good midway through the fourth quarter after the Wildcats had appeared to turn the momentum in their favor.

And the unusual free throws provided the Hawks with a late four-point lead that almost evaporated when Brea guard Ryan Moore’s off-balance three-pointer fell short at the final buzzer.

But Laguna Hills didn’t care about aesthetics after the mild upset. “It’s a little awkward,” Hawk guard Jeff Sherman said of his high release on the free throws, which gave Laguna Hills a 55-51 lead with 12 seconds left. “But, hey, whatever works.”

Brea made things interesting when Landon Lewis made the front end of a one-and-one but missed the second with 1.9 seconds remaining. Moore grabbed the rebound and quickly moved just beyond the three-point arc, hoisting the final shot of his high school career.

“We’re just glad that things turned out our way,” said Laguna Hills Coach Dave Brown, whose Hawks (17-10) face Pasadena (13-13) Tuesday in the second round at a site to be determined by a coin flip. Pasadena defeated Agoura, 61-56, Friday night.

Laguna Hills built a 27-14 halftime edge thanks to backdoor cuts and give-and-go baskets. On defense, the Hawks hounded the Wildcats (19-8), who were hesitant and sluggish.

But Brea came out firing in the third quarter. Lewis, who finished with a game-high 20 points, hit three long jumpers and a three-pointer as the Wildcats steadily chipped away at the deficit.

The comeback continued as Brea opened the fourth quarter with a 12-5 run, taking the lead on a turnaround shot by Moore with four minutes remaining.

“We really worked to increase the intensity, and I really thought when [Moore made his shot] we had them,” Wildcat Coach Bob Terry said. “But we came back on defense and relaxed for just a second.”

Laguna Hills guard Chris Steiger got alone during that second and hit a three-pointer that put the Hawks back up to stay.

Matt Donat finished with 15 points for the Hawks, Chris Lee added 14--including two free throws with 24 seconds left--and Sherman had 13.