Youth Scene: Breakers NJB team earns big win

The Laguna Beach Breakers boys’ National Junior Basketball Division 1 team (7th/8th grades) gave an all-out team effort on both sides of the court Saturday and posted an exciting, 38-36 victory over a Kentucky team they had lost to at the outset of the season by three points.

The win was the first of the season for the Breakers (1-3).

Leading Laguna in the rematch were Taro Sakai (15 points, five rebounds) and Timmy Crawford (12 points, one rebound, two blocks). Jack Piggot contributed four points and two rebounds late in the second half, and Kaden Herzog helped seal the win by hitting two clutch free throws late in the fifth quarter.

Evan Henry and Miles Riehle provided rebound support and defense under the basket against Kentucky’s prolific big man. John Ali supplied tough support defense on Kentucky’s guards and helped create turnovers.

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In other boys’ NJB action:

Seventh-Grade All-Net Division

Villa Park 57, Laguna Beach 53: The Breakers fell just short of upsetting one of the league’s top teams as the visiting Spartans held on for a 57-53 victory Saturday at Laguna Beach High.

The game went back-and-fourth throughout the first half. Villa Park extended its lead in the third quarter only to see the Breakers mount a fourth-quarter comeback.

Laguna’s Nolan Naess led all scorers with 24 points. Willie Rounaghi scored 15 points, Jack Payne seven points, Gavin Trevino four points, and Arthur Rounaghi two points. Will Compton and Matt Berk provided defensive toughness in a complete-team effort.

The Breakers return to the court this weekend for single games Saturday (10 a.m., Thurston Middle School) and Sunday (9 a.m. Chapman University).

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Fifth-Grade Division

The Laguna Beach Breakers picked up two victories over the weekend, defeating the Capistrano Valley Evolution, 38-20, and the Whittier Runnin’ Rebels, 34-26.

In the victory over the Evolution, defense was the key with Ben Reimers, Ben Neufeld and Mason Herr leading the way. Griffin Naess topped the scoring with 14 points, Taylor Towe and Boden Gillete both had six points, Devon Connelly five points, Neufeld and Reimers each scored two points, and Noah Liao grabbed several key rebounds for the Breakers.

Team defense and balanced scoring also keyed the 34-26 road win at Whittier.

Laguna resumes play this weekend with single games Saturday (9 a.m., Thurston Middle School) and Sunday (8 a.m., Chapman University).

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