Breakers atop OCL
Heading into Wednesday’s Orange Coast League encounter with Estancia High, the Laguna Beach boys’ basketball team had been on a roll over the past few weeks, winning handily in its previous four outings.
That number increased to five against the Eagles.
Laguna used another big first-quarter output to gain control on Estancia and controlled the action in a 74-47 victory that allowed the Breakers to retain sole possession of the league lead.
A 23-11 advantage through the first quarter went the Breakers on their way to their fifth consecutive victory and 16th overall.
Most importantly, they are 4-0 in league play. Their closest margin of victory during the run has been a nine-point win (60-51) at Costa Mesa Jan. 13.
“I think we are where we should be,” Laguna Coach Bret Fleming said of his team’s league start. “The key for us is to remain focused and continue to play hard especially on the defensive end.
“We’ve had three, somewhat blowouts in a row. I don’t want us to fall into a mode of not playing hard. We need to maintain the intensity that we have been playing with and continue to play hard against everybody we face.”
Laguna’s balance on offense showed Wednesday. Senior guard Darin Richardson drained four three-point shots and led the scoring with 20 points. Sophomore forward Blake Burzell (two three-pointers) was next with 19 points, and senior guard Isaac Wulff (two three-pointers) was the third Breaker in double figures with 14 points.
Sophomore forward Adam Armstrong contributed seven points, senior center Nick Rahder six points, junior guard Karam Jones four points, and both senior guard Spencer Wong and sophomore guard Charlie Rounaghi had two points.
The Breakers, ranked No. 9 in CIF Southern Section Division 4AA, moved to 16-5 overall.
In a nonleague game Monday at Estancia High, Laguna took on Whittier California and ran away from the Condors, 77-44. The Breakers built a 23-9 lead after the first quarter and led, 41-24, at halftime. They extended their advantage to 64-35 after three quarters, and took their largest lead in the game, 72-37, with just under five minutes to play.
Burzell (three three-pointers) led the scoring with 17 points and Richardson (two three-pointers) was next at 16 points. Rahder had 11 points, Wulff and Rounaghi both had nine points, Jones eight points, sophomore guard Owen McMurray hit a three-point shot, and Wong and Armstrong both scored two points.
“We came out and played real well,” Fleming said. “It was another game where we had really good balance on offense, and we did a nice job defensively, especially against a team who we couldn’t get any game film on.”
In an OCL game Jan. 15, the Breakers made their season home court debut and disposed of Saddleback, 78-27. Burzell hit five three-point shots and finished with 22 points. Richardson hit four three-pointers and scored 19 points, and Wulff and junior forward Ryan Meisberger (two three-pointers) both had eight points.
The Breakers close out the first half of Orange Coast League play Friday when they travel for a 7 p.m. game at Calvary Chapel.
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Girls’ Basketball
In a key Orange Coast League game Tuesday that was close throughout, the host Breakers were on the short end of a 53-43 score to Estancia in a battle for first place.
The Eagles held a one-point lead at end of the first quarter, the half and after three quarters, and used a late scoring burst to outscore the Breakers, 17-8, in the final quarter.
Senior forward Alexandra Lewis sank five three-point shots and finished with a team-high 15 points for the Breakers. Junior guard/forward Jackie Cenan scored 14 points, junior guard Nicole Davidson, who suffered a knee injury during the game, scored five points before exiting, junior guard/forward Rachel Kenney had four points, sophomore guard Jasmine Banks hit a three-point shot, and junior forward Marissa Lee completed the Laguna scoring with two points.
Estancia’s star guard, Maya Van den Heever hit four three-point shots and led all scorers with 23 points and was one of three Eagles in double figures.
The result put the Breakers at 3-1 in league and 12-7 overall.
Estancia, ranked No. 12 in CIF-SS Division 4AA, leads the league standings at 4-0.
“Both teams played hard,” Laguna Coach Mark Lewis said. “I was proud of our girls in their effort. They left it all out on the court. They played within themselves and when Estancia looked like they were on the verge of creating separation, we would make a charge back to tie it or keep it within one possession. The loss is certainly disappointing, but we have nothing about which to hang our heads. We played hard. A couple baskets or bounces here or there, and the outcome could be different.
“While the loss of the game is certainly disappointing, the loss of our point guard, Nicole Davidson, is a bigger loss not only for our program for the rest of the season, but for her health and well being. As we talked [Wednesday night] as a team, this program has dealt with a number of adversities in the past few years and we rise to the occasion. I have every reason to believe we will do just that yet again.”
In their previous outing Jan. 14, the Breakers easily got past visiting Saddleback and downed the Roadrunners, 65-28. Cenan had a game-best 23 points and Lewis, behind six three-pointers, was right behind with 22. Davidson scored 12 points, Kenney six and Banks two points.
“We started a bit slowly in the first quarter,” Mark Lewis said. “We were getting the shots we wanted, but they just weren’t falling. We upped our defensive intensity and created some turnovers that led to some quick buckets which opened things up offensively. Then, the shots started to fall a little easier.
“Overall, our shooting percentage wasn’t the best but we got off a lot of shots, so we scored on volume. It was a great win. Great momentum to start league play.”
The Breakers took on league foe Calvary Chapel Thursday. The score wasn’t available at press time. They step away from league play Saturday to host Capistrano Valley in a 1:30 p.m. game, and host Godinez for a 6 p.m. league contest Thursday.
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CIF Weekly Rankings
Boys’ Basketball: Laguna Beach (No. 9, Division 4AA).
