Finding perfection

The Orange Coast League has its first undefeated champion in boys’ basketball.

The feat happened Wednesday at the Costa Mesa High gymnasium, and the distinction belongs to the Laguna Beach Breakers, who capped a perfect league season by easily defeating the host Mustangs, 41-21.

The win ended an 8-0 run in league play for Laguna which went finished a league season undefeated for just the second time in school history. The only other time a Laguna team went undefeated in league play was in 1953.

The 21 points allowed was the second-lowest of the season for the Laguna defense. The Breakers had held Godinez to 14 points to begin the second-half of league play on Jan. 28.

Laguna, however, trailed, 8-6, after one quarter against a fired-up Costa Mesa squad that was celebrating Senior Night.

That enthusiasm was short-lived, though, as the Breakers went into the lead at the half (19-12) and then allowed just nine points defensively over the final 14 minutes of the game.

A couple of nice feeds from Dylan Roley, who still isn’t completely 100% due to wrist injuries, got the Breakers off and rolling in the first 1:20 of the second half. He first set up an Adam Selevan basket with a crisp backdoor pass, then assisted a basket by John Palfreyman, to build the lead to 23-12.

Laguna went on to take a 30-15 lead into the fourth quarter.

Ryan Lawler led all scorers with 11 points and Selevan also hit double digits with 10 points.

Cody Duplisea added seven points, Roley had five points and Palfreyman and Christian Kesler both scored four points.

“I’m happy with the win but also relieved,” Laguna Coach Bret Fleming said. “We were down to seven guys and Dylan isn’t at full-strength, but we got the win.”

The triumph was 20th of the season for the Breakers who are now 20-5 overall.

The program has won 20 games for three consecutive years under Fleming.

During that span, the program has won all three Orange Coast League championships in the three-year history of the league.

Next up is the CIF playoffs. Laguna will host a first-round game Feb. 20 but won’t know who its opponent will be until the Division IV-AA brackets are announced Sunday afternoon at the Southern Section office in Los Alamitos.

Fleming says he doesn’t think the Breakers will be lower than a No. 4 seed in the tournament.

Laguna entered the Costa Mesa game ranked fourth in Division IV-AA.

“We’re excited for the playoffs,” he said. “In order to be successful, we need to get stops on defense and play team basketball. That’s what has gotten us this far.”