Herr carries Laguna to win

In a closely contested National Junior Basketball Boys’ Division 4 (second grade) battle, Laguna Beach and a talented Laguna Hills team traded baskets for the better part of the game. True to the fine play, the game went to overtime tied at 20. With just a few seconds to go, Kaden Herr was fouled going to the basket. After he missed the first free throw, the excited fans held their breath in anticipation of the next shot. Alas, it also went astray, but Herr grabbed his own rebound and put in the game-winning shot at the buzzer to propel Laguna Beach to an exciting 22-20 win.

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NATIONAL JUNIOR BASKETBALL

Boys’ Division 3

Breakers 55, Ladera Ranch 22: Laguna used a new-found balanced scoring attack, including scoring contributions from Nicholas Lucas, Jagger Hawlish, Miles Stripling, Nils Wilson and a break-out performance by Drake Bell. They complemented top scorers Grady Morgan and Jake Levine, and the Breakers turned a close first half into a track meet to improve to 4-2.

Breakers 41, Ladera Ranch 25: The other Laguna boys’ Division 3 team improved to 5-0 with the victory.

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Division 2

Laguna Team 1 won 61-42, notching its first win of the season and improving to 1-5. There are many contributors on this team to complement Teddy Papa, Dylan Davis, Zane Herr and Mark Buckland.

Laguna 56, Ladera Ranch 23: The other Division 2 team continued its undefeated season (6-0) by easily handling Ladera Ranch. The undefeated Breakers are paced by George MacCabe, Nathan Victor, Sterling Dudley-Bowen, and point guard Evan Kawashiri.

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All-Net

The boys’ fifth-grade team played a very talented Laguna Hills team tough but could not get over the 10-point hump all game long and came up short in the end.

They are 1-5, but are showing signs of great improvement using their speed to chase other teams out of their sets.

The seventh-grade boys’ All-Net team played tight with Anaheim Hills for the first half before Anaheim Hills broke it open in the third. After a frustrating quarter filled with foul trouble and turnovers for Laguna beach, the Breakers went for broke in the fourth chasing and trapping Anaheim Hills, forcing a number of turnovers that quickly became scoring opportunities. Laguna trimmed a 24-point deficit to 10 before time ran out.

The boys’ eighth-grade team took its game to Concordia University, squaring off against Irvine. The Breakers prevailed by 10 putting them at 4-2 on the season and sole possession of second place at the moment. The team is paced by Noah Blanton and Bryan Ludloff offensively, complemented by sharp shooters Dakota Holm and Austin Willhoft, while Steven Harrison grabs nearly every rebound within reach on both the defensive and offensive ends. Max Brown, Fox McMillan, and Andrew Landsiedel add to the length of Laguna Beach on the defensive end.

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Girls’ Division 3

Laguna 30, Capo/Dana 16: The Laguna girls kept their winning ways going, pushing their record to 6-0 with the win over a previously undefeated Capo/Dana team.

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Division 2

Capo/Dana 35, Breakers 29: Team 2, led by Alexandra Lewis’ 20 points, fought a tough, undefeated Capo Dana team through all five periods before ultimately coming up short. This is the second loss of the season for this team, both at the hands of two undefeated Capo/

Breakers 28, Laguna Hills 17: The other Division 2 team fought off a pesky Laguna Hills team that stayed with the Breakers for the first four periods before succumbing to the pace and pressure of the Laguna Beach defense in the fifth period. Paced by Charlotte Duran’s 12 points and Katelyn Carballo’s eight points and key ball handling, the Breakers were victorious to push their record also to 4-2 just like the other Laguna Beach girls Division 2 team.

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Division 1

Breakers 27, Capo/Dana 25: Playing away on Sunday was the Laguna girls’ Division 1 team. Off to a rough 1-4 start, the Breakers brought a revamped offensive attach to Capo/Dana and squeaked out an exciting nail-biter.

“” From Staff Reports