High School Roundup: League champs advance in Division 2

The Laguna Beach High girls’ tennis team is moving on in the CIF Southern Section Division 2 playoffs.

The Breakers advanced in postseason play after defeating Oxford Academy of Cypress Wednesday, 12-6, on the Laguna courts. The Breakers (17-5) received sweeps from No. 2 singles Kira Hamilton (6-1, 6-2, 6-0), and their No. 1 doubles team of Chloe Mansour/Dominique Willette (6-2, 6-0, 6-2). Top singles player Brooke Michaels won two of three sets (5-7, 6-1, 6-0).

The win advances Laguna, champion of the Orange Coast League, to a second-round match at 2 p.m. Friday at home against Ocean League champ Santa Monica.

Oxford Academy, which defeated Pacifica of Garden Grove in a wild-card match Tuesday , was the third-place team from the Academy League.

“The team was very focused and very determined, and I was very proud of everyone,” Laguna Coach Don Davis said of the win. “We are excited to advance, and looking forward to our next match.”

The winner of the Laguna-Santa Monica match advances to the division quarterfinals next Monday . The semifinals are Wednesday , both days starting at 2 p.m.. The Division 2 final will be played at 10 a.m. Nov. 9 at Claremont Club in Claremont.

Laguna concluded regular-season play Oct. 25 at the Orange Coast League tournament at Costa Mesa Tennis Center. The Breakers again dominated the event, and brought home the top two prizes.

In singles play, Michaels won an all-Laguna final by defeating teammate and No. 3 player, Bailey Jaeger, 8-6 (tiebreaker), 5-3. Hamilton captured third place and Catherine Debbas, the No. 1 player from Costa Mesa, finished fourth.

The doubles crown went to Mansour and Willette who, in another all-Breakers finale, rallied to defeat No. 2 Katelyn Bo and Sarah Nederlander, 2-6, 6-3, 10-1. Laguna’ No. 3 team of Ashley Shelton and Madeline Loomis took third and Rachel Russell and Mahina Won-Milho, the top doubles team from Costa Mesa, placed fourth.

In the singles semifinals, Jaeger scored a 7-6 win (seven-point tie-breaker) against Hamilton, only to see Hamilton respond with a 6-0 win in the second set. Jaeger fought off a match point while trailing, 9-8, in the third set, but scored the next two points to claim an 11-9 victory to advance to the final. Michaels moved on to the final after a 6-0, 6-0 win against Debbas.

The first set of the singles final lasted over an hour and went to a tie-breaker which Michaels won, 8-6. She then went on to win her first individual league title by holding off Jaeger, 6-3, in the second set.

In a doubles final that was determined by a super tie-breaker, Shelton and Loomis, who reached the final by defeating Bo and Nederlander, 6-1, 6-4, surprised Mansour and Willette in the first set, winning, 6-2. Mansour and Willette, who had lost only once since Coach Don Davis paired them as a team early in the season, came back to win set No. 2, 6-3. In a 10-point super tie-breaker, Mansour and Willette went on to a 10-1 win, to earn the title.

The top two finishers in the league singles and doubles tournament qualify for the CIF Southern Section Individuals, which begin Nov. 19. The league’s third- and fourth-place finishers are alternates for the tournament.

*

Boys’ Water Polo

The Breakers started their final week of the regular season Tuesday with a nonleague match at El Toro, and fell to the Chargers, 11-9.

Laguna, ranked third in Division 2, played the game without starter Riley Thomas but was on even terms with El Toro, the No. 7-ranked team in Division 1, though the first three quarters. The Chargers outscored the Breakers, 4-1 in the fourth quarter, to get the win.

Caleb Scott scored three goals and Camron Hauer and Duncan Lynde both scored twice for the Breakers who conclude regular-season play at 4 p.m. Friday , against visiting Aliso Niguel.

The CIF Southern Section playoff brackets will be released Sunday . Orange Coast League champion Laguna, which could draw one of the top seeds in Division 2, will play host to a first-round game at 3:15 p.m. next Thursday .

*

Girls’ Volleyball

The Breakers, ranked fourth in Division 1-A, closed out another perfect Orange Coast League season on Oct. 25 by sweeping visiting Costa Mesa, 25-9, 25-14, 25-9. Sabrina Stillwell had nine kills and 11 digs, Alyse Ford had 11 kills, Francie Holte had nine digs, and Brianna Boyd had 21 set assists for the Breakers.

Laguna won its 70th straight league match and has won 99 consecutive sets in league.

The Breakers were without two injured starters, setter Sevana Drovak (knee) and outside hitter Julia Goggin (ankle), when they completed regular-season play Tuesday at Dana Hills. The Breakers were defeated by the Dolphins, who are 23-7 and ranked No. 9 in Division 1-AA, 25-22, 25-18, 25-16. Ford had 13 kills, Holte and Alex Murphy both had 11 digs, and Boyd finished with 27 assists.

Laguna ends the regular season at 16-6 overall.

“This game gave us a chance to play a really good team before we head into the playoffs,” Laguna Coach Lance Stewart said. “I thought we competed really well and we had our chances in those first two sets. We were right there.”

Laguna (16-6) is in line for one of the top seeds in the Division 1-A playoffs. Two weeks ago, the Breakers were ranked No. 1 in the division following a win over Long Beach Poly. The following week, they slipped to No. 2 and they started the week ranked No. 4, despite winning their final four league matches.

“It’s a little peculiar,” Stewart said. “All we need to do now, though, is give all our attention to the playoffs.

“I don’t think we have a dominant team in the division. We have a lot of really good teams in the division, and we’re one of those really good teams.”

The Breakers will learn who they draw for their opener when the divisional playoff brackets are released Saturday . Orange Coast League champion Laguna will play host to a first-round match at 7 p.m. next Tuesday .

*

Girls’ Golf

Laguna’s Jackie McMahon competed Oct. 24 at the CIF Southern Section Southern Individual Regional tournament at Recreation Park in Long Beach. The junior shot one of her top scores of the year with a 109, but didn’t advance to the tournament finals.

McMahon, team captain for the Breakers, was making her first appearance at the Individual Regional. She was one of 109 players in the tournament.

Two golfers from the Orange Coast League, Cassie Stevenson of Estancia and Natalie Mattison of Calvary Chapel, both shot an 81 to advance to the regional final.

The cut to advance to the Nov. 1 final was 83.

*

CIF Weekly Rankings

Football: Laguna Beach (No. 2, Southern Division)

Girls’ volleyball: Laguna Beach (No. 4, Division 1-A)

Boys’ water polo: Laguna Beach (No. 3, Division 2)

Girls’ tennis: Laguna Beach (No. 6, Division 2)

Cross-country: Laguna girls (No. 6, Division 4); Laguna boys (No. 7, Division 4)

michael.sciacca@latimes.com

Twitter: @MikeSciacca