Boys basketball: CdM grinds out another win

Tony Altobelli

COSTA MESA - It isn’t flashy and it won’t make the ESPN highlights,

but boy, it’s sure effective.

Corona del Mar, void of high flyers and three-point maniacs, clocked

in, defeated Trabuco Hills, 70-58, and called it a day.

“It was a great TEAM win,” Coach Paul Orris said. “We played hard the

entire four quarters in order to win this one. We had a couple of slips,

but overall, I’m very happy with our performance.”

Kevin Hansen, one of two Sea Kings named to the all-tournament team,

led the way with 28 points, outdueling the Mustangs long-range bomber

Brennon Martin, who had 24 points on eight three-pointers.

“We wanted to always know where he was,” Orris said to the Texas

A&M-bound; Martin. “Sometimes, they didn’t think he was gonna shoot from

that far out and I told them, ‘What? Do you think I’M gonna cover him?”’

In a much more balanced attack, all-tourney selection Alex Hanson

chipped in with 10 points and six assists and Judd Hietbrink added 12

points, including seven down the stretch.

“We always talk about Hanson and Hansen, but tonight some of our role

players stepped it up for us tonight,” Orris said. “Judd hit some big

shots late and Joel Templeton (eight points six rebounds) grabbed some

huge boards for us.”

Both teams played close until a 12-4 run late in the first half by the

Sea Kings, capped on a four-point play from Hanson, stretched the lead to

nine at halftime.

Trabuco Hills (7-8) opened the third quarter with a 10-2 run to trim the lead to one, but CdM withstood the threat and held the lead.

CdM pushed the lead back up to five, before a jumper by Hanson and a

three-pointer by Hansen stretched the lead to 10.

A Martin three-pointer brought the lead to seven, but a driving layup

and jumper in the corner by Hietbrink iced the game for CdM.

ESTANCIA TOURNAMENT

Third place

Corona del Mar 70, Trabuco Hills 58

Corona del Mar 17 18 13 22 - 70

Trabuco Hills 15 11 16 16 - 58 Corona del Mar - Hansen 28, Hebron 12, Hanson 10, Snell 8, Templeton

8, Patterson 4, Dorian, 0.

3 pt. goals - Hansen 3, Hanson 1, Hebron 1.

Fouled out - none.

Trabuco Hills - Martin - 24, Fields 12, Tudor 9, Castleton 5, Kupper

3, Wittick 2, Newkert 1.