Boys basketball: CdM drops league opener

Tony Altobelli

CORONA DEL MAR - Laguna Beach High’s boys basketball team took

advantage of the physical, aggressive play allowed in Friday night’s

Pacific Coast League opener, outlasting host Corona del Mar, 61-52.

“The officials definitely let the rough stuff go both ways,” Coach

Paul Orris said afterward. “That style fits right into their game plan.

They’re a good, physical team.”

Travis Hanour, the Artists’ 6-foot-6 shooting guard, upheld his job

title and scored 27 points, while dishing out eight assists.

“You gotta give Travis credit out there,” Orris said. “He shot the

lights out on us.”

Kevin Hansen led the Sea Kings (12-5) with 19 points before fouling

out late in the fourth quarter.

CdM led by two after the first quarter and led by as many as five

early in the second, courtesy of Hansen and Alec Hanson (13 first-half

points).

That’s when Laguna Beach (10-6) started to use their big guy,

6-foot-11 Chris Manker, who scored 11 of his 19 points in the second

quarter.

CdM came out flat in the third quarter and Laguna Beach took

advantage, stretching its lead to 10.

“We came out and we didn’t even get a shot off in the first four

minutes of the third,” Orris said.

A 7-0 run late in the third quarter by the Sea Kings trimmed the lead

to 46-42 before Hanour took over.

In the the fourth quarter, Hanour was 3 for 4 from the field and 4 for

6 from the free-throw line, scoring 11 of his team’s 15 fourth-quarter

points.

“I told the guys afterward that this is just one game and we’ll bounce

back,” Orris said. “It’s gonna be a very interesting league season,

that’s for sure.”

PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE

Laguna Beach 61, Corona del Mar 52

Laguna Beach 15 21 10 15 - 61

Corona del Mar 17 15 10 10 - 52

Laguna Beach - Handour 27, Manker 19, Blodgett 9, Butters 6, Boyd 0.

3 pt. goals - Handour 3, Blodgett 2.

Fouled out - None.

Technical fouls - Handour 1.

Corona del Mar - Hansen 19, Hanson 13, Templeton 10, Snell 5, Hietbrink

5, Patterson 0, Shahangian 0.

3 pt. goals - Hanson 3, Snell 1.

Fouled out - Hansen.