Boys basketball: Artists overwhelm Mesa, 75-52

Barry Faulkner

LAGUNA BEACH - The Costa Mesa High boys basketball team, with its

box-and-one defense and aggressive, quick-cutting offense, appeared to

have all the angles covered early in its Pacific Coast League game at

Laguna Beach.

But after the Artists seized their first lead 1:50 into the second

quarter, this one became more about simple arithmetic than geometry.

Laguna Beach seniors Travis Hanour, a 6-foot-6 point guard, and 6-foot-10

center Chris Manker, piled up 55 combined points to key the Artists’

75-52 win.

The victory ended a six-game winning streak for Coach Bob Serven’s

visitors (16-4, 2-1 in league and ranked No. 6 in CIF Southern Section

Division III-AA). It also dropped Mesa into a second-place tie with

University, one-half game behind Laguna Beach (12-7, 3-1 and No. 9 in CIF

Division IV-AA).

Manker scored eight second-quarter points to help pull the Mustangs out

of the box-and-one scheme in which senior Dave Weir shadowed Hanour,the

second-leading scorer in Orange County. Manker scored 21 after

intermission to finish with a game-high 31.

Hanour, who attended elementary school with several Mustangs, had just

five points the first 13 minutes. But he finished with 24, just less than

his average (24.9), to go with 16 rebounds, six assists, three steals and

two blocks.

The Artists height advantage, and their talented twosome, was enough for

the hosts to extend their winning streak against Mesa to eight.

“We played well the first quarter, but then they got 29 points in the

second quarter,” Serven said. “We didn’t play well, but give Laguna Beach

credit. And Hanour is a very good player.”

The Mustangs made the plays at the outset, attacking the basket, and

Manker.

All five Mustang starters scored in the opening quarter, in which Mesa

earned leads of 11-2 and 13-5, before Manker scored inside to make it a

13-7 edge at quarter’s end.

“Then we got stuck on 13,” said Serven, who watched his squad go 5:49

without a field goal, before ending a 15-0 Laguna Beach surge.

The Artists, however, kept the pressure on, hitting 9 of 12

second-quarter field-goal attempts, including Hanour’s three-pointer at

the buzzer, which created a 36-25 cushion.

Mesa senior Shaun Ferryman, who at 6-4 shared the distinction of being

the tallest Mustang starter, hit two medium-range jumpers to give the

Mustangs hope to open the third quarter.

But after Hanour and Dave Weir traded three-pointers, Manker converted

two old-fashioned three-point plays to help push the lead to 16.

A Weir three-ball with 1:07 left in the third was the only field goal

between and eight-minute shooting drought for the Mustangs, as Laguna

Beach kept padding the lead, which eventually reached 27.

As the outcome became inevitable, Serven pulled his starters, giving his

subs the opportunity to show their ample desire.

“Our young kids came in and played hard,” Serven said.

Junior Steve Whittaker scored seven of his nine points in the fourth

quarter and sophomore guard David Conte finished with seven points,

including one of the Mustangs’ five three-pointers.

Ferryman paced the visitors with 10 points and his five boards equaled

two other teammates for team-high honors.

Naff finished with nine points and Weir had eight.

“We have to come out (today) and have a good practice and get ready for

Friday (at Corona del Mar),” Serven said.

HIGH SCHOOL BOYS

Pacific Coast League

Laguna Beach 75, Costa Mesa 52

Score by Quarters

Costa Mesa 13 12 11 16 - 52

Laguna Beach 7 29 15 24 - 75

Costa Mesa - Ferryman 10, Naff 9, Whittaker 9, Weir 8, Conte 7, Jones 5,

Hatsushi 2, Payne 2, Knox 0, Krikorian 0. Hurley 0.

3-pt. goals - Weir 2, Naff 1, Whittaker 1, Conte 1.

Fouled out - None.

Technicals - Jones 1.

Laguna Beach - Manker 31, Hanour 24, Blodgett 8, Boyd 4, Dorsey 4,

Butters 2, Gardner 2.

3-pt. goals - Hanour 4, Blodgett 2, Manker 1.

Fouled out - None.

Technicals - Blodgett 1.