Youth basketball: CdM wins championship

Joseph Boo

NEWPORT BEACH - This is where it all starts, that whole rivalry

concept, in junior high. And the seventh grade boys basketball teams from

Corona del Mar and Ensign Intermediate School met on Friday for the

Newport-Mesa seventh grade championship to consummate the start of the

intense prep rivalry.

This is the first time the players from both school competed for school

pride. They might end up on the same team, or with differing ones in the

future, but the CdM players get to claim it won the first championship,

knocking the SeaBees off, 40-38, at Ensign.

The personal rivalry between the neighbors is already strong. Take, for

example, the case of CdM guard Wess Presson.

“There’s this guy on Ensign, Kasey Peters, who I haven’t beaten in five

years,” he said. “And I finally beat him.”

Ensign defeated CdM earlier this year, had the undefeated record and the

home court advantage with the raucous band coming into the game.

“They beat us last time,” CdM’s Tyler Vance, who scored a game-high 17,

said, “so it feels good to beat them in the championship.”

At the start, it looked as if the favorites would duplicate the outcome.

The SeaBees started off fast, taking a 13-7 first quarter lead, behind

the play of Brett Perrine and Rafael Mouradyan, who scored 14 and 10

points, respectively. Taylor Young also nailed a big three-point play for

Ensign.

CdM then started a slow comeback, taking its first lead at 28-27 in the

third quarter on a layup from Kevin Welch, who scored 11. That lasted for

22 seconds, as baskets from Tyler Conwell and Spencer Link pushed

Ensign’s lead up to four.

But CdM ended the game furiously. When Lance stole the ball and nailed

two free throws, it gave CdM a 34-32 lead it would not relinquish. Two

points from Nick Gero, Presson and Tom Welch held Ensign off.

“What a great game,” Ensign Coach Scott Cameron marveled. “You won’t find

a lot of seventh grade games played at that level. Unfortunately, they

just made a couple of more baskets than us.”

And bragging right will be with CdM. At least, until eighth grade comes

around.

Seventh Grade Championship

Corona del Mar 40, Ensign 38

Score by Quarters

Corona del Mar 7 9 14 10 - 40

Ensign 13 4 15 6 - 38

Corona del Mar - Lance 17, K. Welch 11, Gero 4, Presson 4, Rafferty 2, T.

Welch 2.

3-pt. goals - K. Welch 1.

Fouled out - None.

Technicals - None.

Ensign - Perrine 14, Mouradyan 10, Conwell 6, Young 3, Peters 2, Link 2.

3-pt. goals - Mouradyan 1.

Fouled out - None.

Technicals - None.