CdM’s chance for PCL title down the drain

Bryce Alderton

The window was left open and the rain, if ever so quickly, came

and went.

This is not a weather update for Southern California Tuesday but

rather a description of how visiting Calvary Chapel defeated Corona

del Mar High’s girls basketball team, 48-39, in a Pacific Coast

League matchup.

A span of four minutes and 44 seconds encompassing the end of the

second quarter and the beginning of the third period, saw the Eagles

(18-8, 8-1 in league) make a 12-0 run to take a 27-20 lead, after

trailing, 20-15, with three minutes left in the half.

A Kelliann Klein-to-Madison Otterbein 15-foot jumper was the last

basket the Sea Kings (11-12, 6-3) would score until Otterbein hit two

free throws to trim the lead to five a minute and 44 seconds into the

third period. Otterbein, a 5-foot-11 senior, led the Sea Kings with

16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. She has scored in double figures

in four of the last five games.

While the Sea Kings went cold from the field in that span, Eagles’

leading scorer Dani Bacon, who went for 21 points in a 30-point Eagle

win over the Sea Kings Jan. 23, caught fire, scoring nine of her

game-high 17 points.

Calvary’s Bethany Hurst grabbed two rebounds to keep possession

and give Bacon the chance to shoot.

Bacon’s open looks were a result of a defense that relaxed a

little too much, said CdM Coach James Barkalow.

“We got lazy for six minutes and Bacon hits two threes,” Barkalow

said. “We can’t have lapses like that. Good teams capitalize when you

fall asleep on defense, even for a minute. We still fought to the end

and I’m proud of our girls for that.”

Barkalow credited his team’s activity, setting screens, spreading

out and trying to get open, which he said CdM didn’t do when Calvary

won earlier this year.

Both Barkalow and Calvary Coach Bob Moore used zone defenses,

knowing the opposing players could take advantage of their athletic

ability if faced with a man-to-man situation.

Calvary’s defense caused more problems than CdM’s, accounting for

13 steals that led to 14 points. CdM shot 13 of 55 from the field

(23.6%) while the visitors tallied 40% (18 for 45).

“We came with a 3-2 (zone) and looked for their shooters,” said

Klein, a senior, who scored eight points along with grabbing four

rebounds. “They changed defenses on us and came on strong.”

Tied, 9-9, at the end of one quarter, CdM came on strong to begin

the second period. Senior Jackie McCoy scored four of her nine points

in less than a minute. A Klein three and two of Colleen Marks’ four

points on a couple of free throws build a modest four-point lead with

4:50 remaining in the half.

The Eagles built a nine-point lead at the end of three quarters,

the last three coming on a 25-foot bank shot by Bacon as the horn

sounded. CdM missed all eight of its field-goal attempts in the third

period, some under the basket with a crowd of Calvary defenders

raising their arms to deflect balls out of bounds.

Klein, Otterbein, McCoy and Aryn Dimas (two rebounds, one steal),

were honored before the game on senior night.

“I still have one more game,” said Klein when asked about her

emotions following Tuesday’s game.

CdM travels Thursday to face Northwood, which is one game ahead of

CdM after beating University, 64-32, Tuesday. The best the Sea Kings

can do is tie Northwood for second in league. Northwood can tie for

the league lead if it beats CdM and Tesoro defats Calvary Chapel

Thursday. The Sea Kings have already clinched one of the league’s

three automatic playoff berths.