Tesoro prevails at CdM

Bryce Alderton

For the second straight year, Tesoro High’s boys basketball team

ruined Corona del Mar’s Pacific Coast League home opener, but the win

didn’t come easy.

Junior guard Patrick Marion scored a game-high 24 points, 17 in

the second half, to lead the Titans to a hard-fought, 62-52 victory

over the Sea Kings Wednesday. The road team has won the last three

meetings between the two schools.

Senior Pancho Seaborn led CdM with 23 points, including five

three-pointers, while fellow guard Jay Northridge tallied 13 points

and four assists.

CdM (9-9, 0-2 in league) clawed its way back in the second half to

get within as few as two points in the fourth quarter, but turnovers

and one-shot possessions prevented any victory celebration.

Senior Adam Freede tallied one of his seven assists when he found

Northridge for a three-pointer to trim the Titans’ lead to 44-41 with

six minutes, three seconds left in the fourth quarter. Freede made

his third steal on the ensuing possession, but CdM couldn’t

capitalize the next time down the floor.

Seaborn, rolling off a screen, hit a three at the top of the key

to trim Tesoro’s lead to 46-44 with 4:45 left. Tesoro missed its next

shot and CdM had a chance to tie, but a turnover and a Marion three

-- he scored 12 of Tesoro’s 20 fourth-quarter points -- brought the

lead back to five.

Brett Sherry hit 7 of 8 free throws down the stretch when CdM was

forced to foul.

“When we had a possession to take the lead or tie, we would commit

a turnover or miss a layup,” CdM Coach Ryan Curry said. “You only get

so many chances. [The Titans] did what they needed to do.”

Tesoro Coach Steve Garrett praised CdM’s hustle and was relieved

to walk away with the victory.

“CdM plays intense for 32 minutes and we have to match that

intensity,” Garrett said. “They are a well-coached, disciplined team.

Their kids are ready to play and that is a credit to Coach Curry.”

CdM used a 15-3 run over the final 5:07 of the first quarter to

take a four-point lead and a Joe Kabaklian turnaround four-footer in

the lane pushed the advantage to 19-13 to start the second period.

But a Seaborn three was the only hoop in a 6:19 span that saw Tesoro

(13-5, 2-0) go on a 15-3 run of its own to take the lead for good.

“It is a game of runs,” Curry said. “We came back, but they hit a

three at the end of the third to go up by six and we were playing

catch-up from there. They forced us into tough perimeter shots.”

Freede, Tyler Lance, Ryan Lance and Kabaklian all scored four

points while three Titans scored in double figures.

“We need more offensive production [from other players],” Curry

said. “Our problem was offensive rebounds for the second consecutive

game.”

Seaborn led the Sea Kings with five rebounds.

*--*

Pacific Coast League

Tesoro 62, Corona del Mar 52

Score by Quarters

Tesoro 13 17 12 20 -- 62

CdM 17 10 9 16 -- 52

Tesoro -- Keough 11, Nelson 2, Sherry 10,

Farra 8, Marion 24, Whyte 4, Demere 3, Folmer

0, Baldwin 0, McLean 0. 3-pt. goals -- Marion

2, Keough 1, Sherry 1, Farra 2, Demere 1.

Fouled out -- None. Technicals -- None. CdM

-- T. Lance 4, McDonald 0, Northridge 13,

Freede 4, Seaborn 23, R. Lance 4, Kabaklian

4, Watanabe 0, Reynolds 0. 3-pt. goals --

Seaborn 5, Northridge 2. Fouled out -- R.

Lance. Technicals -- None.

*--*