Laguna downs Sea Kings
Mike Sciacca
The first home game of the 2003-04 season couldn’t have been any
bigger for the Laguna Beach High boys’ basketball team.
It came against rival Corona del Mar, and it marked the opening
night of play in the Pacific Coast League.
The Breakers didn’t disappoint the fans who came out to see them
play in newly renovated Duggers Gymnasium.
“I think this is the first time this group of seniors has beaten
Corona del Mar,” Laguna Coach Mark Hill said after Laguna defeated
the visiting Sea Kings, 50-49. “It was nice to get a win in our home
and league opener.”
The teams were tied, 21-21, at halftime, but Laguna outscored
Corona del Mar by five points in the third quarter to take a 41-36
lead into the game’s final eight minutes.
The Sea Kings hit a three-point basket just before the final
buzzer to make it a one-point game.
“I thought our guys did a nice job,” Hill said. “I felt that these
first two league games, against Corona and Northwood, were very
important to us.”
Taylor Willhoit, whom Hill said had a “monster” second half,
scored all of his team-high 14 points over the final two quarters.
The senior center also pulled down 11 rebounds.
Cheyne Martin, who went three for four from three-point range,
finished with 13 points and Ivan Kovacevic had 12 points and a
team-high 13 rebounds.
In girls’ basketball Tuesday, Laguna dropped a 55-45 Pacific Coast
League game to visiting Northwood.
Free throw shooting was the demise of the Breakers, who were just
11 of 29, overall, from the foul line.
They went 8 of 19 from the line in the opening half and trailed
the Timberwolves by 11 points at the intermission.
Despite a lackluster first half, Laguna displayed patience on
offense and solid defense in the third quarter to climb back into the
game.
“We had a terrible first half but to the girls’ credit, they came
back and had a really great third quarter,” Coach Stacy Howard said.
“We just couldn’t turn the corner, though, in the fourth quarter to
complete the comeback.
“Overall, we’re just struggling right now.”
Although not pleased with her team’s overall performance, Howard
praised her players for controlling the rebounding department.
Senior post Katie Sexton recorded a double-double with 13 points
and 10 rebounds.
“She played a fantastic game,” Howard said of Sexton. “It was her
most aggressive performance of the season.
Aja Roley scored eight points and had 10 rebounds, Summer Kendrick
scored six points to go along with five rebounds and Brittany Clark’s
solid performance included eight points, four assists and a pair of
steals.
Prior to facing Northwood, Laguna lost in its league opener as
visiting Corona del Mar came away with a 65-52 victory.
The Sea Kings led by only 13-11 after the first quarter, but went
on to outscore the Breakers, 25-13, in the second quarter, to take a
38-24 lead at the half.
Laguna cut the deficit to eight points heading into the fourth
quarter, but could get no closer.
Again free throw shooting plagued the Breakers. They shot just
36-percent from the charity stripe and, combined with 27 turnovers,
couldn’t recover.
“Those two things killed us,” Howard said. “You won’t win a
ballgame when you shoot poorly from the free throw line and turn the
ball over that many times.”
Roley scored 14 points and added seven rebounds to pace Laguna and
Sexton scored 12 points.
“Both Aja and Katie played well for us,” Howard said.
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