Laguna cruises past Calvary Chapel

Laguna Beach High’s boys’ basketball team picked up one of its more

decisive victories of the season when it routed host Calvary Chapel,

69-44, in Pacific Coast League play.

Cheyne Martin scored 18 points as the Breakers won for the second

time in three league outings, and surpassed last year’s one-win total

in league play.

Laguna raced to a 34-21 halftime lead and led by 23 points heading

into the fourth quarter.

Bobby Marquette added 10 points to the Breakers’ cause.

Laguna hit six three-point baskets in the game, with Martin,

Marquette and Jeff Clark hitting two apiece.

In earlier play, Laguna played defending league champion Northwood

tough, but the visiting Timberwolves escaped Dugger Gymnasium with a

67-60 victory.

Northwood led by one point after the first quarter and took a

37-33 lead at the intermission.

Ivan Kovacevic, who entered the game with a 14 points per game

average, led Laguna with 23 points.

Two other Breakers reached double figures as Clark and Spencer

Willhoit scored 12 and 10 points, respectively.

Martin, Laguna’s leading scorer, was held to six points, 12 below

his season average.

Tino Zaragoza’s 29 points paced Northwood.

On the girls’ side of the court, poor free throw shooting cost

Laguna in its last two Pacific Coast League outings.

On Tuesday , the Breakers missed four consecutive free throws in

the final minute at Tesoro and was left with a 46-40 defeat.

Twice in the closing minute, Laguna had opportunities to erase a

two-point deficit, but missed from the foul line.

Overall, the Breakers shot 33-percent from the foul line.

“Free throws have really killed us lately,” Laguna Coach Stacy

Howard said. “We shoot about 60, 70 free throws at practice every day

and the girls make about 70% to 80% of those shots. It just comes

down to a mental thing.”

Laguna led, 12-7 after the first quarter. The Breakers got a big

push from post player Andrea Ventura, who filled in for injured

starter Katie Sexton.

Sexton suffered a concussion in a Jan. 15 game against Calvary

Chapel and won’t return to action until Tuesday, Howard said.

But Ventura came on strong in a starting role and scored six

points to ignite Laguna’s early lead.

She finished the game with 10 points to lead the Breakers.

“Andrea had a great game and played real strong at the post,”

Howard said. “She was really the one player who played a solid four

quarters for us.

“We came out on fire and did everything we talked about doing, but

then, we had a terrible second quarter.”

The Breakers suffered through a four-minute scoring drought in the

second quarter and were outscored, 16-5, in falling behind at the

half, 23-17.

They trailed by as many as 11 points late in the game but rallied

to within two points, only to miss four late free throws.

Deana Awadalla scored eight points and Aja Roley and Brittany

Clark each scored six points for Laguna.

Laguna also missed four free throws in the closing moments in its

previous game against Calvary Chapel, but held on for a 48-46 win.

Roley scored a game-high 21 points and was five of six from the

foul line.

Overall, though, Laguna shot a mere 35-percent from the charity

stripe.

“Again, free throws nearly killed us,” Howard said. “We played

O.K., overall.

“It’s not a matter of heart, desire or want, because they’re all

there. It’s a matter of making our free throws.”

Clark finished the game with 10 points, seven assists and three

steals and Summer Kendrick pulled down nine rebounds and Awadalla had

six boards.

“Brittany had a really nice game and Summer was solid for us,

defensively,” Howard said.