Breakers find a way to land the Eagles
Mike Sciacca
Going by the motto, “Good teams find a way to win,” the Laguna Beach
High girls’ basketball team did just that Tuesday night against host
Calvary Chapel.
Laguna struggled early, lacked discipline and couldn’t found its
touch offensively, yet the Breakers indeed found a way to win,
recording a 64-57 Pacific Coast League victory.
That win, coupled with a Jan. 6 league opening victory over
Northwood, puts Laguna at 2-0 in league play.
Calvary Chapel opened up a 32-28 halftime lead, but Laguna
outscored the Eagles, 16-9, in the third quarter, to take a 44-41
advantage into the final eight minutes.
“We really didn’t play very disciplined, never really got in a
good groove on offense,” Laguna coach Stacy Howard said. “We have to
keep reminding ourselves that we are such a young team. We expect
them all to grow up on the court so fast and remembering that they
are young is something to keep in mind.
“It was a strange flow to the game, start to finish. A lot of
transition game, not a lot of set offense from either team. We got
out to an early lead, I think it was 9-3 or 9-4, and then let them
back in and tied at the end of the fist quarter. We seemed to have a
real let down in the second quarter, but still scored 28 in the half
and only trailed by four. We bounced back in the third with good
defense.”
Laguna opened up its biggest lead of the night -- 12 points --
with 1:30 to go.
However, the Eagles nailed a pair of three-point shots to narrow
that lead, but Laguna responded by hitting its free throws in the
final minute.
Despite hitting those key foul shots, the Breakers were just 15 of
27 from the charity stipe.
“That still needs work,” Howard said of her team’s free throw
shooting. “But overall, in a sloppy game for us, we found a way to
win.”
Calvary Chapel’s Chelsea DeLuca led all scorers with 29 points.
“It was a good overall game from her, but we did a decent job of
shutting her down and keeping pressure on her all night. Eight of her
points came in the last minute of the game.”
Claire Bevacqua was right behind DeLuca and led Laguna with 28
points.
“She played a fantastic all-around game, especially in the second
half,” Howard said. “She had steals off the press and in the half
court, tons of tips and a couple of blocked shots, as well. She was
big on the boards.
“We pressed the whole game, kept the pressure on up top and caused
a bunch of turnovers. Andrea Ventura also played a great game for us.
She got every important rebound that we needed and played great ‘D’
all night. Their posts were not a factor in the paint and that was
due in large part to Vinnie’s defense down low.”
Laguna had gotten the league race off to a great start by
defeating visiting Northwood, 58-46.
The Breakers did it with defense, as they held the Timberwolves to
just seven points in the third quarter, where they outscored the
visitors, 17-7.
Brittany Clark paved the way offensively for Laguna with a
game-high 22 points.
She also came up with five rebounds and four steals.
She was followed by Claire Bevacqua who scored 14 points to go
along with 13 rebounds, two blocks and six steals, and Tess Grogan
who, behind a pair of three-point baskets, finished with 13 points
and added six steals.
“Keys to victory were discipline, unselfishness and desire, from
players one through 10, consistently throughout the entire game,”
Howard said.
The 2-0 start to league isn’t surprising to Howard.
“My overall thoughts on a 2-0 start in league is, ‘wow!’ It’s not
unexpected in our own minds, but I’m not sure the last time that this
school started league play 2-0 in girls basketball. It’s been awhile.
“The kids have worked really hard to get where they are right now
and it’s all paying off for them. They understand the importance of
league play and are committed to following through on the
expectations they have of themselves. It’s a great start!”
In boys’ basketball, Laguna dropped a tough game to Northwood,
59-53, in the PCL opener for both schools.
The Breakers were ineffective from the perimeter against a
talented Northwood team, and also doomed their chances by hitting
just nine of 20 free throw attempts.
The second quarter separated the teams, as the Timberwolves
outscored the Breakers, 11-5.
Ivan Kovacevic led Laguna with 14 points, getting six of his
points on a six of 11 performance from the foul line.
He was four of 11 from the field.
In addition, the 6-foot-5, forward/center, a returning all-league
and All-CIF-SS player, pulled down 13 rebounds and had four blocked
shots.
“It was a disappointing loss for us,” Laguna Coach Mark Hill said.
“They did a good job of containing Ivan, and we needed to be
effective from the perimeter, which we weren’t. In addition, we shot
a horrendous 9-20 from the free-throw line. So, this was frustrating,
especially to be at home and not have anyone really step up and shoot
well.
“We also did a poor job defensively of getting beat off the
dribble for lay-ups by their secondary scorers.”
Laguna, which visited Pacific Coast League foe Calvary Chapel
Wednesday, returns to league action tonight (7 p.m.) at Tesoro.
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