A CIF bid in boys’ hoops

Mike Sciacca

This time, the Laguna Beach High boys’ basketball team didn’t let it

slip away.

In what was a very eerily similar situation to a Jan. 21 game at

Corona del Mar, the Breakers took a big first half lead Wednesday on

their chief rival, only to see the Sea Kings rally late.

But unlike that first Pacific Coast League meeting between the

teams, which Corona del Mar pulled out, 38-37, on a last-second,

three-point shot by junior forward Scott Slaughter, Laguna withstood

a fourth quarter charge this time out, regained its composure down

the stretch, and went on to a 54-49 victory.

The Breakers were able to hit their free throws in the final

minute, and the five-point victory gave them outright possession of

third-place and the automatic bid to next week’s CIF playoffs that

goes with it.

Laguna, which finished league play at 6-4, has had four PCL games

decided on the final shot.

It looked like that would be the case Wednesday, as Corona del Mar

wiped out an eight-point deficit at the outset of the fourth quarter

and went on top, 42-40, with five minutes remaining.

Max Jaffe, however, hit a pair of free throws with 3:28 left to

tie the score at 42-all, and Ivan Kovacevic’s jumper from just

outside the key gave Laguna a 45-43 lead with 1:54 to go.

The Breakers would not trail again.

“This is one of those games where we showed our character,” Laguna

coach Mark Hill said. “We’ve had so many CIF-type of games this year

and again, these kids weathered the storm.

“For us to hit our free throws down the stretch, well, that was

huge.”

Kovacevic led Laguna in scoring with 19 points and Jeff Clark had

10 points.

Jaffe finished with 10 points, which included hitting seven of

eight free throws in the decisive fourth quarter.

Laguna led by one point (15-14) after one quarter, extended its

lead to eight (28-20) by the half, and still maintained that eight

point cushion (40-32) heading into the fourth quarter.

But Corona del Mar, which was fighting for a playoff berth, reeled

off the first 10 points of the fourth quarter, a run capped by

Slaughter’s lay-in at the five minute mark, which gave the Sea Kings

a 42-40 lead.

Laguna, whose biggest lead of the game was 10 points, will learn

its first-round CIF opponent during Sunday’s pairings selection

meeting at the Southern Section office in Los Alamitos.

Prior to Wednesday’s win over Corona del Mar, Laguna dropped an

overtime game to league rival University, 67-62, on the Trojans’ home

court.

Laguna led by two at the half, trailed by two through three

quarters, but held a three-point lead in the waning seconds or

regulation.

That’s when University’s Jonas Lelehzadeh, who had missed a

three-point shot seconds earlier, got a second try from the arc, and

this one found the net just before the final buzzer.

It was the second league game in which Laguna has been stung with

a three-point buzzer shot by an opponent.

Corona del Mar first did it on Jan. 21 to stun the Breakers.

Laguna missed a pair of potentially tying free throws with 21

seconds left in overtime, and the Trojans hit their foul shots down

the stretch to pull out the win.

Kovacevic scored 22 points and had 13 rebounds and six blocks for

Laguna.

Jaffe and Mike Kote scored 12 and 10 points, respectively.

In girls’ basketball, Laguna’s regular season came to an end

Tuesday with a 65-58 home loss to rival Corona del Mar.

It was Senior Night at Dugger Gymnasium, and that emotion carried

the Breakers out to a 10-point first half lead.

But the Sea Kings went on a late run to earn a 28-28 halftime tie.

The teams were tied throughout much of the third period, but a

late Corona del Mar rally, which ended with a 13-4 run, allowed the

Sea Kings to take a 52-43 lead into the fourth quarter.

But Laguna fought right back and took its last lead of the night,

55-54, when Claire Bevacqua grabbed a defensive rebound and drove the

length of the floor for a layup with 2:53 to play.

Twenty-five seconds later, Katie Schulte, who led all scorers with

30 points, scored three of them on a three-point shot which gave the

Sea Kings the lead for good, 57-55.

Bevacqua led Laguna with 29 points.