Laguna hoopsters fall to Calvary Chapel, Northwood

Breaker girls fall, 55-46; boys can’t hit final shots in 50-49 loss to Eagles.Finally, the Laguna Beach High girls’ basketball team will be able to enjoy a home court advantage tonight.

Having played just one previous home game in the first five weeks of the season, the Breakers host University at 5:15 p.m.

Laguna came up with a solid defensive effort Wednesday against Calvary Chapel, but it wasn’t enough to derail the Eagles, who won the Pacific Coast League battle, 55-46.

The Breakers rallied back from a 10-point halftime deficit to pull to within 38-34 heading into the fourth quarter.

“I was very happy with our defense,” said Laguna coach Nicholas Ilagan. Tess Grogan, Brittany Clark and Emily LaRose did a great job on their two shooters. We just made some turnovers and poor decisions at crucial points of the game.”

Claire Bevacqua scored 13 points, and Grogan and Brittany Clark each had nine.

Chelsea Deluca scored 24 points, and Amanda Souder added 11 for Calvary Chapel.

“I was happy to see Brittany back in the lineup,” Ilagan said. “She took a beating in this game, but was strong enough to keep getting up.”

“I look forward to playing at home Friday against University,” Ilagan added. “We’ve been on the road a lot this season, but have been successful playing at home.”

Laguna began the week with another road game, this one on Monday at league rival Northwood. The Timberwolves won the game, 76-34. The Breakers fell behind early, trailing 23-8 after the first quarter and were down, 47-15, at the half.

Clark led the Breakers with nine points, and Grogan added eight. Bevacqua scored seven and Lauren Kelly six.

Northwood’s Jen Tamminen led all scorers with 25 points.

“We did a very poor job of communicating with each other on the court,” Ilagan said. “We let good shooters get wide-open shots, and they took advantage of that.

“Lauren Kelly continued to play great. She has improved tremendously and has been a force on the boards in the last five games.”

In boys’ basketball action:

Laguna was handed its second consecutive Pacific Coast League loss Wednesday, when the Breakers fell to host Calvary Chapel, 50-49.

The difference in the game came down to the final few shots, which Breakers couldn’t convert.

“This was a tough one to swallow, but now it’s important for us to bounce back and play well Friday,” said Laguna coach Bret Fleming, whose squad hosts University today at 7 p.m. “There are plenty of more league games to play.”

Junior Cheyne Martin, who returned to the Laguna lineup after the winter break, led the Breakers with 14 points. Jeff Clark contributed 13 points.

On Monday, Laguna suffered a 61-53 loss at Northwood. The Timberwolves grabbed their first lead of the night midway through the fourth quarter, when they outscored the Breakers, 17-6.

The Breakers erased a one-point first quarter deficit, to take a 36-27 lead into halftime.

“We played them real tough,” Fleming said. “We got out to that nine-point lead, but ran out of gas. It was a close one all the way to the end.”

A balanced Laguna scoring attack saw Clark net 14 points, Ian Butters 13, Brian Delino 12 and Martin 10.