CdM responds well

CORONA DEL MAR — Early on in the season it seems Stefan Kaluz is not only jostling for position down low, but for a shot without receiving a shot to the back, arm, chest, or face.

Corona del Mar High boys’ basketball coach Ryan Schachter blames the overt physical play on his 6-foot-9 senior center’s size.

“He’s an easy target because he’s so big,” Schachter said. “I think a lot of times they [referee] for size and they think that the big guy can take the punishment. It’s really not fair. It is what it is. He’s used to it. He understands what’s going to happen.”

Recognizing is the key as the Sea Kings are beginning to take advantage of teams swarming the Brown University-bound Kaluz.

Swing the ball to the open man. That player in CdM’s home opener against Esperanza Tuesday night was Joe Eberhard. The 6-6 senior nailed three three-pointers in the opening quarter before finishing with a game-high 19 points in a 54-35 blowout win.

For a home debut, Schachter said CdM (7-3) picked a good time to put together its best defensive outing of the season.

Next is a showdown with Santa Margarita (9-1), one of the premier programs in Orange County. The Sea Kings will play the Eagles at the North-South Challenge at El Toro High Saturday at 8 p.m.

“We didn’t want to go into the Santa Margarita game on a two-game losing streak,” said Schachter, whose team rebounded after losing to Vista Murrieta in the ninth-place game at the North Orange County Championships last weekend. “We’re going to have our hands full Saturday. [The Eagles] probably have the best player in Orange County in Klay Thompson.”

Thompson is a 6-6 senior guard headed for Washington State and the son of Mychal Thompson, the NBA’s top draft pick in 1978 and former Los Angeles Laker.

Concerns of defending a player the caliber of Klay Thompson weren’t an issue for the Sea Kings against Esperanza (7-4), which turned the ball over 16 times. After a poor shooting night in which Esperanza shot 32.6% from the floor, Coach Jason Pietsch counted the number of jumpers his team made outside of 15 feet.

“One,” he said. “We can’t put the ball in the hole. You can’t win games scoring 35 points on the varsity level.

“We had no answer for [Eberhard]. We made him look like a first-round NBA Draft [pick]. For some reason we couldn’t locate him on the floor.”

The rest of the Sea Kings did with Esperanza hammering down on Kaluz.

Eberhard scored 11 of the team’s 17 first-quarter points and CdM went into halftime with a 28-18 lead. Eberhard added seven rebounds and three steals. Kaluz kept pace with Eberhard, contributing 10 of his 17 hard-earned points in the first half.

Finally in the third quarter Kaluz made a shot with no one around. Point guard Erik Rask from the other end of the court threw Kaluz a sweet pass that Kaluz dunked with two hands. The other time Kaluz didn’t receive a blow from a defender when shooting was when he made a three-pointer with less than three minutes left in the game, giving CdM a 21-point lead.

“It’s frustrating, but there’s nothing I can do,” said Kaluz of getting fouled practically every time he attempts a field goal. “The refs do the best that can. They can’t see everything.”

Nonleague Corona del Mar 54, Esperanza 35

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Esperanza – Delaney 8, Pascual 8, Pettibone 8, Ortin 3, Wasinack 3, Brown 2, Birtles 2, Levine 1.

3-pt. goals – Ortin 1.

Fouled out - None.

Technicals - None.

Corona del Mar – Eberhard 19, Kaluz 17, Brakeville 6, Rask 4, Ragsdale 3, Donovan 2, Meshkin 2, Gallian 1.

3-pt. goals – Eberhard 3, Kaluz 1, Ragsdale 1.

Fouled out - None.

Technicals - None.

DAVID CARRILLO PEÑALOZA may be reached at (714) 966-4612 or at david.carrillo@latimes.com.