Laguna off to 2-0 start in league play

It’s still early in the 2009 Orange Coast League boys’ basketball race, but the Laguna Beach Breakers cleared a big hurdle Wednesday.

Laguna hit its free throws in the final minute to carve out a key road win over rival Calvary Chapel, 43-35, to move to 2-0 in league.

The Breakers took an early lead and went up, 14-9, after one quarter and maintained that five-point cushion (22-17) at the half. They increased the lead to nine, 33-24, heading into the fourth quarter, but the Eagles crept to within two points late. That’s when Laguna found success at the foul line to put the game away.

“They are a team that always plays us tough, especially at their place,” Laguna Coach Bret Fleming said of the Eagles. “Every year, this game is a tough one. They have a big home crowd, a live band playing and their kids always seem to get pumped up to play us. We needed to stay focused for four quarters if we had hoped to win, and we did.”

Ryan Lawler led the scoring with 16 points. Adam Selevan scored 10 points, Dylan Roley added eight points, Cody Duplisea had seven and Christian Kesler rounded out the Laguna scoring with two points.

The Breakers are now 14-5 overall.

“I thought Ryan had a really solid night both offensively and defensively, particularly on the boards,” Fleming said of Lawler, who added nine rebounds to his 16 points.

“Adam Selevan had some big shots in the game, especially early in the game. We play zone when we play Calvary and Christian Kesler did a really nice job on defense.”

Previously, the two-time defending league champion Breakers began defense of their title last Friday by winning 63-22 at Godinez. The Breakers bolted to a 33-10 halftime lead.

Lawler led all scorers with 17 points and Roley had 12 points. Both Selevan and John Palfreyman scored nine points.

The Breakers have a bye today but host Estancia Wednesday and Costa Mesa on Jan. 23. Both games tip at 7 p.m. and are the first two of a four-game home stand.

? Girls’ Basketball

Laguna dropped its second Orange Coast League game in as many outings Tuesday, falling, 74-40, to Calvary Chapel.

The Breakers (1-14) played the game without Emily Writer, who was serving a one-game suspension. They fell behind the Eagles early and couldn’t recover.

Laguna trailed, 30-7, after the first eight minutes of the game.

“We got off to a rough start falling behind after the first quarter,” Laguna Coach Jon Hendrickson said. “From there, the girls started playing hard and giving it their all.”

Sam Garner led Laguna in scoring with 21 points and collected eight rebounds. Katie Daff scored 19 points, which included five three-point baskets, and also handed out seven assists.

“We have much to work on throughout the next week before our game against Estancia,” said Hendrickson, whose squad next plays Tuesday at Estancia, the third straight road contest to open league play.

“Mainly, we need to show some fire, leadership and heart out on the court. We need to play with more intensity. We’re working hard in practice, but it isn’t translating to the court.

“Hopefully we can turn it around before it’s too late.”

In their league opener on Jan. 8, the Breakers dropped a 55-48 game at Godinez. Laguna had built a 31-15 lead, but Writer picked up her fourth foul late in the second quarter and Garner would be called for her fourth foul early in the third quarter, which “severely limited us,” Hendrickson said.

The game see-sawed back and forth throughout the second half, but Laguna still held a one-point lead with 10 seconds to play. It was then that Daff was whistled for her fifth foul and the Godinez converted the call into a pair of free throws to take a one-point lead.

Writer then took a quick inbounds pass and drove down the sideline, where she was bumped by a Godinez player and eventually called for carrying the ball.

Both Hendrickson and Writer drew technical fouls for contesting the call, and the Eagles then were able to put the game away by hitting six straight free throws down the stretch.

Writer did finish with a game-high 31 points, getting 17 of them from the foul line. Garner had nine points and 11 rebounds, Daff’s effort included six points, seven rebounds and seven blocks and Ahllam Berri rounded out Laguna’s scoring with two points.

“It was a tough and emotional loss for our team, as we battled all game long,” Hendrickson said.

In addition to playing Tuesday at Estancia, Laguna will play its first league game of the year at home Thursday when Costa Mesa comes to Dugger Gym for a 7 p.m. tip-off.