Sea Kings turn to Cheek

NEWPORT BEACH — Corona del Mar High Coach Ryan Schachter had a few choice words for an official and his star guard at halftime on Tuesday.

The official got the brunt of it at the start of halftime and Cheek toward the end of the break.

The official waved Schachter off the court after he stormed onto it at Newport Harbor to dispute a shot at the buzzer. The Sea Kings appeared to get the successful shot underneath the basket off in time.

The official ruled it no good, sending a visibly irate Schachter back to the locker room. This is where Schachter ordered Cheek to do one thing and he gave the junior options in the Battle of the Bay game.

“I told him, ‘Catch and shoot or go to the rim. That’s it,’ ” Schachter said.

Cheek made sure the Sea Kings didn’t need the two points before halftime.

Cheek attacked the basket, scoring 18 of his game-high 25 points in the second half to lift CdM to a 59-46 victory in the boys’ basketball rivalry game.

The Sea Kings are on a roll, winners of nine out of their last 10 games. CdM (11-3) won the Battle of the Bay for the fourth straight season under Schachter.

The game brings out the best and sometimes the worst of Schachter.

“I’m human,” Schachter said with a smile. “I got real emotional.

“I really thought [the official] blew the whistle before the horn even went off. At least wait for the horn.”

Cheek waited for no sound and no one in the third quarter.

He sparked the Sea Kings, scoring nine straight points during a 12-0 run. The high-flying act was fearless, first drilling a three-pointer, followed by three baskets in the paint.

The first was supposed to come on an alley-oop pass for a dunk. The second was a putback. The third was another alley-oop pass.

Cheek’s second attempt rimmed in and the Sailors fell behind, 45-28, with less than three minutes left in the third.

The Sea Kings’ athleticism proved to be the difference. Coach Larry Hirst scheduled this game for the Sailors (8-8) three days before they open Sunset League play for a reason.

“To explain to the fellas that this what it’s going to be like every night,” said Hirst, whose Sailors went winless in league last season.

Newport Harbor kept the game close in the first half, and even led, 20-13, two minutes into the second quarter. The Sea Kings closed out the final six minutes of the half on an 18-6 run.

Guard Clayton Ragsdale scored eight of his 11 points during the spurt, giving CdM a five-point edge at halftime.

“In the second quarter, we gave up six straight points because of just mental breakdowns,” said Hirst, whose team turned the ball over six times in the second. “Then we had another two-minute lapse in the third quarter, where … they went on a [12-0] run.

“It was mostly because of mental breakdowns, and against a good team, you can’t do that.”

Once the Sea Kings were able to run up and down the court in the second half, the Sailors stood no chance of keeping up.

The up-tempo style wore out the Sailors, especially their big men. Cody Caldwell started strong, recording 12 of his team-high 18 points in the first half. The pace took its toll, forcing Hirst to sit the 6-foot-6 junior in the first couple of minutes of the final quarter.

“He was a little tired,” Hirst said. “We tried to trap and do some things up top, which means our bigs have got to chase and rotate more than your average big man. We tried to get them breathers as much as we can.”

When the Sailors’ big men got to the Sea Kings, they were too late.

Three straight times with less than two minutes to play, the Sea Kings had a chance to convert three-point plays at the free-throw line after making layups.

Cheek had the final two and he took advantage of one. An assistant told him to use his legs at the charity stripe, but the legs had enough.

Cheek left the game with 82 seconds remaining, already doing his part before the Sea Kings open Pacific Coast League play at Laguna Hills on Friday.

“Not many people can stop him going to the rim, except himself when he doesn’t want to go to the rim,” Schachter said. “You tell the kids it’s just one game, but [the Battle of the Bay] is bigger than that. I’m proud of the guys.”

Nonleague

Corona del Mar 59, Newport Harbor 46

SCORE BY QUARTERS

CdM – Cheek 25, Ragsdale 11, Stone 10, Heinecke 5, Quon 3, Mejia 3, McCormack 2.

3-pt. goals – Cheek 2, Stone 2, Quon 1, Mejia 1.

Newport Harbor – Caldwell 18, Seeber 11, Bagby 9, Ayers 4, Gomez 2, Davis 2.

3-pt. goals – Seeber 1.