Eagles miss opportunity

LAGUNA BEACH — When the Estancia High boys’ basketball team left the Laguna Beach gym on Friday night, the rain greeted players.

More than rain ruined the Eagles’ evening.

While inside, the Eagles exchanged high-fives with Laguna Beach for the final time. The Breakers showed why they’re the three-time reigning Orange Coast League champions.

The league hasn’t known another champion. The Eagles tried to change that and came away unsuccessful in their attempt to claim their first outright league crown in five seasons.

Estancia led for almost the entire first three quarters, until the Breakers ran away with a 54-43 victory. In the fourth quarter, Laguna Beach matched its previous points total against the Eagles.

Twenty-two points is how much Laguna Beach scored in the final eight minutes, helping it force a two-way tie atop the league standings with Estancia.

Laguna Beach (9-13) and Estancia (15-10) head into their respective league finales next week with 5-2 records.

Both win, they share the title. If both lose, they split it.

If one loses, the other is the champ.

Estancia Coach Agustin Heredia didn’t want it to play out this way before the playoffs. Laguna Beach is at Godinez, while the Eagles are at rival Costa Mesa on Wednesday.

“I was hoping to take care of it tonight,” Heredia said of clinching the league title. “[The Mustangs are] definitely going to be gunning for us. It’s the Battle for the Bell. I think the city of Costa Mesa is coming out with [its] cameras, so it’s just an atmosphere that concerns me with this group of guys.”

The third-year coach began to fret when Estancia gave up the lead with four seconds left in the third quarter. The Breakers had never led until that point.

Adam Selevan capped an 8-0 run on a backdoor layup, which closed out the third with the Breakers ahead, 32-31. Guard Tyler Masukawa on the right found Selevan, Coach Bret Fleming’s only returning starter from last season’s undefeated league championship team.

The defensive lapse was the first of many down the stretch for Estancia, ranked No. 16 in the CIF Southern Section Division IV-AA coaches’ poll. Selevan took advantage. He came alive in the second half, recording all of his 17 points in the final 16 minutes.

The three-pointer helped the Eagles tie the game twice in the first three minutes of the fourth. Raymond Holmes, who finished with 13 points, hit a three. Then it was Davon Joyner converting one at the free-throw line.

Joyner led Estancia with 18, but the rest of the Eagles failed to keep up with Selevan. He was one of a handful of seniors honored before the game. Estancia was without its top senior, Kohl Jones, who is out for the season after a sprained ankle sustained Jan. 26.

In the fourth, Selevan gave the home crowd more reasons to cheer. The forward made back-to-back threes in a 76-second span, putting the Breakers up by six.

Masukawa scored four of his 16 points in the following two minutes as Laguna Beach was on a 10-0 run. With 2:13 to go and down, 49-39, Heredia called for a timeout.

“That’s tough,” said Heredia, who saw the Breakers make six of their first eight field goals in the fourth, including three of four from three-point range. “We didn’t defend anybody. They hit their shots, but I don’t know if we had a hand up [in their face]. I’m disappointed with our team defense because that’s what we work on.

“You’ve got to be mentally tough and stop somebody. We just didn’t do it. Big game and then we don’t show up on the defensive end.”

Orange Coast League

Laguna Beach 54, Estancia 43

Est – Joyner 18, Holmes 13, Thomas 8, Shaw 2, Mikol 2.

3-pt. goals – Thomas 2, Holmes 1.

Fouled out – Thomas.

LB – Selevan 17, T. Masukawa 16, Dalke 11, Reigel 8, Kesler 2.

3-pt. goals – Selevan 3, Dalke 2, Reigel 1, T. Masukawa 1.

Fouled out – None.