Youth Scene: Spurs win Boys and Girls Club title
The Laguna Beach Boys and Girls Club held its annual boys’ basketball tournament for second- and third-grade players Saturday.
Eleven teams competed in a single elimination March Madness-type of tournament format. Teams were seeded according to their regular season results.
The Spurs, the No. 5-seed, won three consecutive games to win the championship. They defeated the Rockets in the final, 42-31. On the way to winning the title, the Spurs previously defeated the Warriors (36-31) and the Bulls (41-26).
High scorers for the Spurs in the tournament were Dylan McEachern with 48 points and was named tourney MVP, and Luke Machin with 44 points and 23 rebounds.
“I’m so proud of the entire team as it was a team effort,” said Paul Machin, who along with Michael Burdiek coached the Spurs. “The team was built around solid defense and sharing the ball.”
The Spurs’ title-winning team also included Joshua Burdiek, Dane Paxson, Owen Lawson, Theodore Drews and Ryan Shabanov.
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Little League
Riddle Field was bustling with activity last Friday when opening ceremonies were held for the 2015 season at Laguna Beach Little League.
Tim Loughlin, league president, welcomed players, families and neighbors. Former Angels player and major league All-Star Clyde Wright threw the ceremonial first pitch, which was caught by Intermediate division player Nolan Naess. Riddle Field siblings, Genoa Rossi and Lucy Loughlin shouted, “Play ball!,” to start the 2015 season.
The VFW and Rotary Clubs began the ceremony by raising the American flag and leading the crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance. The national anthem was performed on an electric guitar by Zade Harrison, a player on the AAA Division Southland Eyecare team.
In one game played on opening night, Rotary scored a 14-1 victory over VFW.
The Patriots Day Parade is scheduled for Saturday in Laguna Beach. All league players and fans are invited to attend in their baseball jerseys, or in red, white and blue attire, and march in the parade.
The league will distribute free Laguna Beach baseball caps to the first 50 Little League players in attendance at the event.
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National Junior Basketball
Girls’ teams from Laguna Beach NJB took part in an exhibition scrimmage during halftime of the Feb. 26 UC Santa Barbara-UC Irvine women’s basketball game at the Bren Events Center in Irvine.
The Laguna players cheered on the Anteaters, who defeated the Gauchos, 58-46, and took the court at halftime for a Breakers vs. Breakers game that ended in a tie score. Players representing the Laguna NJB teams were from El Morro and Top of the World elementary schools and Thurston Middle School.
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Surfing
Athletes from Thurston Middle School combined to lead the team to a second-place standing Feb. 21 at the third Scholastic Surf Series contest of the season.
Thurston put 13 surfers into the finals, and the squad placed second to San Clemente Shorecliffs at the Oceanside Pier.
Highlights included Liv Stokes winning the Girls’ Division 1 Longboard final with teammate Lola Fisher in sixth place, and Thurston had three of the six finalists in the Girls’ Division Shortboard final where Kayla Coscino took second, Kelly Smith was third, and Claire Kelly finished fourth.
Thurston results:
Division 1: Boys’ Shortboard (Jonah Clark, sixth); Boys’ Longboard (Jameson Roller, fifth); Girls’ Shortboard (Kayla Coscino, second; Kelly Smith, third; Claire Kelly, fourth); Girls’ Longboard (Liv Stokes, first; Lola Fisher, sixth); Bodyboard (Cole Fink, second).
Division 2: Boys Shortboard (Jett North, fifth); Boys’ Longboard (Matt Blunk, second; Alex Wick, sixth); Girls’ Shortboard (Grace Fink, second; Destiny Rae Thompson, third); Girls’ Longboard (Cici Stewart, second).
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