Laguna seeks refuge in OCL

The Laguna Beach High boys’ basketball team wrapped up four days of play at the Estancia Coast Classic tournament Dec. 30. The Breakers went 2-2 and finished in fourth place.

Laguna, the No. 2-seed in Pool C, started the tournament Dec. 27 with a 57-50 pool-play win over No. 3-seed Marina. On Dec. 28, the Breakers pulled away in the fourth quarter to defeat Corona, the No. 1-seed in Pool C, 57-52.

The two wins propelled the Breakers into the tournament semifinals. There, they were defeated by Mission Viejo, the top-seed in Pool A, on Dec. 29. The Diablos used a big second half to come away with a 72-49 win. Jake Dalke’s 22 points paced Laguna.

“The game was actually better than the final score indicated,” said Laguna Coach Bret Fleming, whose club trailed by just eight at halftime. “I thought the kids played hard, but we just didn’t have the depth to play with them for four quarters.”

In their tournament finale Dec. 30, the Breakers dropped a 71-65 game to Sunny Hills. Cole Kesler tied for game-high scoring honors with 23 points. Kesler was named to the all-tournament team.

Brandon Lewis hit five, three-point shots and scored 17 points and Derek Reigel scored 11 points. The Breakers were without Dalke (injury), who played only the first few minutes of the game.

Mission Viejo defeated JSerra, 62-56, in the title game.

Laguna returns to the hardwood Wednesday. The Breakers start defense of their Orange Coast League title when they host Estancia at 7 p.m. at Dugger Gym.

“We finished the preseason at 7-9 and I think both the team and myself feel like we underachieved thus far, Fleming said. “We’re back in the gym this week just trying to get better and ready to compete in league.”

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Girls’ Basketball

The Breakers, who were idle over the final week of the winter break, start their Orange Coast League season Tuesday. They’ll host Estancia at 7 p.m. They’ll play their second league game at 7 p.m. Thursday at Calvary Chapel.

michael.sciacca@latimes.com

Twitter: @MikeSciacca