Sports
Laguna Beach Shuts Down Estancia in Boys Basketball
The Breakers take sole possession of first place in the Orange Coast League with three games remaining, thanks to a strong defensive effort against the Eagles.
Laguna Beach's boys basketball team took a major step Wednesday night toward a fifth consecutive Orange Coast League title with a convincing 47-31 victory over second-place Estancia at Laguna Beach High.
The Breakers (12-8, 6-1 in league), ranked No. 12 in the CIF Southern Section Division 4-A coaches' poll, moved one game ahead of Estancia (12-9, 5-2) with three league game remaining. They host Costa Mesa Thursday then have road games next week at Godinez and Saddleback.
“It feels good,” Laguna Beach coach Bret Fleming said. “How we’re playing, I don’t really know. We’ve had some players out with injuries and we’ve had some players missing because of illness, but I like [our position]. Yeah, it feels good."
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Other than wondering if the Orange Coast League, which was formed before the 2006-2007 season, should be renamed the Laguna Beach League for boys basketball, the only question the crowd had afterward was, “Did Laguna Beach play a great game defensively, or did Estancia play just a horrible game offensively?”
Laguna Beach held Estancia to single-digit scoring in every quarter. The Eagles made only six baskets in each half and shot 32 percent from the field, which included a donut in 12 shot attempts from three-point range. The Eagles’ Davon Joyner, who scored 18 against the Breakers in their first meeting (a seven-point overtime victory by Laguna Beach), was held to six points, 10 below his season average.
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Only one player scored for Estancia in the fourth quarter, 6-foot-6 junior center Rashad Davis. He had eight of his game-high 18 points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots before fouling out with 1:28 remaining.
Heck, even the 8-year-old boys from the local Boys & Girls Club who played during halftime made more shots than the other three Eagles starters combined (three).
So what was it, coach, great defense or terrible offense?
“I don’t think they are a poor offensive team. We just played very good defense,” Fleming said. “We wanted to do a good job on 34 [Joyner], and we did a very good job on him in the first half. In the second half we lost our vision and let 22 [Davis] go off, but we switched to a match-up zone defense and that worked for us.”
Laguna Beach didn’t exactly blow Estancia out of the water in the first half. The Breakers jumped to a 7-0 lead but shot 44 percent from the field and hoisted 10 three-pointers, making only three. They led by five, 20-15, at halftime.
In the second half, however, the Breakers were an efficient 50 percent from the field, attempting only four three-pointers, and sank nine of 12 free throws. They also committed only four second-half turnovers. Their largest lead was the final score.
“In the second half we settled in and started going to the free-throw line instead of shooting threes,” Fleming said.
Sophomore Jake Dalke led the Breakers with 11 points. Senior Tyler Kesler added eight points and junior Jack Pillsbury finished with seven points and five rebounds. Laguna Beach outrebounded the Eagles, 29-16.
