Breakers win comes with cost

With just seven games remaining on its regular season schedule, the Laguna Beach High boys’ basketball team faces a big challenge.

The Breakers have had a sensational season thus far, carving a 17-4 record as they eye an Orange Coast League championship.

They’ll have to play the remainder of the regular season without their leading scorer though but, as Coach Bret Fleming said Wednesday, the team’s goals remain the same.

“As a team, we need to respond to this challenge,” Fleming said. “I think most people think that we’re a one-man team but I certainly think that we have a quality, well-rounded team that can do great things.

“We’re still have our sights on winning league and making CIF. Our goals haven’t changed.”

Laguna will move forward with the remainder of the regular season — the Breakers take that next step at 7:30 p.m. tonight when they host Calvary Chapel — without Cheyne Martin.

The team’s floor general and leading scorer — Martin averages 28.5 points per game — went down hard in the early stages of the fourth quarter during Monday’s game against Glendora at the Martin Luther King Invitational at Century High in Santa Ana.

Martin, Fleming said, broke both bones in his right wrist and is scheduled today to see a specialist.

The hardwood hasn’t been kind to the senior, who was mending a broken finger (left hand) he suffered in a win over Dana Hills on Dec. 19.

“I feel so badly for the kid,” Fleming said. “He was just having an outstanding year. There were scouts from San Diego State and UC Irvine watching him play at that Glendora game and he’s been getting a lot of attention from Division I schools. What’s more, he was set to become the all-time leading scorer at Laguna.

“He really gave us a swagger, some confidence on the floor. Cheyne’s role for us was to score and now others will have to step in to fill that void. That will be very important for us.”

The Breakers played their first game without Martin on Tuesday and were more than up to the challenge as they rolled past visiting Estancia, 65-34. Nine Breakers scored in the one-sided victory, led by Brian Delino’s 19 points.

Ryan Lawler scored nine points to go along with 10 rebounds, Marcus Hairston had eight points, Nathan Pickett posted seven points, Charley Bowman, Chris Hyden and Bob Monroe each had six points and Ian Butters and Dylan Roley chipped in two apiece.

“I thought the kids played well,” said Fleming, whose squad evened its league mark at 1-1.

The triumph was the second of the week for the Breakers who on Monday rallied for a 48-42 victory over the Glendora Tartans at the Martin Luther King Invitational.

Laguna got 18 points from Martin before he went down, 16 more from Lawler and overcame a 10-point first-quarter deficit to get the victory.

Last Friday, Laguna opened Orange Coast League play at Costa Mesa and was edged by the Mustangs, 59-58. The Breakers had a couple of chances to pull out the win, but missed the front end of a one-and-one situation and a contested layup, both in the final 10 seconds of the game.

Martin led all scorers with 31 points and Lawler scored 11. Delino had eight points.

In girls’ basketball

Laguna fell behind by 17 points and was shutout in the first quarter of Tuesday’s Orange Coast League clash with visiting Estancia and never recovered in an eventual 54-22 loss. Emily LaRose scored 11 points and Katie Daff seven points for the Breakers. Previously, Laguna hung tough with Costa Mesa last Friday but the host Mustangs pulled away in the second half to record a 66-41 victory in the league opener for both squads.

LaRose topped all scorers with 20 points and Brittany Clark posted 17.

Laguna continues league play at 6 p.m. tonight with a home game against Calvary Chapel.