CdM stays hopeful despite 77-58 loss

Patrick Laverty

After Corona del Mar High lost its final Pacific Coast League boys

basketball game of the season, 77-58, to Northwood on Wednesday, Sea

Kings Coach Ryan Curry could only hope for a CIF Southern Section

playoff berth.

“I don’t know,” Curry said when asked about Corona del Mar’s

chances for an at-large berth. “We’d have liked to have been more

sure by winning [Wednesday] and having Laguna Beach win. We could

have finished third and known.”

The Sea Kings did have an outside chance at finishing in the top

three spots in league. But now, armed with a 13-13 overall record and

a 4-6 finish in league play, they can only hope for an at-large

berth. In recent years, every team that had at least 11 wins and

petitioned for entry into the postseason, has been granted such. But

that doesn’t allow Curry to sleep any easier.

The only way that would have happened would have been if the Sea

Kings knocked off second-place Northwood (16-10, 7-3) for the second

time this season and Laguna Beach defeated University, forcing a

three-way tie for the third spot in league. But Corona del Mar didn’t

take care of its part of the bargain.

The Sea Kings continually allowed the bigger Timberwolves to get

inside the paint and Northwood converted layup, after layup, after

layup.

“It wasn’t a good effort,” Curry said. “It was a poor defensive

effort. To beat someone good, like Northwood, you’re going to have to

do the job defensively. Whatever shot they wanted was the shot they

got tonight. We don’t board well enough offensively and get enough

layups to give that up.”

Northwood pulled away from the Sea Kings, who received 27 points

and seven rebounds from senior Pancho Seaborn, with an 8-0 run that

began when Dan Selway (27 points) converted a layup off a turnover

with three seconds remaining in the first half. After Northwood made

their first three shots of the second half, all layups, it had

extended the lead to 47-33.

The Timberwolves continued to get layups and made their first

seven shots of the third quarter. After Selway’s second field goal of

the third quarter, Northwood led, 54-39, with 3:52 remaining in the

period.

Northwood finished 29 of 50 from the floor (58%). Tino Zaragoza, a

6-foot-5 junior, had 26 points, on 10 of 13 shooting, and Brett

VanLandingham came off the bench to score 11 points and grab 11

rebounds. The Timberwolves also held a 35-24 rebounding advantage.

Northwood’s 77 points were the third-highest total allowed by

Corona del Mar this season and the most allowed since an 80-63 loss

to Foothill, 13 games ago.

It was all enough to offset Seaborn’s second-best scoring effort

of the season, behind only the 40 points he scored in a nonleague win

over Servite. The Sea Kings’ sharpshooter finished 9 of 18 from the

field and 5 of 12 from beyond the three-point arc.

But he didn’t receive the support that his teammates normally

provide. Senior Adam Freede was the only other Corona del Mar player

in double figures (10 points) and excluding Seaborn, the Sea Kings

shot just 9 of 34 (26%).

In their 60-58 victory over Northwood earlier this year, Jay

Northridge had 24 points, Seaborn 17 and Freede 12. In Tuesday’s loss

the senior trio combined for 10 points less than that 53-point total.

*--*

Pacific Coast League

Northwood 77, Corona del Mar 58

Score by Quarters

CdM 12 21 12 13 -- 58

N’wood 14 27 15 21 -- 77

*--*

Corona del Mar -- Northridge 6, R. Lance 2, Freede 10, Seaborn 27,

T. Lance 3, Watanabe 0, K. Welch 2, Mohler 4, MacDonald 0, Kabaklian

2, Manni 2.

3-pt. goals -- Seaborn 5.

Fouled out -- None.

Technicals -- None.

Northwood -- Selway 27, Rodolff 6, Ottoson 0, Ubl 2, Zaragoza 26,

O’Brien 3, Roggero 0, Jordan 0, VanLandingham 11, Bosshart 0, Swanson

0, Ubl 2.

3-pt. goals -- O’Brien 1, Rodolff 1, Zaragoza 1.

Fouled out -- Ottoson.

Technicals -- None.