Laguna Beach Sports: Week of Feb. 3

BOYS BASKETBALL (1-4, 7-19)

The Breakers tough luck continued as once again they failed to hold a late lead over Corona del Mar (3-2, 16-10), losing the league match on Jan. 25 at the winner’s gym. The Breakers were up 51-46 before losing 55-51. Dylan McEachern led the team with 14 points, followed by Jack Halvorson with 11.

This past Tuesday, Jan. 31, the Breakers lost to Wave League champion Newport Harbor 67-57 at Dugger Gym as Laguna trailed the entire contest with the Tars. On Jan. 25 the Breakers lost at Marina 66-62 in another contest where Laguna lost a fourth-quarter lead.

The season’s final game was played on Feb. 2 at Huntington Beach (1-4, 13-14).

Top Scorer after 27 games:

3-pointers: 27 – Ryan Cheng and Jack Halvorson

Points: 349 – Halvorson, 248 – McEachern, 210 – Ashton Azadian, 183 – Cheng

GIRLS BASKETBALL (2-3, 19-8) 

The Breakers suffered a pair of league upsets that may prevent their advancement to post-season play. The 2023 Division 4A bracket will be released on Feb. 5, and the Breakers will be in only if an insufficient number of automatic qualifiers leave any room for at-large selections.

The Breakers lost at Marina (3-2, 13-14) on Jan. 26 in overtime at the Viking Gym and lost 41-29 at Huntington Beach (1-4, 9-18) on Jan. 30. If the Breakers upset Edison (4-1, 14-13) this past Thursday, they may have to play Marina on Friday for a guaranteed spot if the Vikings lose at Huntington.  

On a bright note, Laguna defeated Newport Harbor 45-37 in a non-league game last Friday, Jan. 27, at Dugger Gym. Sophie Marriner led the team with 11 points and 16 rebounds.

Sophie Marriner, in four seasons is now #3 for Laguna all-time in career scoring and #1 in career rebounds.

BOYS SOCCER (1-1-0, 5-7-0)

Laguna lost a heartbreaker to league leader Newport Harbor (4-0-1, 14-4-3) 3-2 on a sudden-death goal in overtime in a contest played on Jan. 30 at the Tar’s campus. Jaxson Hutcheon and Chase Cuevas scored for the Breakers. Laguna also lost a 2-0 league match at Marina on Jan. 27 but tied Huntington Beach 1-1 in a non-league contest on Jan. 25. Jaxson Hutcheon scored the Breaker goal. The season concluded on Feb. 1 with Fountain Valley (3-2, 6-10-2).

GIRLS SOCCER (2-0-1, 5-8-4)

Laguna’s playoff hopes came down to the season’s final contest, that was played on Feb. 1 at Fountain Valley (0-4-1, 8-10-2). The Breakers needed a win to clinch a playoff spot and qualify for the D3 Southern Section post-season to be announced on Feb. 4. Laguna had made the playoffs 10 straight years until just missing last season.

Last week, Laguna lost 4-0 to Corona del Mar (3-2, 14-5-1) on Jan. 26 at the winner’s field but tied Marina (3-1-1, 6-5-7) in a scoreless overtime match on Jan. 30 at Guyer Field. 

GIRLS WATER POLO (4-1, 18-7)

Laguna traveled to Los Alamitos (4-1, 20-7) Feb. 2 for the final regular season game and a chance to capture the Sunset Surf League title – the program’s 18 crown in 26 seasons. The final game is considered Laguna’s home game despite having to play the Griffins twice at their pool since the local Laguna pool is not a full-size regulation water polo pool.

Southern Section CIF playoffs start next week, and the Breakers will be seeded in the top 8. They will appear in the Open Division along with Foothill, Orange Lutheran, Mater Dei, San Marcos, Newport Harbor, Corona del Mar and Los Alamitos. Seedings/brackets will be posted on Feb. 4, at 9 a.m. at www.cifss.org.

Last weekend, the Breakers went 4-1 to finish third in the Newport Invite, won by Foothill with a 13-7 win over Bishop’s (La Jolla). Laguna opened play with a 15-9 win over Mater Dei on Thursday, Jan. 26, the Breakers’ 22nd win over the Monarchs in 23 all-time meetings. On Friday, Laguna defeated Carlsbad 18-4 and surprised #1 seed Foothill 10-9. Saturday morning, Laguna led Bishop’s 4-3 at the intermission but lost their top scorer Ava Knepper to an undisclosed injury and ended up losing to the San Diego school 13-12 in double overtime. Charlotte Riches scored five goals, and Lauren Schneider had nine very difficult saves with four assists in the effort. The Breakers, unfortunately, squandered a 9-7 lead with just under four minutes remaining in regulation. 

In the third-place game, Laguna bounced back without Knepper and defeated #2 seed San Marcos 8-7 with three goals by Charlotte Riches and 11 saves by Lauren Schneider in the cage.

This past Tuesday, Laguna easily defeated Huntington Beach 17-6 in a league game played at Los Alamitos. Lauren Short had six goals, while Natasha Denny and Siena Jumani shared the duties in the cage.

Looking for the 2022-23 High School schedules and scores? Check Laguna Beach High School on the Max Preps website.

Laguna Beach Spring Junior Team Tennis season starts Saturday, Mar. 4.

Our junior team tennis teams compete against other clubs in a fun, competitive atmosphere. We strive for positive attitudes, mental strength, sportsmanship, and honing our playing skills. A skills test for players who wish to play in the 10&U, 12&U or 14&U age groups will be held from 4 to 5:30 p.m. on Feb. 11 at Alta Laguna Park. Reservations can be made by contacting Coach Julie, director at All Court Tennis, at [email protected] to reserve your place at skills check. This is a City of Laguna Beach Recreation Program.