A Writer in rhythm

LAGUNA BEACH — Fifty-one is the amount of points Costa Mesa High allowed a sophomore to score Thursday night.

The Mustangs managed to beat that total by six points.

It wasn’t enough in the Orange Coast League girls’ basketball game.

Emily Writer easily wrote her name into the Laguna Beach record book by pouring in 51 points in the Breakers’ 78-57 victory.

Writer finished two steals shy of recording a triple-double. She grabbed 10 rebounds and stole the ball eight times.

Writer could not have scripted her single-game record-setting scoring performance any better.

The Breakers (2-15, 1-3 in league) snapped a six-game losing streak and they beat the reigning league champions.

Writer missed out on a league crown last season because of the Mustangs. The Breakers finished two games back, two losses against Costa Mesa cost them a share of the title.

Writer hasn’t forgotten.

She came out firing, scoring 12 points in the opening quarter. Costa Mesa had no answers for the 5-foot-10 hybrid.

The Mustangs scored the first basket in the first. Then Writer and center Samantha Garner closed out the quarter by accounting for all of Laguna Beach’s points during a 20-6 run.

Along with Writer’s versatility, Garner’s size at 6 feet caused problems for Costa Mesa. Garner contributed 22 points and 13 rebounds.

“It comes down to the defensive intensity with us and it was inconsistent throughout the game,” said Costa Mesa first-year coach Jay Supple, whose team is reeling with five straight losses.

The Mustangs (5-14, 0-4) have already dropped more league games than in the previous two championship seasons combined.

Costa Mesa and Laguna Beach are far from contending for a league title this season. Laguna Beach played as if Thursday’s contest was for the championship.

Coach Jon Hendrickson gave his players reasons to battle on every possession.

“They beat us here by 25,” Hendrickson said of last season’s first of three meetings against the Mustangs. “We beat them by one at their place. Then they came back and they beat us by [11] points [in the third meeting]. We lost the league by [11] points.

“We just wanted to play all out. Win or lose, we were going to give them our best shot.”

Laguna Beach’s best shots were taken by Writer.

Laguna Beach Athletic Director Mike Churchill said Writer broke Liz Stahl’s 36-point record set in 1989.

Writer was halfway there to breaking it at halftime.

Costa Mesa cut the deficit to 33-29 right before at halftime, thanks to guard Olivia Scheidt recording almost half of her 14 points and 12 rebounds in the second quarter.

When the second half began, Writer lit up the Mustangs.

Writer scored 16 points in the third quarter and 17 in the fourth. She attacked Costa Mesa, overpowering her way past defenders for shots in the paint.

The times Writer missed, there she was coming up with an offensive rebound and laying the ball in for easy points.

No player stood a chance of guarding Writer alone. So the Mustangs sent multiple defenders her way, shoving her to the floor many times.

“Sometimes she got fouled. Sometimes she didn’t,” said Hendrickson, who saw Writer convert 15 of 24 free throws and finish 17 for 40 from the floor with two three-pointers. “No matter how many times she got knocked down, she got back up.”

Orange Coast League

Laguna Beach 78, Costa Mesa 57

SCORE BY QUARTERS

CM – Scheidt 14, Hobberlin 11, Barcenas 8, Gordon 8, Bjelland 5, Reyes 4, Hayes 3, Bauermeister 2, Quebedeaux 2

3-pt. goals – Hayes 1, Bjelland 1.

Fouled out – Scheidt.

Technicals – Coach Supple.

LB – Writer 51, Garner 22, Daff 4, Berri 1.

3-pt. goals – Writer 2.

DAVID CARRILLO PEÑALOZA may be reached at (714) 966-4612 or at [email protected].