Writer breaks own record

Breaking the 50-point barrier is rare for an NBA superstar, not to mention a high school girls’ basketball player. But Laguna Beach High junior Emily Writer has done it again.

Writer scored 53 points in the Breakers’ 71-64 Orange Coast League loss to Costa Mesa on Tuesday night. The mark broke her own school record, set last year when she scored 51 against the Mustangs.

The record before that was 36 points, set by Liz Stahl in 1989.

Writer shot 16 of 35 from the field Tuesday, and 19 of 22 from the free-throw line. She’s averaging 23.3 points per game for the Breakers, who are 5-16 (1-4 in league).

Laguna played at Calvary Chapel on Thursday after press time.

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BOYS’ BASKETBALL

It wasn’t pretty, but the Breakers will take Wednesday night’s 46-42 win over Costa Mesa.

Laguna improved to 8-12 and 4-1 in the Orange Coast League. The Breakers are tied for first with Estancia, but needed a fourth-quarter rally against last-place Costa Mesa to keep pace.

“I thought that was probably as bad as we can play and still get a win,” Coach Bret Fleming said. “I don’t know if it was finals week or a small crowd, but we were asleep for most of the game.”

Senior Adam Selevan hit the big shot, a three-pointer with 40 seconds to go that gave the Breakers a 43-42 lead. Sophomore point guard Tyler Masukawa made two free throws with 17 seconds left for some breathing room.

Selevan had a game-high 16 points, and sophomore Derek Reigel added 12, including a perfect six-for-six from the line. Masukawa had nine and freshman Jake Dalke had seven.

Costa Mesa was ahead, 31-24, after three quarters.

“We didn’t play well at all,” Selevan said. “We didn’t deserve that [win]. We had no intensity, no enthusiasm. We weren’t ready for it.”

Still, the Breakers are still tied for first and will play at Calvary Chapel in another key league game tonight. Then again, with three games to go, every league game is a big game for the defending champs.

“Every team in this league is going to be a challenge for us to beat,” Selevan said. “In order for us to win league again, we can’t have games like this [against Costa Mesa].”

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BOYS’ SOCCER

The Breakers were still looking for their first league win after they were edged by Godinez, 1-0, on Monday and Costa Mesa, 3-1, on Wednesday.

Junior Sam Stinnett scored the lone goal against first-place Costa Mesa for the Breakers (4-14-1, 0-5).

Laguna Beach plays at Calvary Chapel at 3:15 p.m. today.

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GIRLS’ SOCCER

Laguna played Costa Mesa to a scoreless tie Tuesday at Estancia High.

The best chance for the Breakers (3-9-5, 0-1-2 in league) came early in the second half, when the Costa Mesa goalie had to make a leaping save on a shot by Laguna senior Alex DeGarmo.

Laguna senior goalie Victoria Ellis also made some nice saves. The Breakers, playing without standout senior defender Kelsey Peterson (flu), held off a charging Mustangs offense in the final minutes with stellar defense from, among others, Christina Gardilcic, Ally Manfrini and Parker Yamasaki.

The Breakers are in fourth place in league and played at Calvary Chapel on Thursday. They play at first-place Estancia in a make-up game Saturday morning

“I think we’re looking forward to playing Estancia and the other teams,” Gardilcic said. “I’m excited to see how we do. It’s like crunch time right now.”