CdM keeps trend intact

Whenever the Corona del Mar High boys’ basketball team plays Woodbridge, the game always seems to be tight and physical.

The team standing at the end tends to be the one not named the Warriors.

The Sea Kings have had the Warriors’ number since Woodbridge joined the Pacific Coast League four seasons ago. They have only lost once during the stretch, and on Tuesday, the host Sea Kings made it eight of nine wins against the Warriors, beating them, 51-43.

The contest between the two programs that shared the league title last season was decided at the free-throw line, where CdM converted 18 of 26 attempts and Woodbridge made only five of 17.

“You can’t miss that many free throws,” said Woodbridge Coach John Halagan, whose team shot 29.4% from the charity stripe, compared to CdM’s 69.2%.

Corona del Mar (11-6, 2-0 in league), which shares the No. 4 spot in the CIF Southern Section Division 3A poll with Hemet Tahquitz, hit its foul shots down the stretch, helping it stay undefeated in league. The Sea Kings went seven of 11 from the line in the fourth quarter.

Matt Ctvrtlik, who made three of four free throws in the fourth, led CdM with 12 points off the bench. Ryan Stone scored three of his 10 points in the fourth, which saw Woodbridge miss three of four foul shots.

The Warriors (7-11, 1-1) began to misfire everywhere else on the court after C.J. Lomboy hit a three-pointer with 3:11 to go, cutting CdM’s lead to 47-43. Woodbridge was unsuccessful in its last three field goals as well as two free throws, going scoreless the rest of the way.

Two games into league, CdM hasn’t faced the type of opponent it saw in nonleague action. The Sea Kings played the likes of Mater Dei, ranked No. 2 in the CIF Southern Section Division 1AA poll; Los Angeles Price, No. 1 in Division 6; Edison, No. 4 in Division 1A; Los Alamitos, No. 14 in Division 1AA, and Santa Barbara San Marcos, No. 5 in Division 3AA.

“It was a long, long first part of the season,” Sea Kings Coach Ryan Schachter said of the nonleague schedule, which included games against teams that reached the CIF State tournament last season, Mater Dei, the Open Division champion; San Anselmo Drake, the Division III runner-up; San Mateo Serra, a Northern California Regional Division II semifinalist, and Brea Olinda, a Southern California Regional Division III semifinalist. “We played a lot of good teams. We had a lot of grind-it-out games against some good teams. I just got to find a way to get these guys fresh and get them back to enjoying [playing basketball].”

The Sea Kings looked to be happy at the start, controlling much of the opening quarter. They took a 12-5 lead on Ryan Kleinman’s jumper with 49 seconds to go.

The lead quickly dwindled to one. In the final 10 seconds of the first quarter, Joey Carrillo and Jack Calhoun each connected on a three-pointer. Calhoun’s three came after the Warriors stole the inbounds pass, infuriating Schachter after the turnover allowed Woodbridge to finish the quarter on a 6-0 run.

Woodbridge, which in the first seven minutes turned the ball over a half dozen times and made only two of 11 shots, was back in it. Then the Warriors took their first lead with 2:43 left in the first half.

With the 35-second shot clock winding down, Evan Maggard drove toward the free-throw line, where he made a spin move and knocked down a jumper. The Warriors went ahead, 17-16, but Stone helped CdM close out the first half by scoring five points during a 7-3 run.

The Sea Kings, who led, 23-19, at halftime, increased their advantage to as many as nine in the third quarter. Ctvrtlik sparked CdM, nailing a three and two free throws to put the hosts up, 37-28. But for the second time in a quarter, Woodbridge burned CdM from behind the arc late. Lomboy swished a three at the buzzer, cutting the deficit to six points.

In the final quarter, Woodbridge drew as close as four twice. The first time came 69 seconds into the fourth on a basket inside the paint by Adjin Toskic, who finished with 10 points. The Sea Kings proceeded to go on a 10-4 run. Bo St. Geme’s jumper started the run and it ended on Stone’s layup off a steal, giving CdM a 47-37 lead with less than 5 minutes left.

“We’re trying to play well,” said Schachter, whose team’s next two games are at home, against University in league on Friday at 7 p.m. and Newport Harbor in the Battle of the Bay rivalry at 7 p.m. Saturday. “[University] always plays us well.”

Pacific Coast League

Corona del Mar 51, Woodbridge 43

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Woodbridge 11 – 8 – 12 – 12 — 43

Corona del Mar 12 – 11 – 14 – 14 — 51

Wb – Toskic 10, Soufian 8, Lomboy 8, Ghadi 6, Calhoun 4, Carrillo 3, Maggard 2, Okonkwo 2.

3-pt. goals – Lomboy 2, Calhoun 1, Carrillo 1.

Fouled out – None.

Technicals – Ghadi.

CdM – Ctvrtlik 12, Stone 10, Fults 6, Kobrine 6, St. Geme 5, Moss 5, Ridge 3, Kleinman 2, Le 2.

3-pt. goals – Kobrine 1, Ridge 1, Ctvrtlik 1.

Fouled out – None.

Technicals – None.