Boys’ Basketball: Sea Kings stay perfect in league
IRVINE — Ryan Schachter almost didn’t coach the Corona del Mar High boys’ basketball team on Tuesday night.
He dealt with a stomach virus and a headache that wouldn’t go away. The conditions worsened when he learned that his top assistant, Jason Simco, might also miss the Pacific Coast League game at Woodbridge.
“He has a bunch of school stuff for his credentialing,” Schachter said. “I was a little nervous, especially because I’m feeling under the weather. I have a headache, my stomach is upset, and I can’t really think that well. He told me he wasn’t going to be here, and I was like, ‘Oh man, it’s going to be an adventure tonight.’”
Schachter and Simco both made the game, and on second thought, Schachter wished Simco hadn’t shown up. Throughout the contest, Simco kept yelling in Schachter’s ear, almost forcing Schachter to change seats on the bench, away from Simco.
One of the loudest head coaches in Orange County couldn’t handle his assistant’s bark. Schachter stayed put next to Simco. The two have been inseparable since they began leading CdM eight seasons ago. They are closing in on their sixth league title in nine seasons at the school.
The Sea Kings blew out Woodbridge, 50-32, putting them one win away from clinching at least a share of the league crown. They haven’t lost in seven tries in league and now they are two games up on Northwood with three to go.
Schachter and Simco have CdM (17-6, 7-0 in league) on path to finish perfect in league for the third time since they joined forces in 2006-07. They made sure the Sea Kings remained undefeated by sweeping the two-game series against Woodbridge, which shared first with CdM last season.
Stellar defense led the way for CdM, ranked No. 4 in the CIF Southern Section Division 3A poll. Woodbridge didn’t make a field goal in the fourth quarter, and a measly three points are all it produced. The Sea Kings outscored Woodbridge by 11 in the final 8 minutes to give them their most lopsided win against the Warriors in six seasons.
“All year, we pride ourselves on defense, getting stops,” said Schachter, whose team limited Woodbridge to 25% shooting from the field and forced 15 turnovers. “We have to get stops to beat good teams. Woodbridge is a good team. [Woodbridge has] played one of the best schedules in Orange County. If we’re going to be in games, we’re not skilled enough to go out there and outscore most teams. We have to defend and get good stops.”
The stops came for CdM in the final 10 minutes. After Adjin Toskic scored two of his 13 points to cut the Sea Kings’ lead to 33-29 with a basket in the paint with 2 minutes left in the third quarter, Woodbridge never made a basket again. The Warriors missed their final dozen shots.
The Warriors (10-13, 4-3) find themselves in third place in league. Kevin Fults kept Woodbridge from gaining ground in the third quarter by recording seven of his 13 points. He capped the quarter with a three-point play to put CdM ahead by seven.
Schachter went to his bench in the fourth quarter, and Taeveon Le, Matt Ctvrtlik, Ryan Kleinman and Nick Borquez combined for 12 of CdM’s 14 fourth-quarter points. Le finished with seven points, tying Sam Kobrine’s total, while Ctvrtlik and Kleinman had five points apiece.
The contributions helped Schachter sit most of his starters, including Fults, a senior forward, down the stretch. The team will need Fults’ services on Friday, when CdM plays at University (8-13, 1-6) at 7 p.m. University, the last-place team, has given the Sea Kings their toughest game in league, before losing at CdM, 87-82, in mid-January.
“I’d like to rest him a little bit because he looks banged up at times,” Schachter said of Fults, who was five-for-nine shooting and grabbed five rebounds. “He’s just fatigued. He’s like a 30-year-old guy out there, but he had a hell of a game for us. His energy [fueled us].”
Fults’ energy was so contagious that it got an ill Schachter through the game, even with Simco yelling in his ear.
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Pacific Coast League
Corona del Mar 50, Woodbridge 32
SCORE BY QUARTERS
CdM 15 – 9 – 12 – 14 — 50
Wood 10 – 9 – 10 – 3 — 32
CdM – Fults 13, Moss 9, Le 7, Kobrine 7, Ctvrtlik 5, Kleinman 5, Stone 2, Borquez 2.
3-pt. goals – Kobrine 1, Ctvrtlik 1.
Fouled out – None.
Technicals – None.
WB – Toskic 13, Soufian 11, Rausch 3, Okonkwo 2, Coloma 2, Ghadi 1.
3-pt. goals – Rausch 1, Toskic 1.
Fouled out – None.
Technicals – None.