Ctvrtlik’s hook lifts CdM
The play the Corona del Mar High boys’ basketball team drew up wasn’t the one Matt Ctvrtlik took with the game on the line on Thursday.
With 11.1 seconds left and the Sea Kings and Trabuco Hills even at 48-48, CdM Coach Ryan Schachter wanted to run a curl. The play wasn’t there, so Sam Kobrine went to Ctvrtlik, and the 6-foot-4 senior did the rest.
Ctvrtlik dribbled to the right, across the free-throw line, where he made a right-handed running hook shot with three seconds left. The shot by Ctvrtlik proved to be the game-winner, lifting the Sea Kings to a 50-48 win against Trabuco Hills in the quarterfinals of the CdM Beach Bash.
Before Ctvrtlik and his teammates celebrated, the Mustangs immediately called a timeout with two seconds left. Trabuco Hills had one last chance to possibly tie the game or win it, but the Mustangs had a long way to go.
Ctvrtlik ended the Mustangs’ chances. They never got a desperation shot off. He stole the long inbound pass, keeping CdM undefeated through the first four games of the season.
“This was the first time we’ve faced some serious adversity,” Ctvrtlik said. “[This] experience will be great for our new guys.”
Ctvrtlik, one of three key returners for CdM, helped the Sea Kings pull through and advance to Friday’s semifinal against powerhouse Mater Dei (4-0) at 8:40 p.m. The Sea Kings moved on because Ctvrtlik did it all for the Sea Kings, scoring 23 points, grabbing 13 rebounds, and coming up with two steals and a block.
Ctvrtlik recorded his team’s final four points, the first two at the free-throw line gave CdM a 48-45 lead with 31 seconds to go. The advantage didn’t hold up.
Trabuco Hills (5-2), which challenged CdM to the very end, tied the game 11 seconds later. Quentin Watts made a layup while Chase Garbers fouled him, sending Watts to the free-throw line. Watts, who finished with 15 points, completed the three-point play to make it 48-48.
Once the Sea Kings inbounded the ball and crossed midcourt, Schachter asked for a timeout. The last shot would be CdM’s to take.
“I [told the guys that] if the curl is not there, Sam make something happen or Matt [make something happen],” Schachter said. “We got Matt [the ball]. There was no doubt that he wasn’t making that, that’s his game. It was a little Magic [Johnson] running hook shot.”
The high-percentage shot could’ve helped both teams early on. Five shots are how many the Mustangs took in the first 90 seconds of the game. The second-chance opportunities failed to amount to anything at the start.
The opening quarter turned out to be a disaster offensively for both teams. It took Trabuco Hills a dozen shots to score 11 points in the first. Despite the shooting woes, the Mustangs took an 11-6 lead with 59 seconds left in the first, on Francis Nicdao’s fadeaway jumper near the left elbow.
After the tough shot went in, Schachter yelled for a timeout. The Sea Kings responded out of the timeout. Kobrine, a couple steps behind the arc, found a wide-open Ctvrtlik on the left block and the forward made the basket while the Mustangs fouled him. Ctvrtlik completed the three-point play at the charity stripe with 40 seconds left in the first quarter.
Fourteen seconds later, Ctvrtlik almost had an opportunity for another three-point play. He stole the ball near midcourt and raced in for a layup as the Mustangs fouled him, but the shot rimmed out. The two free throws by Ctvrtlik knotted the game at 11-11.
Nine of CdM’s 11 first-quarter points belonged to Ctvrtlik. He also produced the Sea Kings’ first points in the second quarter. After Schachter screamed at his team for taking three ill-advised three-pointers in the first 80 seconds of the second quarter, Ctvrtlik knocked down a three from the top. The Sea Kings went on an 8-2 run to go ahead, 19-13, but in the final 2:02, Trabuco Hills closed out the first half on a bang.
During a 26-second span late in the first half, Camren Panganiban, who had 15 points, and Zack Mowers each nailed a wide-open three. The Mustangs went into halftime up, 22-21, to the disgust of Schachter.
“We had a hard time closing out the first half and the game,” said Schachter, whose team faces Mater Dei, ranked No. 3 in the state by CalHiSports.com, in the semifinals of the tournament for the second straight season, the Monarchs won the last meeting, 67-44. “I’d love to play Mater Dei [again] because you don’t get that opportunity [a lot]. [It’s] just a chance to play the best.”
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CdM Beach Bash
Quarterfinals
Corona del Mar 50, Trabuco Hills 48
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Trabuco 11 – 11 – 9 – 17 — 48
CdM 11 – 10 – 16 – 13— 50
TH – Panganiban 15, Watts 15, Mowers 8, Nicdao 7, Sadeghian 3.
3-pt. goals – Panganiban 4, Mowers 2, Sadeghian 1.
Fouled out – None.
Technicals – None.
CdM – Ctvrtlik 23, Le 7, Haly 6, Borquez 4, Kobrine 3, Johnson 3, Garbers 2, Rodman 2.
3-pt. goals – Ctvrtlik 1, Kobrine 1, Johnson 1.
Fouled out – None.
Technicals – None.
