Boys basketball: Eagles fall late

Tony Altobelli

LAGUNA BEACH - It took just over three quarters for Laguna Beach

High’s two-man offensive volcano to erupt and when it did, Estancia’s

boys basketball team had no place to hide.

The result was a 65-55 Pacific Coast League loss for the visiting Eagles

Wednesday night.

Six-foot-six guard Travis Hanour and 6-foot-10 center Chris Manker

combined for 57 of the Artists’ 65 points, with most of their damage

coming late.

Hanour had 29 points, eight rebounds and five assists, while Manker added

28 points and 10 rebounds.

The difference in the game came in the fourth quarter, where the Artists

(5-17, 2-4 in league) outscored the Eagles, 22-8.

“For three quarters, we played outstanding,” Eagles Coach Rich Boyce

said. “In the fourth, we basically fell apart. All the things we did well

to get the lead, we didn’t do in the fourth.”

Jason Simco led the Eagles (14-10, 2-4) with 20 points, while Jon

Cantrell added 19, including five three-pointers.

The ball was bouncing the Eagles’ way early as Travis Chandler started

the game hot, hitting his first three shots, before Cantrell and Simco

each added five points.

Hanour started the game only 2 for 7 as the Eagles held a two-point lead

after the first eight minutes.

With the constant screams of, “FIND HANOUR...WHERE IS HE?” coming from

Boyce, Simco and the rest of the Eagles managed to keep his highlight

reel stalled.

“We really wanted to keep the ball from Travis as best we could,” Boyce

said. “We felt that if we could keep the ball down low, we stood a better

chance.”

Estancia’s lead grew to eight as Cantrell started to get hot. Hanour

helped cut the lead down to four before a Cantrell 28-footer at the

buzzer gave Estancia a 32-25 lead.

“We ran our offense very well,” Boyce said. “We found the open man and we

were patient.”

The Eagles duo of Cantrell and Simco actually outscored Hanour and

Manker, 23-20, in the first half.

“Our defensive rotation was strong early,” Boyce said. “Our guys really

battled out there and we took it to them.”

Estancia had its biggest lead of the game, 41-31, with just under four

minutes remaining in the third quarter, when the Hanour went to work.

He scored 10 of his team’s final 12 third-quarter points, helping the

Artists trim the lead to 47-43.

That’s when Manker’s game elevated, so to speak. He scored the Artists’

first 10 points and tied the game at 51-51 with a thunderous dunk.

“We made some defensive mistakes in the fourth,” Boyce said. “That was

partially due to our foul trouble.”

Darshaun Garner, who played strong against Manker despite a six-inch

height disadvantage, fouled out with three minutes remaining and Simco

played most of the fourth quarter guarding Hanour with four fouls.

In a four-minute stretch, Manker and Hanour scored 13 consecutive points,

turning a 51-47 Estancia lead to a 60-51 Artists’ advantage.

Simco hit a jumper to cut the lead to seven, before another rim-rattling

dunk from Manker put the game away.

Estancia shot a poor 3 of 17 from the field in the fourth and committed

five crucial turnovers down the stretch.

“You gotta give Laguna Beach all the credit,” Boyce said. “They hung in

there and played well when it mattered most.”

This is the second win in a row for the Artists after having to forfeit

nine wins due to playing with an ineligibleplayer.

The loss snaps Estancia’s two-game winning streak and it’s the second

fourth-quarter lead lost to the Artists (Estancia won its first game to

Laguna Beach, however,

by way of forfeit).

“It takes four solid quarters to win around here,” Boyce said. “We played

three.”

HIGH SCHOOL BOYS

Sea View League

Laguna Hills 48, Newport Harbor 42

Score by Quarters

Laguna Hills 12 11 16 9 - 48

Newport Harbor 13 9 13 7 - 42

Laguna Hills - Lee 16, Houser 9, Stone 8, Anderson 6, Vollenhals 5,

Homyak 4.

3-pt. goals - Lee 2, Vollenhals 1.

Fouled out - None.

Technicals - None.

Newport Harbor - Illingworth 21, Yarnall 12, Reynolds 6, Melum 4, Rorden

0, Perrine 0, Knutti 0, Martin 0.

3-pt. goals - Reynolds 1.

Fouled out - None.

Technicals - None.