Breakers win El Toro tourney

The incoming freshman basketball team at Laguna Beach High continued

its summer success last weekend by winning the El Toro High School

Summer Frosh Tournament championship.

The tournament featured incoming freshmen teams from Laguna Beach,

El Toro, San Clemente, JSerra, Dana Hills, Mater Dei, Capistrano

Valley, Tesoro and Laguna Hills.

In the tournament final, the Breakers rallied from a six-point

deficit to defeat Tesoro, 66-63.

Laguna began the tournament in pool play. The Breakers won their

respective pool by defeating host El Toro, 47-32, before edging

Tesoro in overtime, 38-37, in what was to be the first of two

tournament meetings between the schools.

By winning its pool, Laguna advanced to the championship

semifinals where the Breakers joined other pool winners San Clemente

and Dana Hills.

Tesoro, which had to top finish among teams finishing pool play in

second place, joined the three pool winners and completed the

tournament’s Final Four.

In semifinal play, Laguna rode the outside shooting of Ian Butters

and went on to down San Clemente, 58-46.

The El Toro tournament title is the second consecutive freshman

tournament championship won this summer by Laguna, which previously

captured the El Dorado tournament..

The Breakers’ march to the El Toro title included contributions

from Butters, Bobby Monroe, Nathan Pickett, Brian Delano, E.J. Gomez,

Patrick Curran, Brennan Healy and Ty Fleming.

Chris Hyden, another contributor to the squad, was on the injured

reserve list and did not play.

Laguna was playing its first tournament without the services of

leading scorer Cheyne Martin who was moved up to play on the

Breakers’ junior varsity team for the remainder of the summer season.

The Breakers begin play Saturday in the Tesoro Freshman

Tournament.