Defense paves way in Breaker victory

Laguna has no problems with Patriots, 58-22.A slow first quarter Wednesday couldn’t keep the Laguna Beach High boys’ basketball team down for long.

Held to a 6-6 tie with visiting Beckman in the first Pacific Coast League meeting between the schools, the Breakers broke away on offense and continued their defensive dominance over the Patriots to post a 58-22 win in the league opener for both teams.

Laguna used a big second quarter to bolt to a 25-10 halftime lead.

Defensively, the Breakers didn’t allow the Patriots offense more than six points in a single quarter.

Nine Breakers scored, led by 15 points by Brian Delino.

The game was the first for Laguna since it competed during the holiday break at the Century Tournament.

The Breakers opened the tournament with a 72-56 win over Marina, but then lost to Gahr, 77-44, a game in which Ryan Lawler was a “lone bright spot,” Fleming said, with 10 points and eight rebounds.

Laguna starters Jeff Clark and Bobby Monroe were lost to injuries early in the tournament, and the Breakers went on to lose to Valencia, 56-36. Clark came back to play with a sprained ankle against Cypress, but the Breakers still fell to the Centurions, 48-38.

Sprained ankle and all, Clark still led Laguna in scoring with 17 points; Nathan Pickett had eight rebounds.

“Our goal in preseason was to improve and compete in every game,” Fleming said. “I certainly saw some improvements, but I was disappointed in our competitiveness.”

Fleming’s Breakers came up big against Beckman Wednesday, and will need to continue to play at the same pace if they are to contend for the league title.

“The PCL is very good this year, probably the third-best league in the county,” Fleming said. “Our team needs to compete for 32 minutes a game just to have a chance to be successful.

“We need to be precise on offense and find ways to get stops and control our defensive boards. I still really like this group, and I think we’ll continue to improve. This is a young group without much experience, but they’re willing to work and I know they’ll continue to improve.”