Sea Kings look to get back on track

CdM, losers of three straight, get tested right away when they open league action at University.The Corona del Mar High boys’ basketball team was flying high after reaching the championship game of the Rail City Classic in Reno, Nev., then beating Estancia and Norco.

The Sea Kings had won five of six games. Corona del Mar’s 6-foot-7 forwards Scott Slaughter and Stefan Kaluz were dominating inside, and Ryan Lance was a consistent outside threat.

But the Sea Kings appear to have peaked against Norco in the first round of the Coast Classic, when they had everything working.

Norco went on to win its next three games, but Corona del Mar (7-7) lost its next three games at the Coast Classic to Edison, Trabuco Hills and Chaparral. As a result, the Sea Kings head into Pacific Coast League action on a bit of a down note.

“I wasn’t very pleased with our last two games,” Corona del Mar Coach Ryan Curry said. “I thought up to that point we’d gotten better every game. We took a step back.”

Curry said he hopes it’s nothing a few crisp practices won’t take care of.

“It’ll be good to get some practice in to gear up for University,” he said.

Curry said he regards University (8-4) as the Pacific Coast League favorite. The Sea Kings open up league action today at University in a 7 p.m. game.

In order for Corona del Mar to be a serious contender for the league title, Curry said he believes his team needs to get better in a few areas.

“We need to work on getting better shots. We’re only shooting about 30% from the floor,” Curry said. “We need to dictate the tempo more on offense, and our defense is not stopping dribble penetration, which is a big problem.”

Slaughter and Kaluz have the size to control the interior for CdM. The Sea Kings will also need consistent shooting and direction from Lance and Matt Doran to answer those concerns.

Tesoro (9-5), Santa Ana Calvary Chapel (8-5) and Northwood (8-6) also are expected to compete for the league title.

Northwood’s Zack Zaragoza (244 points) and Chris O’Brien (201 points) lead the league in scoring. Corona del Mar’s Kaluz and Slaughter lead the league in rebounding. Kaluz has tallied 95 rebounds and Slaughter has 85 heading into Pacific Coast League action.

With improvements in a couple of areas, Corona del Mar should be right in the thick of things.

The Sea Kings play host to Santa Ana Calvary Chapel on Friday at 7 p.m.

20060104isjrs5ncKENT TREPTOW / DAILY PILOT(LA)Guard Ryan Lance, shown here during the Coast Classic tournament, is a key part of Corona del Mar’s offense.