Breakers finish a successful season

It was a very successful season turned in by a “great group” of kids.

That’s how Laguna Beach High boys’ basketball coach Bret Fleming described the 2007-08 campaign his Breakers turned in, that came to an end Feb. 15 in La Puente.

Laguna had reached the second-round of the CIF-Southern Section Division III-A playoffs, but that’s where the Breakers’ hopes of moving on to play another day were dashed by host Nogales who held on for a 48-44 victory.

The Nobles took a six-point lead after one quarter and held a 24-19 lead at the half.

It was a two-to-four point ballgame throughout much of the second half but the 10th-ranked Breakers couldn’t complete the rally against the lead on the seventh-ranked Nobles (23-7).

They did have a chance to catch Nogales or even take the lead in the final minute but turned the ball over. They also failed to grab a couple of defensive rebounds after two missed free throws by the Nobles who then salted away the final seconds of the game.

“We were never quite able to overcome that slow start and take the lead,” Fleming said. “We had our opportunities down the stretch but just couldn’t take advantage of them.”

Seniors Kevin Buck and Marcus Hairston, playing what turned out to be their final game for the Breakers, led Laguna in scoring with 14 and 13 points, respectively. Another senior, Kenny Sullivan, finished with six points and collected 14 rebounds.

Juniors Ryan Lawler and Dylan Roley scored nine and two points each.

Laguna, which won six of its last eight games and defeated Beckman in a first-round playoff game on Feb. 13, concluded the season with a 21-7 record.

Fleming said it was the fourth-best season in school history.

“Looking back on the season as a whole, it was very successful,” Fleming said. “We were able to win another league championship and reach the second-round of CIF. These kids accomplished quite a bit.”

In the past two years, both under the leadership of Fleming, Laguna has posted a 44-14 record.

The loss to Nogales ended the careers for seniors Buck, Hairston, Sullivan, Charley Bowman, Matt Ininns, Parker King, Jason House, Jacky Norris, Dylan Doumeng and Graham Unterberger.

“This entire team was an unbelievably great group of kids,” Fleming said. “It was a high-achieving group academically. Six of the kids are scholar-athletes. We played in a tournament in Hawaii this year and one of the big reasons that we took the trip was because it was a group that I trusted. They are a well-behaved group.

“The senior class of players really set a good example for the program. One example is that they achieved in the classroom. They showed that you can play sports and at the same time excel in the classroom. Secondly, in this senior group were several kids who didn’t get a lot of playing time but they were the backbone of this team. They showed up everyday, worked hard and made our starters better players. I think that they set a huge example by saying ‘it’s worth it,’ even if you don’t get all the headlines and accolades. These players have been vital to the program.”