Laguna Beach girls’ basketball clinches Pacific Hills League crown
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Laguna Beach girls’ basketball is already having one of the best seasons in program history, and that can be said without factoring in any potential postseason run.
The Breakers were in position to claim their second outright league title — and third overall — heading into senior night.
Second-year coach Rus Soobzokov, who endured a 21-loss season in his initial year at the helm, found the turnaround to be reason to celebrate. So much so that he indicated to his team during the week’s practices that they would cut down the nets if they finished the job.
Senior guard Kate Cheng had 16 points to pace Laguna Beach, which beat Irvine 53-31 to clinch the Pacific Hills League title on its home floor on Wednesday evening.
“They all bought into a new system of playing, defensively, offensive philosophies,” said Soobzokov, who succeeded Mathew Tietz as the head coach. “They bought into it, worked hard the last two years, and this is what happens as a result of kids buying in, playing well together.”
Laguna Beach (18-9, 5-0 in the Pacific Hills League) won its first league title since sharing the Orange Coast League championship with Estancia in 2016. The Breakers finished atop the Pacific Coast League in 2005.
Cheng was also part of the two winningest teams in program history. Laguna Beach went 21-13 in her freshman season, when she shared the court with her sister, Anna. The Breakers advanced to the CIF Southern Section Division 5AA semifinals. The following year, Laguna Beach went 23-11 and again reached the CIF semifinals, this time in Division 4A.
Sophie Marriner was the star forward of both of those teams, but neither won a league championship while competing as a member of the Sunset Conference’s Wave League.
“I also think it was interesting that we cut down the net because it is usually CIF,” said Cheng, holding a piece of the nylon in her hand after the celebration. “Everyone’s hill [to climb] is relative, and I think how [Soobzokov] has been coaching us, it’s a big win for him, too, as it is for us. It’s just symbolic of how we play together.”
Cheng added five rebounds, four steals and four assists, although she had plenty of help with several teammates contributing across the board.
Freshman forward Fiona McCormick had 13 points, 12 rebounds, three steals, two assists and two blocked shots. Senior guard Alicia Mendoza had six points, three rebounds, three steals and two assists. Junior forward Lilly Alvarado had four points, 10 rebounds and four assists.
“I like to think that I do a little bit of everything, and I help the team in every way,” McCormick said. “There’s not just one thing I’m focused on. I help everyone around me in defense and offense.”
McCormick added that she felt team chemistry had developed through time spent together since the summer.
Sophomores Iliana Reider (five points) and Lakelyn Welch (nine points) combined for six additional steals for the Breakers on defense.
The CIF Southern Section will release its girls’ basketball playoff pairings on Feb. 8. As Laguna Beach prepares for the postseason, Cheng said she wants to “have fun” while continuing to grow as a team.
“What I would pass down to them is I want to get better every game,” Cheng said. “If there’s a certain play, and there’s a look that we want to make, and I didn’t [execute] the play before, I want to try to fix it and do better the next time. I think that’s what we want to get out of CIF because these girls are going to be playing for the next couple of years, and the experience is amazing.”
Senior guard Lauren Lai had eight points, nine rebounds, four steals and two assists to lead Irvine (13-10, 3-2), which is in second place in the league.
Sage Hill 63, Rosary 37: The Lightning captured the Pacific Coast League championship with Wednesday’s victory at home.
Sage Hill (18-7, 7-0) is riding a 10-game winning streak with a chance to run the table in league play when it hosts St. Margaret’s on Feb. 4.
Corona del Mar 35, Los Alamitos 29: Kayly Honig had 13 points and nine rebounds to lead the Sea Kings to a road upset of the first-place Griffins on Wednesday in a Sunset League game.
Sienna Knodegah made four three-pointers to account for her 12 points. Lark Walz also provided five important points in the fourth quarter.
Corona del Mar coach Brason Alexander said Mackenzie Kish played her first full game in returning from an ACL injury, supplying key defensive contributions.
The Sea Kings improved to 15-10 overall and 7-3 in league, tied with Fountain Valley (15-8, 7-3) and Marina (16-10, 7-3) for second place. Los Alamitos (18-7, 8-2) has a one-game lead over the chase pack.
Marina 55, Huntington Beach 42: Rylee Bradley scored 30 points to lead the visiting Vikings past the Oilers on Wednesday in a Sunset League game.
Emily Hoang scored a dozen points, and Taylor Savage added 11 points for Huntington Beach (15-11, 5-6).
Pacific Hills League
Laguna Beach 53, Irvine 31
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Irvine 7 - 8 - 10 - 6 — 31
Laguna Beach 14 - 19 - 14 - 6 — 53
I — Lai 8, Mikuma 6, Renteria 5, Choy 3, Dissanayake 3, Qaasim 3, Takenoue 3.
3-pt. goals — Choy 1, Dissanayake 1.
Fouled out — None.
Technicals — None.
LB — Cheng 16, McCormick 13, Welch 9, Mendoza 6, Reider 5, Alvarado 4.
3-pt. goals — Cheng 1, Mendoza 1, Reider 1, Welch 1.
Fouled out — None.
Technicals — None.
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