Boys’ Basketball: CdM moves into semis
Strange is how Darryl Hilliard described how he felt inside Corona del Mar High’s gym. He spent four seasons as an assistant boys’ basketball coach with the Sea Kings, before moving on to Brea Olinda last season.
Hilliard couldn’t pass up the chance to become a head coach in Orange County.
Hilliard was back at CdM on Wednesday because his team played the Sea Kings in the quarterfinals of the Beach Bash. The tournament is in its third year, and if it were up to Hilliard, he would rather not face his old team, which is coached by his close friend Ryan Schachter.
Before the opening tip, Hilliard hugged parents of former players he coached at CdM. When it was time to compete, the Sea Kings smothered Hilliard’s players. The Wildcats couldn’t handle CdM’s pressure, as the Sea Kings easily won, 66-35, to advance to the semifinals.
“I didn’t want to play him, and he didn’t want to play me,” Schachter said. “You don’t want to play your good friend.”
The friends couldn’t avoid the matchup featuring two CIF Southern Section Division 3AA playoff teams from last season. Hilliard, in his first season at Brea Olinda, led the program to the section finals, where Schachter’s team exited in the second round.
The Sea Kings (2-0) appear as if they have the talent and depth now to make a deeper run in the postseason. A dozen players recorded at least two points for CdM. The team’s top two players against Brea Olinda were Sam Kobrine and Kevin Fults, who finished with 15 and 12 points, respectively.
On the defensive end is where CdM got it done.
In the opening quarter, the Sea Kings’ pressure defense created havoc, forcing 10 turnovers. Fifty-three seconds into the quarter, Brea Olinda committed its fourth turnover, and it came when the Wildcats couldn’t inbound the ball within 5 seconds.
They also couldn’t get a shot off until the 6:48 mark in the first quarter.
By the time the first quarter ended, CdM led, 21-6. Kobrine led the Sea Kings with eight points and two three-pointers in the first eight minutes, a stretch in which six of his teammates had at least two points.
The final 13 points in the first quarter belonged to the Sea Kings. They continued their run in the second quarter, producing the first six points. Fults delivered the nicest two points on a reverse layup. The senior helped CdM go into halftime with a 35-9 lead.
The Sea Kings made 13 of 25 shots in the first half, compared to Brea Olinda’s dismal three-of-16 shooting performance. The Wildcats picked up their play in the third quarter with the help of Collin Greenwood, who finished with 11 points.
Greenwood opened the second half by scoring seven consecutive points. The senior showed his versatility, stealing the ball and taking it in for a layup. Then Greenwood knocked down a three, and converted two free throws.
Brea Olinda cut the deficit to 17 points midway through the third quarter, but CdM closed it out on an 8-0 spurt. Half of those points came from Tae Le, a talented freshman who finished with five points.
The Sea Kings’ length with 6-foot-7 Ryan Moss and 6-4 Matt Ctvrtlik created problems for Brea Olinda (1-2) all evening. They will need both to play big in the semifinals on Friday at 8:30 p.m., when CdM goes up against Mater Dei, one of the top programs in the country. The Monarchs feature Michael Cage Jr., a 6-10 center who went to CdM Middle School.
Cage, a junior, looks to help Mater Dei Coach Gary McKnight make history on Friday. McKnight is one win away from becoming the first high school boys’ basketball coach in California to reach 1,000 wins.
“We’d love to [spoil McKnight’s night],” Schachter said. “Our guys are up for the challenge.”
The Sea Kings definitely were in beating a former coach on Wednesday.
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CdM Beach Bash
Quarterfinals
Corona del Mar 66, Brea Olinda 35
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Brea Olinda 6 – 3 – 13 – 13 — 35
CdM 21 – 14 – 12 – 19 — 66
Brea Olinda – Greenwood 11, Privatsky 5, Wagner 4, Marsh 4, Castro 3, Del Rio 2, Deleon 2, Muehlhoff 2, Wasson 1, Kang 1.
3-pt. goals – Greenwood 1.
Fouled out – None.
Technicals – None.
CdM – Kobrine 15, Fults 12, Moss 7, Kleinman 6, Le 5, Holt 5, Stone 4, Ctvrtlik 4, St. Geme 2, Ridge 2, Schwartz 2, Borquez 2.
3-pt. goals – Kobrine 3, Holt 1.
Fouled out – None.
Technicals – None.