CdM responds well
BASKETBALL:
Sea Kings head into Saturday�s big showdown with Santa Margarita with momentum
after blowout victory.
By David Carrillo Pe�aloza
CORONA DEL MAR � Early on in the season it seems Stefan
Kaluz is not only jostling for position down low, but for a shot without
receiving a shot to the back, arm, chest, or face.
Corona del Mar High boys� basketball coach Ryan Schachter
blames the overt physical play on his 6-foot-9 senior center�s size.
�He�s an easy target because he�s so big,� Schachter
said. �I think a lot of times they [referee] for size and they think that the
big guy can take the punishment. It�s really not fair. It is what it is. He�s
used to it. He understands what�s going to happen.�
Recognizing is the key as the Sea Kings are beginning to take advantage of
teams swarming the Brown University-bound Kaluz.
Swing the ball to the open man. That player in CdM�s
home opener against Esperanza Tuesday night was Joe Eberhard.
The 6-6 senior nailed three three-pointers in the opening quarter before
finishing with a game-high 19 points in a 54-35 blowout win.
For a home debut, Schachter said CdM
(7-3) picked a good time to put together its best defensive outing of the
season.
Next is a showdown with Santa Margarita (9-1), one of the premier programs in
�We didn�t want to go into the Santa Margarita game on a two-game losing
streak,� said Schachter, whose team rebounded after
losing to Vista Murrieta in the ninth-place game at the North Orange County
Championships last weekend. �We�re going to have our hands full Saturday. [The
Eagles] probably have the best player in
Thompson is a 6-6 senior guard headed for
Concerns of defending a player the caliber of Klay
Thompson weren�t an issue for the Sea Kings against Esperanza (7-4), which
turned the ball over 16 times. After a poor shooting night in which Esperanza
shot 32.6% from the floor, Coach Jason Pietsch
counted the number of jumpers his team made outside of 15 feet.
�One,� he said. �We can�t put the ball in the hole. You can�t win games scoring
35 points on the varsity level.
�We had no answer for [Eberhard]. We made him look
like a first-round NBA Draft [pick]. For some reason we couldn�t locate him on
the floor.�
The rest of the Sea Kings did with Esperanza hammering down on Kaluz.
Eberhard scored 11 of the team�s 17 first-quarter
points and CdM went into halftime with a 28-18 lead. Eberhard added seven rebounds and three steals. Kaluz kept pace with Eberhard,
contributing 10 of his 17 hard-earned points in the first half.
Finally in the third quarter Kaluz made a shot with
no one around. Point guard Erik Rask from the other end of the court threw Kaluz a sweet pass that Kaluz
dunked with two hands. The other time Kaluz didn�t
receive a blow from a defender when shooting was when he made a three-pointer
with less than three minutes left in the game, giving CdM
a 21-point lead.
�It�s frustrating, but there�s nothing I can do,� said Kaluz
of getting fouled practically every time he attempts a field goal. �The refs do
the best that can. They can�t see everything.�
Nonleague Corona del Mar 54, Esperanza 35
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Esperanza � Delaney 8, Pascual 8, Pettibone 8, Ortin 3, Wasinack 3, Brown 2, Birtles 2,
Levine 1.
3-pt. goals � Ortin 1.
Fouled out - None.
Technicals
- None.
3-pt. goals � Eberhard 3, Kaluz 1, Ragsdale 1.
Fouled out - None.
Technicals
- None.