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Boys’ Basketball: CdM takes out Ocean View

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HUNTINGTON BEACH — The last time Corona del Mar High met Ocean View in a boys’ basketball game was at an early tournament two seasons ago. Later on that season, each program reached the semifinals in their respective CIF Southern Section playoff divisions.

They haven’t been back to that stage since. On Friday, the two schools squared off for the right to have a chance to advance to the Division 3A semifinals.

The No. 2-seeded Sea Kings found ways to move on to the quarterfinals after they won a hard-fought contest at No. 15 Ocean View, 65-58. The second round is where CdM collapsed last postseason, and Ryan Stone, Matt Ctvrtlik and Bo St. Geme made sure the Sea Kings continued past the second round this season.

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Throughout the night, last season’s second-round upset at home to Palm Desert was on the back of Stone’s mind.

“I was on that team last year,” Stone said. “I didn’t want to see it happen again.”

Stone went out and punched the Sea Kings’ seventh quarterfinal appearance in Coach Ryan Schachter’s nine seasons at CdM. In the fourth quarter, with the game on the line, the senior guard was a perfect two for two from the field and three for three from free-throw line, and he came up with a big block late, ensuring the Sea Kings (22-6) get to play at No. 7 La Canada (22-6) on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

Stone recorded eight of his 13 points in the final eight minutes. He had two three-point plays in the fourth, his second one with 2 1/2 minutes left put CdM up for good at 57-54. St. Geme, the team’s senior point guard penetrated the paint, before dishing the ball out to a wide-open Stone on the left and Stone knocked it down.

St. Geme, who finished with 15 points, kept finding the right guy in the fourth quarter. He assisted on two baskets before Stone’s huge three, hitting Ctvrtlik and Sam Kobrine for layups, each gave CdM a one-point or two-point lead.

With St. Geme in foul trouble all evening, CdM used Stone on Ocean View’s quick point guard, Zamir Kelly. The junior drove to the right and tied the game at 54-54 with 3 1/2 minutes to go.

A minute later, Stone broke the tie with his three, and with 2:12 remaining. Kelly, who had 14 points, was called for a traveling violation. The Sea Kings were unable to capitalize on the turnover, but Stone stopped Kelly from cutting into CdM’s three-point lead. Kelly drove to the basket, only to have Stone swat his shot.

On the ensuing possession, Stone attacked the basket and Zarek Osborne fouled him in the act of shooting. Osborne, who played well in the first quarter, scoring eight of his 10 points, fouled out. Stone converted both free throws, pushing the lead to 59-54 with 1:25 to play.

Ocean View (17-11) had chances to inch closer, but Ctvrtlik grabbed a defensive rebound, his 13th overall. Afterward, Kelly tried to bait him into a technical foul after Ctvrtlik was fouled. They both wound up with technicals at the 70-second mark. Ctvrtlik hit one of two free throws, and he added two more 31 seconds later, giving him a team-high 17 points.

The Sea Kings converted from the charity stripe in the fourth, going nine for 11. Ctvrtlik and St. Geme were both three of four.

Ctvrtlik, a 6-foot-4 junior, produced off the bench, and he had to with center Ryan Moss picking up two fouls in the first quarter. After missing his first seven shots, Ctvrtlik got in a rhythm in the second quarter, registering 10 points. He drained back-to-back threes, tipped in a shot, and then his layup put CdM up, 32-29, before the first half expired.

The Sea Kings closed out the first half on an 18-8 run. The second quarter was pivotal for CdM, which trailed by as many as seven in the quarter and struggled keeping Christian Anderson, who finished with 20 points, 12 rebounds and five steals, off the boards. Austin Ridge came off the bench and helped bring CdM back, contributing all seven of his points in the second quarter.

“It’s huge to have guys that come off the bench and bring energy, and we don’t have a drop off at all,” said Schachter, whose bench outscored Ocean View’s 24-1. “Sometimes they come in and they play better than the starters.”

The Sea Kings’ depth proved to be the difference. They hope it can carry them past La Canada and into their first semifinal game since the 2012-13 season.

“They got a lot of shooters,” Schachter said of the Spartans, who advanced to the quarterfinals with a 52-45 win at San Bernardino. “They have more shooters than [Ocean View]. They don’t [really] have any post guys. They shoot threes. Against South El Monte [in the Spartans’ 69-33 win the first round], they went nine for nine in the first quarter from threes. I’ve never seen anything like that. They banked one in at the buzzer to go nine for nine in the first quarter.

“I’m sure it’s going to be rocking [at La Canada]. I watched the film last game. They had a good student section. It helps when you go nine for nine from threes [at the start].”

CIF Southern Section Division 3A playoffs

Second round

Corona del Mar 65, Ocean View 58

SCORE BY QUARTERS

CdM 11 – 21 – 13 – 20 — 65

Ocean View 16 – 13 – 14 – 15 — 58

CdM – Ctvrtlik 17, St. Geme 15, Stone 13, Kobrine 8, Ridge 7, Moss 4, Fults 1.

3-pt. goals – Ctvrtlik 2, Ridge 1, Stone 1.

Fouled out – None.

Technicals – Ctvrtlik.

OV – Anderson 20, Kelly 14, Osborne 10, Head 8, Betti 5, Reynolds 1.

3-pt. goals – Head 2, Osborne 1, Kelly 1, Betti 1.

Fouled out – Osborne.

Technicals – Kelly.

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