Tony Altobelli
LAGUNA BEACH - It took just over three quarters for Laguna Beach
High's two-man offensive volcano to erupt and when it did, Estancia's
boys basketball team had no place to hide.
The result was a 65-55 Pacific Coast League loss for the visiting Eagles
Wednesday night.
Six-foot-six guard Travis Hanour and 6-foot-10 center Chris Manker
combined for 57 of the Artists' 65 points, with most of their damage
coming late.
Hanour had 29 points, eight rebounds and five assists, while Manker added
28 points and 10 rebounds.
The difference in the game came in the fourth quarter, where the Artists
(5-17, 2-4 in league) outscored the Eagles, 22-8.
"For three quarters, we played outstanding," Eagles Coach Rich Boyce
said. "In the fourth, we basically fell apart. All the things we did well
to get the lead, we didn't do in the fourth."
Jason Simco led the Eagles (14-10, 2-4) with 20 points, while Jon
Cantrell added 19, including five three-pointers.
The ball was bouncing the Eagles' way early as Travis Chandler started
the game hot, hitting his first three shots, before Cantrell and Simco
each added five points.
Hanour started the game only 2 for 7 as the Eagles held a two-point lead
after the first eight minutes.
With the constant screams of, "FIND HANOUR...WHERE IS HE?" coming from
Boyce, Simco and the rest of the Eagles managed to keep his highlight
reel stalled.
"We really wanted to keep the ball from Travis as best we could," Boyce
said. "We felt that if we could keep the ball down low, we stood a better
chance."
Estancia's lead grew to eight as Cantrell started to get hot. Hanour
helped cut the lead down to four before a Cantrell 28-footer at the
buzzer gave Estancia a 32-25 lead.
"We ran our offense very well," Boyce said. "We found the open man and we
were patient."
The Eagles duo of Cantrell and Simco actually outscored Hanour and
Manker, 23-20, in the first half.
"Our defensive rotation was strong early," Boyce said. "Our guys really
battled out there and we took it to them."
Estancia had its biggest lead of the game, 41-31, with just under four
minutes remaining in the third quarter, when the Hanour went to work.
He scored 10 of his team's final 12 third-quarter points, helping the
Artists trim the lead to 47-43.
That's when Manker's game elevated, so to speak. He scored the Artists'
first 10 points and tied the game at 51-51 with a thunderous dunk.
"We made some defensive mistakes in the fourth," Boyce said. "That was
partially due to our foul trouble."
