Corona del Mar Holds Off Cypress in a Tight One (74-71)

Three players in double figures wasn’t enough to put Cypress away early, but Corona del Mar found a way. The Sea Kings survived a third-quarter surge from the Centurions and closed it out down the stretch, winning 74-71 in a game that was closer than anyone probably wanted.

The Sea Kings set the tone early. Maxwell Scott — who led all scorers with 17 points — was active right away, and Luke Mirhashemi ran the offense efficiently, finishing with 8 assists to go with 13 points. Corona del Mar led 15-11 after the first quarter and pushed the advantage to 38-32 at halftime. Oliver Nakra was sharp from deep in the first half, knocking down three-pointers on his way to 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting. Aiden Cole was doing his work inside — 6-of-8 from the field, 8 rebounds, and 14 points by night’s end.

The third quarter was the story. Cypress outscored the Sea Kings 19-15, cutting into the lead and making it a one-possession game heading into the fourth. But Corona del Mar responded. Nolan Scott chipped in 11 points and knocked down a three-pointer when it mattered, and Mirhashemi kept the offense moving with timely assists. The Sea Kings outscored Cypress 21-17 in the fourth to seal it. Caden Sanchez and Ryan Mansouri didn’t put up big numbers, but both contributed in minutes that helped manage the stretch run.

It wasn’t clean — 10 total turnovers for the Sea Kings kept Cypress in it longer than necessary — but the execution when it counted most got the job done. This one goes in the win column, and for a Corona del Mar squad still building its résumé, a road victory over a competitive Cypress team is exactly the kind of result that holds up come league time.

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