Mira Costa girls' basketball coach has no hang-ups about great season

Some calls are tough to make.

I didn’t want to bug Don Braunecker with a pesky phone call, asking for a day-after reaction to the Division II girls’ basketball state title game, which his Mira Costa squad dropped last night in overtime.

I gave him a ring. He didn’t hang up. “It’s tough to lose,” Braunecker said. “It’ll take a few days to get over but I’ll take getting to the finals and losing than not getting there at all.”

After the loss, Braunecker and the Mustangs kept it simple. “We didn’t need to talk after the game,” he said. “I just gave every kid a hug.”

Well, congrats on a great season, Coach, and thanks for taking my calls.

-- Anthony Stitt

-- Image from www.elanso.com

Boys' volleyball: Sea Kings rule Newport Beach... at least for now

Call it the ultimate grudge match. Whenever Corona del Mar plays Newport Harbor, no matter what the sport, a playoff intensity exists.

They aren't in the same league. They aren't even in the same CIF division. They are, however, powerhouse programs sharing the same city (the campuses are 3 1/2 miles away from each other in Newport Beach) and that proximity makes their rivalry the high school equivalent of USC vs. UCLA.

"It goes in cycles. They had their way with us for about four years, but more recently we've turned the tables," Corona del Mar Coach Steve Conti said. "We always play them the Friday after our last league match. The kids grew up playing with or against each other, so bragging rights are at stake."

McClymonds sends its coach off with a 73-54 victory

I usually like to see the Southern California teams win when I'm here at the state championships, but it was nice to see Oakland McClymonds Coach Dwight Nathaniel go out with a victory.

Nathaniel, who is retiring from coaching after the boys' Division I state final, watched his team thoroughly frustrate Dominguez at Arco Arena in Sacramento, allowing him to walk off into the sunset with a 73-54 victory.

Nathaniel has experienced some recent tragedies in his life that would bring any grown man to his knees. He stuck around though, mainly to see his best player, Frank Otis, graduate and move on to the next phase of his life.

Bad start for Dominguez in fourth quarter of Division I state final

The last thing Dominguez wanted in the boys' Division I state final was to give up a run to Oakland McClymonds to start the fourth quarter, but that's exactly what happened.

The Warriors scored the first eight points of the final quarter to extend their lead to 57-43. The good thing is, Jordan Hamilton finally scored in the second half, hitting two free throws with 5:48 remaining to cut the Dons' deficit to 12 points.

-- Dan Arritt

Dominguez has some work to do in fourth quarter

It's a six-point lead for Oakland McClymonds heading into the fourth quarter of the boys' Division I state final against Dominguez at Arco Arena in Sacramento.

The answer for the Dons is simple: They need to get Jordan Hamilton untracked. He went scoreless in the third quarter and is still launching NBA three-point attempts.

Dominguez missed two easy layups on consecutive possessions midway through the third quarter, and Frank Otis made the Dons pay on the second, scoring on a fast-break layup to push McClymonds' lead back to 10 points.

The attendance for the 10-game event was announced as 16,545.

--Dan Arritt

Dominguez falls further behind early in second half

Bad start for Dominguez in the opening two minutes of the second half in the boys' Division I state championship game against Oakland McClymonds at Arco Arena in Sacramento.

Jordan Hamilton missed a three-pointer right off the bat and the Dons committed turnovers on their next two possessions. McClymonds made one of two free throws on its first two possessions and Damon Powell followed with a fadeaway jumper and a slam dunk off an offensive rebound, giving the Warriors their biggest lead, 43-33.

-- Dan Arritt

-- Image from sportsunderground.com

Dominguez falls behind at halftime

Make no mistake about it, Dominguez had better pick up its defensive intensity in the second half or the Dons are going to head back to Compton without a state Division I trophy.

McClymonds entered the locker room at halftime with a 35-31 lead. The big surprise of the first half was McClymonds' ability to push the ball and score in the transition game. Its guards, William Cherry and Damario Sims, are outplaying the Dominguez guards, and senior Bryce Cartwright is stuck on the bench with three fouls.

Jordan Hamilton has 13 points for Dominguez, but he needs to stop settling for three-point attempts and start working for closer shots.

Look for Coach Russell Otis to inform his team that its defensive lapses must stop.

-- Eric Sondheimer

Dominguez's Hamilton thinks he's an NBA shooter

Jordan Hamilton of Dominguez must like the NBA three-point range of 23 feet 9 inches because he keeps throwing up threes from that range at Arco Arena -- and they're falling in the state Division I final. He has three threes, and Dominguez has a 29-25 lead over McClymonds with 3:16 left in the second quarter.

Klay Thompson of Santa Margarita set a state championship record with seven threes in the Division III final, so maybe Hamilton has his mind set on topping that performance.

-- Eric Sondheimer

-- Image from www.3s.com

McClymonds is giving Dominguez all it can handle

The state Division I boys' final is looking very competitive, with Dominguez and Oakland McClymonds tied at 18-18 after the first quarter.

This is a much better McClymonds team than the one that shot 22% last season in losing to Fairfax, 54-29, at Arco Arena. Junior Damon Powell has a couple of dunks, and McClymonds' guards have been effective with drives to the basket.

But Coach Russell Otis (pictured from earlier game) has started to yell, and the Dons are responding after being down, 18-13. Sophomore Keala King made a three-pointer and Jordan Hamilton scored on a bank shot to start a 5-0 run.

-- Eric Sondheimer

-- Image from Los Angeles Times archives

Long Beach Poly girls' swim team does its best too

Hate to interrupt all this March Madness with a swimming update of all things.

Yes, I said swimming.

From the pool, the number is 14 -- that's how many best times were recorded by the Long Beach Poly girls' team yesterday in a 98-72 win over Long Beach Millikan.