Corona del Mar Pulls Away From Marina in Sunset League Opener (2025)

Newport Beach – The Corona del Mar boys basketball team used a strong second half to beat Marina 69-54 on Friday at Corona del Mar High School in the Sea Kings’ Sunset League opener.

The first quarter was a contested one as neither team could establish a lead any bigger than three. With the Vikings leading 15-14, the Sea Kings scored two straight lay-ups that came in transition to lead 18-15.

After trailing by five early in the second quarter, Marina responded with three straight three pointers to go up 24-20. Despite the Sea Kings tying it at 28-28, the Vikings responded with a 7-0 run to lead 35-28.

A key point in the second quarter was Corona del Mar holding Marina scoreless in the final minutes after the run. During that span, the Sea Kings rattled off the last four points, including a lay-up from Jackson Harland, making the score 35-32.

Corona del Mar retook the lead at 36-35 after an uncontested lay-up from Luke Mirhashemi and turned it into an 11-0 run to force a time out from Marina. The run ballooned into a 13 point lead until Mark Yeager’s jump shot ended the run.

That basket from the Vikings halted the five minute drought of having not scored that spanned from the second quarter. The Sea Kings held their opponent to only seven points in the quarter.

Each time Marina got the deficit down to single digits, Corona del Mar had an answer for it to push the lead back to double digits. The Vikings got no closer than nine, as the Sea Kings earned their first win at home.

In addition to starting Sunset League 1-0, Corona del Mar improved to 12-1 overall as it  continues its stellar start. The Sea Kings also bounced back from their 46-44 loss to Oaks Christian, as they appear to be destined for a deep playoff run like last season.