AZUSA — Ramona boys basketball coach Eric Tabatabai figured his team would not be able to trade blows with Laguna Hills’ bigger lineup. Tabatabai had his players swarm the ball in an effort to speed up the game and possibly create turnovers that would lead to transition baskets. Laguna Hills was up to the challenge, however. The Hawks moved the ball with surgical precision, knocked down 14 shots from 3-point range and cruised to a 78-51 win over Ramona in the CIF Southern Section’s Division 6 championship game at Azusa Pacific’s Felix Events Center. “When we’re hitting, we’re a difficult team to beat. And tonight, we were hitting,” Laguna Hills coach Sean Sargeant said of his team’s shooting performance from behind the 3-point arc Saturday evening. “A lot of that comes from the unselfishness of our players, making those extra pass.” Ramona (27-6) was unable to keep pace with the Hawks, as the Rams shot 28.1 % from the field, 17.2 % from distance and 40 % at the line. “We had trouble making much of anything during the first half,” Tabatabai said. “And when (the deficit) got to 16 or 17, we had to extend the defense even more to try to pick up the pace. There was no way were going to be able to come back from that playing a slowed-down game.” The teams combined to misfire on 10 straight shots to start the game, and the first points did not go on the scoreboard until Myles Mittelsteadt drained a 3-pointer 2 1/2 minutes in. Ramona held only one lead in the contest, 4-3 when Cary Moore scored with 4:03 left in the first quarter. Matthew Diggs came off the bench and sank a pair of shots from behind the arc, helping Laguna Hills (18-11) carve out a 15-10 at quarter’s end. Moore scored seven of Ramona points in the opening period, but Laguna Hills’ defensive focus was on stopping point guard Garrett Pickens. The Hawks made things difficult for Pickens throughout the contest and held Ramona’s leading scorer (22.3 PPG) to just nine points on 4-of-23 shooting. “Knowing your personnel is our biggest thing,” Sargeant said. “… Knowing his tendencies, like what hand he likes to go with or when he like to pull up, was big tonight.” Fletcher Freeman hit a pair of 3-pointers in the second quarter as Laguna Hills extended its advantage to 31-17 with 1:24 to halftime. Ramona did get some momentum going to the locker room, as Joseph Gutierrez sank a 3-pointer to beat the buzzer and cut the deficit to nine. The Rams stayed in fighting range for much of the third period, but Laguna Hills closed that frame with a 14-4 to push the advantage to 54-34. Laguna Hills’ heat level reached scorching in the fourth quarter, The Hawks started the frame by draining 7 of 8 shots, including 5 of 6 from distance. Diggs’ fourth 3-pointer of the evening game Laguna Hills a game-high 31-point lead (73-42) with 3:12 left on the clock. Freeman scored 21 points to lead the way for Laguna Hills. Jackson Burnham tallied 18 points, 17 rebounds and eight assists, and Mittelsteadt also had a double-double for the Hawks with 14 points and 16 rebounds. Moore was a standout for Ramona with 13 points and 15 rebounds. CJ Margain added 10 rebounds, and Pickens dished out six assists. Tabatabai has guided Ramona to a final appearance in each of his two seasons at the helm, but two title-game losses leaves a sour feeling. “It hurts, and there’s no why this is not going to stick in their heads for a while,” Tabatabai said. “We have to get over it and get ready for state.” The CIF State tournament begins Tuesday, with the division pairings being released Sunday afternon. Related Articles Ontario Christian girls basketball stumbles against Sierra Canyon in Open Division title game Murrieta Mesa boys basketball team takes down Aliso Niguel in Division 3 final Fontana boys soccer team falters against Santa Monica in Division 1 title match Roosevelt girls soccer team holds off Newport Harbor to win Division 1 title Rialto routs Salesian for CIF-SS Division 7 boys basketball title ...read more read less