Mustangs fall, 62-50

Joseph Boo

LAKEWOOD - The Costa Mesa High girls basketball team got off to a

quick start, but Culver City turned up the pressure and won, 62-50, in

the quarterfinals of the Mayfair-Bellflower Tournament Thursday at

Mayfair High.

The Mustangs (1-1) will play Mira Costa tonight at 6 in the fifth-place

semifinals at Mayfair.

Costa Mesa senior Autumn Smith scored the first six points of the game

and had 10 in the first quarter, while Culver City (2-0) failed to make a

shot for the first 2:31.

But Culver City started turning every rebound into fast breaks and easy

layups and took a 16-15 lead after one quarter.

Culver City slowly extended the lead throughout the game. The Centaurs

outrebounded the Mustangs, 40-29, and forced 25 turnovers, thus getting

more shots. Culver City’s lead was 31-24 at halftime.

In the second half, Jenny Earnest scored the first nine points for Costa

Mesa, to single-handedly keep the Mustangs from slipping too far behind.

But the Centaurs’ relentless pressure helped them protect the lead.

Earnest led Costa Mesa with 19 points and also had five rebounds and two

blocked shots. Smith, plagued by foul trouble, finished with 15 points

and 10 rebounds.

Nancy Hatsushi had six points, making two of her five three-pointers and

Christine Caron had seven rebounds for the Mustangs.

HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS

Mayfair-Bellflower Tournament

Quarterfinal

Culver City 62, Costa Mesa 50

Score by Quarters

Costa Mesa 15 9 13 13 - 50

Culver City 16 15 19 12 - 62

Costa Mesa - Earnest 19, Smith 15, Hatsushi 7, Caron 3, Trejo 3, Le 3,

Marshall 0, Muniz 0, Cooper 0.

3-pt. goals - Hatsushi 2, Trejo 1.

Fouled out - Smith.

Technicals - None.

Culver City - Thomas 21, Kennedy 19, Porter 10, Sargent 7, Yvonne 3,

Lewis 2.

3-pt. goals - Thomas 2.

Fouled out - Porter.

Technicals - None.