Boys basketball: Mesa wins ugly, 61-42

Tony Altobelli

COSTA MESA - In a game played rather ugly, Shaun Ferryman came out

smelling like a rose.

Ferryman scored a career-high 21 points to lead Costa Mesa High’s boys

basketball team to a 61-42 win over visiting Garden Grove Monday night in

a nonleague tuneup for Friday’s Pacific Coast League opener with rival

Estancia.

“Shaun really worked hard for us,” Coach Bob Serven said. “He was all

over the court, trying to make things happen.”

Serven was less than chipper, however, describing the rest of the

Mustangs’ performance.

“Ugly, ugly, ugly,” he said. “It’s not the most perfect situation

playing a game the day we come back from the holiday break, but that’s

how it goes. I guess an ugly win is better than an ugly loss.”

Senior Ryan Naff score 14 points for the Mustangs (13-4), while Nate

Jones added 12.

“Our rebounding and overall shot selection is something we really need

to work on going into league,” Serven said. “We’re in a real strong

league that is coached real well all the way around. It’s the little

things that are going to be crucial for us to win.”

The Mustangs took control of the game early, using a 16-3 run midway

through the first quarter to jump out to a 20-10 lead.

Naff scored 10 of his 14 points in that opening quarter.

Garden Grove’s lone offensive weapon, Greg Benoit scored 11

first-quarter points and led the Argonauts (2-10) with 24 points on

11-of-15 shooting for the game.

From there, the Mustangs’ defense clamped down and allowed only two

points for the first seven minutes of the second quarter, expanding the

lead to 19.

“We did a good job of forcing them to run the shot clock down and we

nearly had a bunch of 24-second and 10-second violations,” Serven said.

“We just have to finish stronger to get those calls.”

Neither team could produce a lot of offense in the third quarter as

the turnovers mounted for both sides. After three quarters, Mesa led by

14.

Garden Grove outscored the Mustangs, 11-6, to cut the lead to nine

with 2:30 remaining in the game. Benoit had six of the Argos’ 11

fourth-quarter points.

But from there, Mesa regrouped and scored the last 10 points, with

Ferryman collecting eight of those points.

Next up for the Mustangs is game one of the “Bell Series” with

Estancia Friday night at 7 in Mesa’s gym.

“Overall, I’m pretty happy with the way we’re playing,” Serven said.

“We’re 13-4, so I can’t complain. We just have to get back to the level

we were playing before the break and with Estancia coming here on Friday,

we need to get back to it fast.”