Girls basketball: Mustangs handle Eagles, 47-36

Barry Faulkner

COSTA MESA - Hard work, a good game plan, and the courage to eat

leather were all things the Estancia High girls basketball team possessed

in its Pacific Coast League opener Thursday against visiting Costa Mesa.

But it was the Mustangs (11-5) who had more offensive weapons, which

helped them secure a 47-36 triumph. The victory extended Mesa’s winning

streak to five in the cross-town rivalry which annually awards the series

winner the perpetual Lady Bell trophy.

The Mustangs have won eight of the last nine against the Eagles, who

appeared ready to break the slump with an intense opening.

“Estancia is the hardest working team in this county,” Mesa Coach Jim

Weeks said. “Nobody plays as hard against us as they do.”

Estancia’s determination produced leads of 6-0 and 8-3, as Eagle

attackers drove the lane and tempted fate by putting up shots in the lair

of 6-foot Mesa senior center Autumn Smith.

Smith, who blocked 15 Estancia shots in the league opener last season,

finished with seven blocks. But she also got in foul trouble and scored

only four points, 10 fewer than her season average.

“We wanted to get (Smith) into foul trouble,” said Estancia Coach Paul

Kirby. “She only scored four, but I doubt that will happen next time.”

Containing the Mustangs’ leading scorer, however, couldn’t help the

Eagles (7-6) overcome guards Jenny Earnest, Nancy Hatsushi and Leigh

Marshall, who combined to match the Eagles’ 36 points.

Earnest led the winners with 16, 12 of which came during a span of 8:32

during the second and third periods.

Marshall hit both of her three-pointers in the second quarter, when the

visitors extended a one-point first-quarter lead to 11 by halftime.

Hatsushi finished with 10 points and added seven assists and six

rebounds.

“We have more tools,” Weeks said. “We don’t focus, necessarily, on Autumn

inside. We like to take what teams give us. Tonight, they were giving us

some pretty good shots and we were hitting them.”

Mesa hit 6 of 10 field-goal attempts in the second quarter, then

continued to knock down mid-range jumpers to keep the Eagles at bay.

“We wanted other people to beat us and they did,” Kirby said.

Meanwhile, Mesa’s defensive intensity improved.

“We got out of our offense and started forcing up shots,” Kirby said.

But though Earnest, Christine Caron, Maria Lazos and Laura Muniz each got

a share of the Mustangs’ 11 blocked shots, Estancia kept attacking

inside.

The Eagles got 10 of their first 11 field goals from inside 10 feet,

including eight layups. They also missed their share of short ones,

however, many of which were altered by Mesa defenders.

Estancia drilled a trio of fourth-quarter three-pointers, including two

by Becky Lenhart, but finished 15 of 56 from the field (26.8%).

Lauren Cassity, a 5-8 senior, had 11 points, nine rebounds and seven

steals for the Eagles. Erika Avalos, a 5-10 Estancia sophomore had a

game-high 12 rebounds, while 5-8 freshman teammate Xochitl Byfield added

11. Avalos and Byfield combined for 10 points, while Lenhart and Tory

Matsufuji combined for 11 points off the bench.

HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS

Pacific Coast League

Costa Mesa 47, Estancia 36

Score by Quarters

Costa Mesa 9 16 9 13 - 47

Estancia 8 6 11 11 - 36

Costa Mesa - Earnest 16, Hatsushi 10, Marshall 10, Smith 4, Trejo 3,

Caron 2, Muniz 2, Hitt 0, Lazos 0, Le 0, Cooper 0.

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

Fouled out - None.

Technicals - None.

Estancia - Cassity 11, Avalos 6, Lenhart 6, Matsufuji 5, Byfield 4,

Hirata 2, Orellana 2, Ollila 0, Rodriguez 0, Villa 0.

3-pt. goals - Lenhart 2, Matsufuji 1.

Fouled out - None.

Technicals - None.