Girls basketball: Eagles win by the skin of their teeth

Joseph Boo

NEWPORT BEACH - On Saturday, Newport Harbor High’s girls basketball

team almost caught Costa Mesa sleeping before losing, 37-23.

On Tuesday, against visiting Estancia, the Sailors were on the cusp of an

epic upset. But Estancia woke up just in time to salvage a 42-38 comeback

win.

“They came out playing hard,” Estancia Coach Paul Kirby said. “They

outplayed us in every aspect of the game. They outhustled us, they

outrebounded us, they outshot us.”

Newport (4-22) came out fired up in it last home game of the year, taking

an early 8-3 lead in the first quarter. Estancia (15-9), which opened

with three starters on the bench, took a 13-10 lead 30 seconds into the

second quarter.

To the shock of everyone in attendance, that was the last time Estancia

led until the very end. The Sailors got turnovers and took advantage.

Newport’s Athena Vasquez turned two steals into easy assists. Lindsay

Moore and Nicole Ashton, who led Newport with 10 points, combined for

three steals.

“Tonight we played a great game,” Newport Harbor Coach Gregg Savage said.

“We executed very well, and we took good shots.”

Estancia, which didn’t start its primary offensive weapon, Lauren

Cassity, braced itself for a massive surge that would wipe Newport away.

Except that Newport actually extended its 18-16 halftime lead, and led

35-30 with four minutes left in the game.

That’s when Estancia’s Erika Avalos and Cassity took over. Avalos, who

had a game-high 16 points got two consecutive layups on a motion play.

Cassity, scoreless in the first half, stole the ball and took it herself

for a layup to give her team a 38-37 lead with 1:28 left. She finished

with 10 points.

This is one of those losses where Newport can only wonder, what if? The

Sailors hit 5 of 18 free throws. Even more agonizing, six Newport shots

went in and out in the first half.

“We missed way too many shots,” Savage said. “If a few of those went in,

it would be a completely different ball game.”

Instead, those few misses saved Estancia an embarrassing loss.

“My hat goes off to them,” Kirby said. “They outplayed us in every way,

except we got the win somehow.”