Girls basketball: Eagles feel McCoy’s pain

Barry Faulkner

COSTA MESA - As the biggest game of her final prep campaign tipped

off Thursday night, Corona del Mar High senior Kristin McCoy chose to

rehabilitate her team’s season, rather than her ailing left ankle.

So, last year’s Newport-Mesa District Player of the Year, who had not

played or practiced since spraining her ankle Jan. 25 against Laguna

Beach, didn’t wait long to let Coach Elbert Davis know she was good to go

against Pacific Coast League host Estancia.

“I didn’t start her, but I told her to let me know when she was ready

to go in,” Davis said. “As they were throwing up the jump ball, being the

warrior that she is, she said ‘I’m ready.’

Inserted 2:19 into the contest, McCoy went on to lead the Sea Kings to

a 47-46 victory that drew the defending PCL champions (12-12, 6-2 in

league) into a three-way tie for first with two games to play.

Estancia (14-9, 6-2), faced with deficits of 16-0 and 42-24, rallied

for a 46-44 lead, when freshman Trisha Wase converted a three-point play

after racing the length of the court with a steal with 3:22 left.

CdM, however, answered on its next possession, as McCoy recovered a

low inbound pass and banked in a layup, while being fouled with 3:04

remaining. McCoy sank the foul shot, then made the one-point lead stand

up. She made two steals down the stretch, as Estancia missed its only two

shot attempts to disappoint the home crowd.

“It was beautiful basketball by both teams,” said a pumped-up Davis,

who, lamenting what he called the team’s worst practice of the season

Wednesday, entered the game at the other end of the emotional spectrum.

“This is why I coach,” Davis continued. “To battle like this against a

great team and a great coach in a game that had that kind of intensity

and passion ... that’s what makes it fun.”

CdM had all the fun early, as Estancia missed its first six field-goal

attempts and committed seven turnovers, while the Sea Kings consistently

clicked.

“They were on fire,” Estancia Coach Paul Kirby said of the visitors,

who got scoring contributions from five players, before Estancia’s Lisa

Hirata ended the shutout with a three-pointer with 1:25 left in the first

quarter.

Hirata, whose unrelenting effort helped fuel her team’s comeback,

finished with a career-high 19 points, including four three-pointers.

With Xochitl Byfield, Wase and Hirata keying full-court defensive

pressure the entire second half, the Eagles chipped away after Courtney

Kawata’s three-pointer gave CdM its biggest lead (42-24) with just more

than 11 minutes left.

Estancia scored the final 10 points of the third quarter, then

extended the run with a Wase layin to open the fourth.

After McCoy hit a 15-foot jumper, consecutive three-pointers by Hirata

and Wase pulled the hosts within 44-42 with 4:50 left.

Sophomore Tisha Gray (nine points and a team-high eight rebounds)

netted a free throw to halve the deficit, before Wase’s three-point play

put the Eagles on the mountain top.

But McCoy knocked the Estancia form the summit 18 seconds,

considerably clouding the PCL title picture in the process.

CdM, Estancia and University (all 6-2), as well as 5-3 Costa Mesa,

enter the final week with realistic title dreams.

“It was this game or never,” McCoy said. “If I didn’t play tonight, I

may as well have been out for the rest of the season.”

Jackie McCoy (six points, seven boards and six assists) and Andrea

Gruber (six points, seven assists and four steals), were also catalysts

for the winners.

Estancia standout Zuyin Barrera sat out due to illness.

PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE

Corona del Mar 47, Estancia 46

Score by Quarters

Corona del Mar 18 11 13 5 - 47

Estancia 6 11 17 12 - 46

Corona del Mar - K. McCoy, 17, Kawata 10, J. McCoy 6, Gruber 6,

Hawkins 4, Snell 4, Pham 0, Klien 0, Marks 0.

3-pt. goals - Kawata 2, Gruber 2.

Fouled out - Hawkins.

Technicals - none.

Estancia - Hirata 19, Wase 10, Gray 9, Byfield 6, Matsufuji 2, Vasquez

0, Cachola 0.

3-pt. goals - Hirata 4, Wase 1.

Fouled out - none.

Technicals - none.