Girls basketball: Eagles have seniority

Barry Faulkner

RIVERSIDE - Though the final score is not negotiable, Estancia High

girls basketball coach Paul Kirby is hoping for a senior discount when

his Eagles visit Martin Luther King in the first round of the CIF

Southern Section Division III-AA playoffs tonight at 7:30.

The Eagles (15-10) will have six seniors in uniform, while the Wolves

(17-8), competing in their first varsity season, have none.

“It’s so funny,” said King Coach Ann Dena Sjoerdsma, who coached

formerly at Cerritos High. “Mentally, all our freshmen and sophomores,

think this is the longest season ever.”

Estancia, which drew the road date after losing a coin flip with

fellow PCL runner-up Corona del Mar, is hoping to extend its season.

Not only would the Eagles like to prolong the final campaign of its

aforementioned seniors, but they would also like to broaden the

experience gained by their nucleus of young standouts.

Estancia’s leading scorer is sophomore forward Xochitl Byfield (10.6

points per game) and freshman guard Trisha Wase (8.9 ppg) figures to be a

leading figure in the program for years to come.

Estancia will be without talented sophomore Tisha Gray, who like

senior Jessica Orellana, will miss the playoffs in order to concentrate

on academics. Gray and Orellana, averaging 6.0 and 2.8 points,

respectively, alternated at one frontcourt starting spot.

Estancia’s seniors are paced by guard Lisa Hirata, a four-year varsity

veteran, as well as Zuyin Barrera.

Barerra averages 10 points per game and is the team’s leading

three-point shooting threat. She was ill during the latter half of the

league season (scoring just 22 points the last six games, two of which

she missed). But, Kirby believes, she is close to 100% and will be counted upon to step up.

Hirata averages 6.4 points, but her defensive intensity and

competitiveness are intangibles Kirby has appreciated all season.

King, the Sunkist League runner-up, is paced by 6-foot sophomore

Markisha Lee, who averaged 16.8 points and 11.2 rebounds in the regular

season.

Charise Crumbley (10 ppg) is another standout for the Wolves, who won

their final six regular-season games.

“We had some injuries during the first round of league, which forced

us to slump,” Sjoerdsma said. The Wolves averaged just 37.7 points their

first four league games, including losses to Norte Vista and Kaiser, but

averaged 54.4 points in its regular-season-ending winning streak.

Estancia, which lost two of its final three regular-season games, has

won first-round games the last two seasons.

The Eagles have struggled with consistency, but Kirby thinks his depth

should be a plus in the postseason.

“Even if teams scout us, it’s not like they can focus on stopping just

one player,” Kirby said.

Five different players have led the Eagles in scoring in games this

season, though one of those was Gray, whose 41 combined points the final

four games were a team-high.

Tonight’s winner will travel to No. 3-seeded Harvard-Westlake (22-5)

Saturday for a 7:30 p.m. second-round game.

Directions: North on 55 to 91, east on 91 to Van Buren turnoff in

Riverside. East on Van Buren to Wood Rd., right on Wood to school at 9301

Wood Rd.