Girls basketball: Eagles zone in on Wolves, 56-55

Tony Altobelli

RIVERSIDE - The Estancia High girls basketball team proved that

size doesn’t matter, when it comes to playoff time. Outsized at nearly

every position, the Eagles used hard work and a swarming team defense to

pull out a 56-55 win over host Martin Luther King Thursday night in the

opening round of the CIF Southern Section Division III-AA playoffs.

“That was a great high school basketball game tonight,” Estancia Coach

Paul Kirby said. “We kept our composure and used a lot of double- and

triple-teaming out there.”

Eagles’ 5-foot-9 sophomore center Xochitl Byfield, led the way with 17

points, nine rebounds and two blocks. She and the rest of her teammates

did a solid job of containing Wolves’ 6-footer Markisha Lea, who had 22

points, but only two in the second half. Kirby’s decision to switch from

man-to-man to zone at halftime helped, too.

Estancia (16-10) trailed the entire first half, but took the lead,

thanks to a 10-0 third-quarter run.

Lisa Hirata scored six of her 11 points in the third quarter, but

Wolves’ guard Courtney Nabors hit three three-pointers to draw MLK even

after three.

The game was tied, 55-55, with less than a minute remaining, when the

Eagles, outrebounded the entire game, took advantage of four

second-chance offensive opportunities. On the fourth try, Byfield was

fouled and hit the first of two free throws with 34 seconds remaining to

win the game.

On King’s next possession, Marie Rodriguez stole a pass and the Eagles

ran out the clock.

Estancia will play at No. 3-seeded Harvard-Westlake Saturday at 1 p.m.

Rodriguez added 10 points for the Eagles, who played only six players.

CIF DIVISION III-AA PLAYOFFS

First round

Estancia 56, M.L. King 55

Score by Quarters

Estancia 16 17 16 7 - 56

M.L. King 21 15 13 6 - 55

Estancia - Byfield 17, Hirata 11, Rodriguez 10, Barerra 8, Wase 6,

Matsufuji 4.

3-pt. goals - Rodriguez 2, Barerra 1, Wase 1.

Fouled out - none.

Technicals - none.

M.L. King - Lea 22, Nabors 14, Gutierrez 6, Henlon 4, Crumbley 3,

Carroll 2, Velaquez 2, Robles 2.

3-pt. goals - Nabors 4, Crumbley 1.

Fouled out - Gutierrez.

Technicals - none.