Boys basketball: Mesa bows out

Barry Faulkner

COSTA MESA - When the pain is this intense, it usually means an

extended trek to the finish line. That was exactly the feeling for the

Costa Mesa High boys basketball team Friday, after a 64-44 loss to

visiting La Canada in the second round of the CIF Southern Section

Division III-AA playoffs.

“Our kids are all disappointed, which is good,” said Mesa Coach Bob

Serven, whose team won a share of the first league championship in the

program’s 41-season history and finished 17-10.

“This year has been a lot of fun and this team has come a long way. We

were 4-4 at one point. I told them only the CIF champion knows what it’s

like not to lose your last game. If they weren’t disappointed, they

shouldn’t be in the program.”

The visiting Spartans (22-6) didn’t let the Mustangs get with the

program Friday, using their size advantage to beat Mesa on the boards and

provide vertical distraction to their three-point shooting barrage.

The visitors, whose starting five averaged 6-foot-3, built a 27-14

rebounding edge in the first half, though they led only 29-25.

The Spartans’s 24 field goals included 15 layups, including five

putbacks, and they finished with a 44-31 rebounding advantage.

“Our team size advantage was a big factor,” La Canada Coach Tom Hofman

said. “I think it also helped us on defense, where their 6-0 guards had

to shoot over our 6-3 kids.”

Mesa made just 6 of 26 three-point attempts (23%) and finished 33.3%

from the field (17 of 51).

Mike Payne, Mesa’s 6-7 senior center, spearheaded the offense early,

scoring 10 of his 12 points in the first half. He finished 6 of 9 from

the field and chipped in eight rebounds and five blocked shots, before

fouling out midway through the fourth quarter.

The rest of the Mustang starters, however, made just 9 of 35

field-goal attempts, allowing La Canada to pull away.

The hosts earned ties at 2-2 and 15-15, but La Canada’s inside

advantage produced its halftime edge.

“We missed some opportunities to tie it, or go ahead,” Serven said of

the first half.

Then, after Payne’s bucket with 7:09 left in the third quarter kept

the hosts within 31-27, Costa Mesa went nine minutes with only one field

goal. Before David Conte’s eight-foot runner ended the lull, which also

included eight of the Mustangs’ 19 turnovers, La Canada had built a 49-31

lead.

Conte, a junior point guard who finished with a team-high 16 points,

added a three-pointer to give the Mustangs a 5-0 spurt. But that was a

close as they would come.

Conte had four of Mesa’s six three-pointers, upping their season total

to a school and Newport-Mesa District record 242.

Senior Steve Whittaker finished his prep career with eight rebounds,

five points and four assists, while junior starter Chad Vakili had four

points, two rebounds and two steals.

With starters Conte, Vakili and sophomore Danny Krikorian returning,

as well as top reserve Nolan Clark, Serven, who completed his second

season at the school, said he is encouraged about the program’s future.

“We have a good basketball program and there are a lot of reasons for

that,” Serven said. “We have some good, energetic lower-level coaches and

we have some enthusiastic, hard working players. We just got beat by a

better team tonight.”

The loss denied Mesa its first postseason victory and also kept it one

victory shy of the program’s single-season victory record, established in

1966.

CIF DIVISION III-AA PLAYOFFS

Second round

La Canada 64, Costa Mesa 44

Score by Quarters

La Canada 13 16 13 23 - 64

Costa Mesa 9 16 6 13 - 44

La Canada - Ballard 21, Swenson 13, Guadino 10, Hofman 9, Kim 5, Moore

4, Turley 2.

3-pt. goals - Ballard 1, Kim 1, Hofman 1.

Fouled out - Guadino.

Technicals - none.

Costa Mesa - Conte 16, Payne 12, Whittaker 5, Vakili 4, Millward 3,

Clark 2, Cabico 2, Krikorian 0, Gandia 0, Fregoso 0, Amburgey 0, Biggio

0.

3-pt. goals - Conte 4, Vakili 1, Whittaker 1.

Fouled out - Payne.

Technicals - none.