Boys basketball: Eagles handle Aztecs

Barry Faulkner

COSTA MESA - The Estancia High boys basketball team exchanged

customary handshakes with nonleague visitor La Quinta Thursday night,

following the Eagles’ 61-47 triumph.

But, since the Aztecs have been party to most of the good times during

the first quarter of the Eagles’ season, perhaps postseason banquet

invitations would have been more appropriate.

The victory was Estancia’s second over La Quinta in six days,

improving the Eagles to 3-4 and dropping the Garden Grove League

representative to 0-7.

But, unlike the 82-59 pasting Estancia put on the Aztecs Saturday in

the 15th-place game of the La Quinta Tournament, this one held some

suspense, at least until halftime.

“I wasn’t very pleased with our defensive effort the first half,” said

Estancia Coach Chris Sorce, who watched the visitors, with a starting

five that averages a shade below 5-foot-11, make 56.5% of their

field-goal attempts (13 for 23) to trail only 33-31 at halftime.

“It was like open gym in the first half,” Sorce said. “Just like

‘Everybody bring your ball and lets play. Forget about running plays or

playing defense a certain way.’ ”

The certain way Sorce had in mind was displayed by the Eagles at the

outset of the third quarter.

Cinching down at the defensive end and sharing the ball on offense,

the Eagles scored the first 13 points of the second half to take firm

command.

The defensive performance, spearheaded by relentless on-ball pressure

from senior Jermaine Snell, helped force the Aztecs into 22 turnovers.

Further, La Quinta connected on just 8 of 29 field-goal tries the final

two periods (27.6%).

“I told them we needed to step it up a notch on defense,” Sorce said

of his spirited halftime address. “We came out and got after it in the

third quarter. I think our guys made a statement.”

Continued defensive intensity provided the exclamation point to that

statement, as La Quinta never trailed by fewer than 11 after the 13-0 blitz that left the Aztecs scoreless the first 5:06 of the third period.

“We played better defense tonight, but we didn’t go for the jugular,”

Sorce said. “It was nice to have the lead, but we just traded baskets

with them the rest of the way.”

A trio of Eagles posted the majority of those baskets, as senior

Fernando Maldonado, 6-7 junior center Joey Lindquist and senior Jorge

Prado all scored in double figures.

Maldonado, who had a career-high 18 points the first La Quinta

meeting, had a team-high 16 Thursday, netting 6 of 10 from the field,

while adding three rebounds and three assists.

Lindquist, who had a career-high 17 in the first Aztec conquest,

finished with 11 points and eight rebounds.

Prado produced eight of his 10 points in the first quarter, including

a pair of three-pointers, to help the Eagles seize a 19-14 lead through

eight minutes.

The Eagles built the cushion to 31-23 midway through the second

quarter, but La Quinta pulled even with an 8-0 run that culminated 30

seconds before halftime.

Maldonado, whom Sorce said is finding his offensive rhythm after a

slow start (averaging nearly 17 points his last three games after

averaging five the first four games), hit an 18-footer to put the Eagles

back in front before halftime.

Lewis Bradshaw added nine rebounds and six points, while Snell mixed

in seven points and two assists to go with his stellar defense.

Prado chipped in five assists and Zack Novak (four points, three

assists and three steals) came off the bench to provide a spark.

The Eagles return to action Monday, opening the Garden Grove

Tournament with a 7:30 tipoff against the host Argonauts.

NONLEAGUE

Estancia 61, La Quinta 47

Score by Quarters

La Quinta 14 17 6 10 - 47

Estancia 19 14 17 11 - 61

La Quinta - Gamez 6, Nguyen 5, Subandi 9, Hoang 7, Lam 4, Jorgenien

10, Lotti 6.

3-pt. goals - Nguyen 1, Hoang 1.

Fouled out - none.

Technicals - none.

Estancia - Maldonado 16, Bradshaw 6, Lindquist 11, Prado 10, Snell 7,

Novak 4, Valdes 3, Cachola 2, Pinto 2.

3-pt. goals - Prado 2, Maldonado 1.

Fouled out - none.

Technicals - none.