Girls basketball: Eagles make a stand

Barry Faulkner

COSTA MESA - Words flowed Wednesday in separate players-only and

coach-players meetings after Estancia High’s girls basketball team

surrendered its share of first place in the Pacific Coast League with a

two-point loss at University High Tuesday.

But the biggest statement associated with the program may have been

the silence of a near-empty gym during what would have been a preliminary

junior varsity game against visiting Northwood Thursday.

Eagles Coach Paul Kirby, fed up over a consistent lack of practice

attendance by varsity and junior varsity players alike, suspended three

truant JV players, leaving only three available JV players and prompting

a forfeit.

“The line has been drawn,” Kirby said after his seven-player varsity

squad earned a 57-42 triumph over the Timberwolves. “If a player misses

another practice, she’s going to sit out a game. It’s time to bear down.”

The Eagles (12-10, 5-1 in league) did just that, using their

full-court press to stifle Northwood (6-16, 3-3), then unleashing a

vertical passing game to score over the T-wolves’ defensive pressure.

Sophomore point guard Trisha Wase posted 13 points and 10 assists,

most of which coming on long one-handed passes to teammates streaking for

layups behind the deepest defender. She also had seven steals and four

assists.

Estancia’s Tisha Gray chipped in 14 points, 10 rebounds and five

steals, while fellow junior Xochitl Byfield finished with 13 points and

five rebounds.

Senior guard Marie Rodriguez had six points, four rebounds and three

steals and sophomore guard Crystal Mino added six points, four steals and

two assists for the winners.

“We could have gone the other way after a tough loss Tuesday,” Kirby

said. “But our girls have committed to showing up and working hard. We

should win the league championship, but we have to do more than just show

up.”

The Eagles expanded a 27-14 halftime lead to a 17-point bulge when

Wase fed Mino for a pair of layups to start the second half.

Northwood countered with an 8-0 run and hit 9 of 21 second-half

field-goal attempts, but got no closer than nine points the rest of the

way.

Estancia forced 22 turnovers to pull away from a Northwood team that

gave the Eagles a 44-41 first-round scare Jan. 8.

Lindsay Macias and Holly Miles paced the T-wolves with 16 and 12

points, respectively.

GIRLS

PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE

Estancia 57, Northwood 42

Score by Quarters

Northwood 5 9 16 12 - 42

Estancia 10 17 14 16 - 57

Northwood - Macias 16, Miles 12, Lipscomb 6, Craig 0, Edmondson 0,

Huang 6, Smith 2.

3-pt. goals - Miles 2, Huang 2, Macias 1.

Fouled out - none.

Technicals - Coach Hansen.

Estancia - Gray 14, Byfield 13, Wase 13, Rodriguez 6, Mino 6, Pena 3,

Castro 2.

3-pt. goals - Rodriguez 2, Wase 1, Byfield 1, Pena 1.

Fouled out - Mino.

Technicals - none.