Girls basketball: Mesa streak on the line

Barry Faulkner

The original George Bush wasn’t halfway through his first 100 days

in the White House, “Batman” was still just a campy old television

series, and the best girls basketball player in Newport-Mesa District

history was an eighth-grade soccer junkie.

February of 1989 also marked the last time a Costa Mesa High girls

basketball team failed to make the CIF Southern Section playoffs.

Five different coaching tenures and an ever-changing Pacific Coast

League landscape haven’t interrupted the Mustangs’ 12-year postseason

streak, which began with the arrival of Olivia DiCamilli in 1989-90, the

first of her four All-CIF campaigns.

But, without at least one win this week, the longest postseason parade

among Newport-Mesa basketball programs, boys or girls, could come to an

end.

“We’ve talked a lot about it,” Mesa Coach Jim Weeks said of the

streak. “The kids want to keep it going.”

Weeks has quantified what it will take for his Mustangs (8-14, 2-4 in

the PCL) to earn another postseason appearance.

“We just have to beat Northwood (Tuesday at the Timberwolves’ gym),

Corona del Mar (Feb. 5 at home) and Laguna Beach (Feb. 7 at home),” Weeks

said. “If we win those three games, we will have 11 wins (a requirement

to be considered for a CIF at-large berth), and we’ll also probably be

tied with Northwood for third, unless Northwood beats University (Feb.

5).”

The first of these must-win situations involves avenging a 34-29 home

loss to Northwood (6-16, 3-3) Jan. 10. It’s a game Weeks recalls vividly.

“We were ahead, 29-23, with about four minutes to go and Rhondi Naff

went out with a cramp in her calf,” Weeks recalled. “They scored the last

11 points of the game to win.”

Naff, a 5-foot-11 junior averaging a Newport-Mesa-District-leading

15.8 points per game, has accounted for more than 38% of her team’s

points thus far. She has 17 double-figure scoring outputs this season,

more than double the total posted by the rest of her teammates combined

(eight).

Naff has bounced back from a slow PCL start (21 points her first three

games), to average 15.7 the last three, including wins over Corona del

Mar and Laguna Beach.

Naff had 16 points in the Mustangs’ 49-39 loss to Uni Thursday, a game

Weeks termed his team’s strongest effort in league.

Weeks said the Mustangs’ ability to handle pressure the second time

around against Uni (14-7, 6-0), could be a good sign as they prepare for

Northwood.

“The first Northwood game, they came out in a half-court trap we

hadn’t seen before,” Weeks said. “We should be better prepared for that

this time around.”

Weeks said a focus on Northwood won’t be difficult, even with

crosstown rival Estancia looming for a visit to the Mustangs’ gym

Thursday.

“This is the first time in the 20 years I’ve been at Mesa that the

Estancia game wasn’t the most important game of the week,” Weeks said.

Mesa, shooting less than 30% in league, according to Weeks, hopes to

take a page from the Estancia book and pass over the Northwood press, a

ploy that resulted in several transition layups in the Eagles’ 57-42 win

over the T-wolves Thursday.

Mesa will be without 5-10 senior starting center Lauren Carich, who

has missed the last three games with an ankle sprain. So, Weeks said, his

team will need to supply help down low to combat Northwood’s 6-2 center

Aabria Lipscomb, who had a game-high 13 points the first meeting.

Estancia (12-10, 5-1) will try to stay within a victory of the league

lead, visiting CdM (7-14, 2-4) Tuesday, before visiting Mesa Thursday.

Barring a 32-point upset by Mesa, the Eagles will capture the perpetual

Lady Bell Trophy, which goes to the annual series winner, for the second

straight season. Dinner at Newport Rib Company is also among the spoils

on the line against Mesa.

Coach Paul Kirby’s Eagles, who lost at Uni, 43-41, pounded CdM, 63-25,

and Estancia, 51-20, in the first round.

CdM defeated Laguna Beach, 64-18, Thursday to snap a five-game losing

streak.

Newport Harbor snapped a 20-game Sea View League losing streak with a

46-44 triumph over visiting Aliso Niguel Thursday, behind a career-high

21 points from sophomore Jillianne Whitfield. Junior Athena Vasquez added

14 points for the Sailors (4-17, 1-4), who visit Irvine Tuesday and host

Laguna Hills Thursday.

Sage Hill (3-11, 0-5 in the Academy League) visits Capistrano Valley

Christian Tuesday and hosts St. Margaret’s Friday.