Eagles primed for success

Bryce Alderton

Hopes are high in Estancia High Eagle country for the girls

basketball season.

First-year Coach Tami Rappa has an arsenal of five returning

starters from a 16-11 team that won a share of its first Pacific

Coast League title in 10 seasons last year.

The Eagles made it to the second round of the CIF Southern Section

Division III-A Playoffs before bowing out to Morningside, 59-27.

A new season ushers in Rappa, who led Charter Oak High to the CIF

Division II-A Playoffs the last three seasons and has brought a new

attitude to the Eagles.

Rappa replaces Paul Kirby, who resigned following last season

after six years as the Eagles’ head coach.

“There was more individuality last season,” Rappa said. “I heard

some condescending conversations and told the girls that needs to

stop. The new attitude is putting a positive spin on basketball. We

are a family and I think they are finally getting that this season.”

“The family” Rappa speaks of features a high-powered starting

lineup that has PCL Co-Player of the Year Trisha Wase, a 5-4 junior

guard who averaged 12 points per game, and first-team All-PCL members

Xochitl Byfield, a 5-8 junior forward who averaged 11.4 ppg as a

sophomore, and the Eagles’ leading scorer from a year ago in Tisha

Gray (13.1 ppg), a 5-9 senior center.

Krystal Mino, a 5-5 junior guard who averaged 3.3 ppg last season,

and 5-10 junior forward Nancy Castro (3.2 ppg) fill out the Eagle

starting five.

Coming off the bench will be returning juniors Reyna Garcia (5-2

shooting guard) and Olivia Maldonado (5-7 shooting guard), junior

Anabel Becerra (5-9 guard/forward) along with sophomores Imelda Pena

(5-6 point guard), Jazmine Flores (5-8 small forward), Nicolle Wilson

(5-8 guard/forward) and Ceysha Brady (5-10 guard/forward).

The Eagles’ instinct on the court impresses Rappa the most.

“I implemented a new offense and it took the girls five minutes to

get it,” Rappa said. “They’re so basketball minded and I told them

they need to rely on that. The starting five has played together for

so long, going back to (National Junior Basketball). Wase and Mino

will make behind-the-back passes and the girls know the passes are

coming to them.”

The Eagles’ strengths will be speed and quickness, but Estancia

also features a post-up game they can go to if the situation calls

for it, Rappa said.

“If the post is not useful, we can go back to being quick and

small,” Rappa said. “It’s nice to have the option of post players and

that’s something I didn’t have at Charter Oak.”

Estancia enters into its first season in the Golden West League

and Rappa is anxious to see what the league has to offer.

“I can’t wait to get a schedule so I can go see who we’re playing

against,” Rappa said.

No matter who the Eagles face, Rappa knows her team will only be

as good as the 12th player.

“We’re only as good as the last player on the bench,” Rappa said.

“It takes the first and second string to win. I want every player to

be good and I’m trying to stress that they are.”