Mustangs hit a road block

Bryce Alderton

At times it probably seemed like there was an invisible hand

swatting away any round orange ball shot from the hand of a Costa

Mesa High girls basketball player Wednesday night against visiting

Ocean View.

The hosts made just 10 for 42 (23.8%) from the field, including an

0-for-13 mark in the third quarter and a 1-for-11 output in the first, while the Seahawks shot 48.5% (17 of 35) to win, 45-37.

Ocean View’s victory dampens Mesa’s chances of catching Estancia

(7-0) at the top of the Golden West League after the Eagles’ 58-55

victory over Westminster (5-2 in league). The Seahawks improved to

10-10, 3-4, and avenged an 11-point loss earlier to Mesa (12-9, 4-3).

Mesa, still in third place, has four league games left, starting

at Orange Monday before traveling to Estancia Wednesday. The top four

teams qualify for the CIF Playoffs.

“Just what I was afraid of,” Weeks said after the loss. “I knew

(Ocean View) would come out fired up and (the visitors) played great

defense in the third quarter and that hurt us.”

Ocean View starting junior guard Erica Williams was better than

all the other players on the court Wednesday night. She scored a

game-high 28 points on 11-of-16 shooting, 16 coming in the first half

when she made all seven layups on seven attempts. Each field goal

occurred when she broke Mesa’s press to receive a lob pass in stride

down the court.

“We were letting her get open too often,” Weeks said. “We were

down, 12-3, early and were never able to get over the hump.”

Mesa trailed, 12-3, at the end of one quarter and didn’t record

its first field goal until senior Rhondi Naff took a pass from Susana

Trujillo, drove the lane and banked it in with 3:29 remaining. Naff

followed up her season-high 38-point performance in a win against

Saddleback Monday with a team-leading 16 points and seven rebounds

against the Seahawks. She scored in double-figures for the 17th time

in 20 games this season.

Eight of Naff’s points came in the second quarter as Mesa cut the

lead to 24-23 following a Cassey Brick three-pointer with 1:25 left

in the half. Naff converted all six of her free throws in the second

period. She finished 8 of 11 from the foul line.

The Seahawks opened the fourth quarter with an 8-0 run.

Stacee Sanchez scored all eight of her points in the final quarter

and collected two steals before fouling out with less than a minute

to play. Brick finished with five points, two rebounds and four

steals while Denise Landeros and Lacey Navarrette (each with three

points) and Susana Trujillo (one) contributed to Mesa’s offensive

output.