Eagles clinch playoff spot

Barry Faulkner

Having risen to the top of the Golden West League, the Estancia

High girls basketball team’s challenge with three league games

remaining is to not lower its play to the level of competition.

Unfortunately for the Eagles’ attempt to prepare for the

postseason, that level doesn’t figure to be inordinately high, as was

the case Monday night against visiting Santa Ana.

The Saints (9-11, 2-6 in league) played hard to the end, but were

overmatched by the Eagles, who improved to 14-8, 9-0 with a 57-43

victory that Coach Tami Rappa won’t file alongside her team’s classic

performances. The win, combined with a loss by fourth-place Ocean

View (4-5 in league) clinched a guaranteed berth in the CIF Southern

Section Playoffs for the Eagles, who can wrap up at least a share of

the league crown with a win Wednesday night over crosstown rival

Costa Mesa.

“It was sloppy,” said the first-year Estancia coach, whose team

has now won 14 straight league games, dating back to a 5-0 run to

close the Pacific Coast League campaign last year, en route to a

co-championship. “We got into our jungle ball court game, instead of

running our offense.”

The Eagles committed 31 turnovers, some of which were caused by

steadfast Santa Ana defense. But several wayward passes appeared to

be the result of indifference, as the hosts, at times, toyed with the

scrappy Saints.

“If we don’t come out pressing, we don’t have that intensity,”

Rappa said. “But we’d demolish a lot of the teams in this league if

we pressed all the time. At the same time, our girls have to be

disciplined enough to know we have to come out and play hard against

teams that don’t have our skill level.”

The lack of early intensity was apparent as the Saints seized

leads of 3-2 and 5-4, then rallied to tie the game at 9-9 with 2:13

left in the first quarter.

But, with its full-court press in place, the Eagles scored the

next 16 points, over a span of 3:39, and were never again seriously

threatened.

Senior Tisha Gray was the most consistent Eagle, dispersing her 19

points and 10 rebounds throughout four quarters.

Junior Trisha Wase collected 12 rebounds, 10 assists and five

points, despite missing about half the first quarter with foul

trouble.

Senior Xochitl Byfield and junior Nancy Castro chipped in eight

points and five rebounds, apiece, while 10 of the 11 Eagles who saw action scored.

Helping to overcome their turnover trouble, the Eagles posted a

47-31 rebounding advantage. And, despite playing in the boys gym for

the first time all year (a broken cable prevented one goal from being

lowered into place in the girls gym), they shot 52.5% from the field,

including 7 of 8 in the final eight minutes.

The Eagles, however, missed 17 of 31 free throws, after coming in

with what Rappa estimated as 70% proficiency from the foul line all

season.

Rappa said she hopes to have the basket repaired in time to host

Costa Mesa Wednesday.

After the 16-0 run put Estancia in command, the two teams traded

runs to close the first half. Santa Ana sandwiched a pair of 6-0 runs

around a 5-0 Estancia burst to make it 30-21 at intermission.

The Eagles scored the first six points of the third quarter and,

after Santa Ana’s Veronica Palacios banked in a layup with 5:26 left

in the third quarter, the Saints went the next 8:21 without

converting a field goal.

With Wase threading passes through the defense to open teammates

underneath -- she collected four assists on such plays in the fourth

quarter -- the Eagles held off the Saints, who nearly doubled their

point total with 19 in the final period.

Palacios had 12 points off the bench to pace the Saints, who

received nine points from Alicia Love (eight in the first period,

including both of her team’s three-pointers), and eight points from

reserve Daniela Sosa.