Bryce Alderton Finals weren’t the only tests...

Bryce Alderton

Finals weren’t the only tests Costa Mesa High boys basketball

players studied for last week.

The Mustangs’ 49-45 Golden West League upset win over visiting

Orange Tuesday night was as much about preparation as it was

execution, according to Coach Bob Serven. Well, the Mustangs passed

this exam to maintain a hold on fifth place in league (3-5), 1 1/2

games behind Estancia (5-4), heading into the crosstown showdown

Thursday at Mesa.

“We looked like a team that had gone through scouting,” Serven

said. “We took what we practiced into the game and that is something

we haven’t done all year. The players executed.”

Serven was especially pleased with his team’s defense, which

recorded nine steals -- five by point guard Brian Molina -- and led

in the turnover margin, 19-12.

Mesa’s zone defense created problems for several Panthers,

including 6-foot-6 senior Patrick Sanders, the team’s leading scorer

(17.2 points per game). Last time these two teams played, Sanders lit

up Mesa with 21 points and 25 rebounds in a 15-point Orange win.

Tuesday was a different story as Sanders recorded a double-double

(points and rebounds) with 10 and 10, respectively, but hit on only 2

of 11 from the field.

With Sanders nursing a sore right ankle the first two minutes of

the fourth quarter, Mesa made its run. The Mustangs (8-14 overall)

outscored the Panthers (13-10, 5-3) by six the first 2:40 of the

fourth quarter to trim the Orange lead to one. Mesa took the lead for

good when Molina hit a three in front of the Mesa bench off of an

assist by Danny Krikorian to make it 43-41 with 1:32 left.

Krikorian led the Mustangs with 20 points and added four rebounds

while Scott Knox tallied 18 (eight in the fourth quarter) on 7-of-13

shooting.

Jeff Waldron had a team-leading seven rebounds for Mesa. The

Mustangs outscored the visitors, 17-6. The Panthers went 5:10 into

the fourth quarter without scoring.

“(Mesa) was ready to play and we weren’t and that is my fault,”

said Rick Rodabaugh, serving as head coach in place of Andre Smith,

who took a leave of absence following the team’s seventh game for

medical reasons.