Mustangs add one in search for magic number

Patrick Laverty

With one round of league play remaining, Costa Mesa High’s girls

basketball team knows exactly what it needs to do to extend its

string of consecutive playoff appearances to 15.

After a hard-fought, 37-30 victory over host Santa Ana Monday in

which the Mustangs staved off a second-half comeback by the Saints,

Costa Mesa stands three victories away from the magical 11 wins it

takes for postseason consideration.

Repeat victories over Orange and Santa Ana in the second round of

Golden West League play would push the Mustangs (8-10, 2-4 in league)

to within one win. For that, Costa Mesa will have to upset one of

four teams, Ocean View, Estancia, Saddleback or Westminster. It will

play all those teams with the exception of rival Estancia on the road

in the second half of the season.

The Mustangs have notched both of their league victories on the

road this season, the second coming against Santa Ana despite poor

second-half shooting.

“I have no complaints about our effort,” Costa Mesa Coach Jim

Weeks said. “We’re proud of our girls. They come hard every night.

Hopefully, we can find three more wins.”

Repeating their first-half effort against Santa Ana would go a

long way toward accomplishing that. The Mustangs held the Saints

(3-12, 1-5) to 10 points, including just four in the first quarter,

when Mesa opened a 13-4 advantage behind eight points and two steals

from sophomore Bethany Vergara.

“Bethany was the spearhead for our defensive effort,” Weeks said.

“She took [Santa Ana senior Alicia] Love out of the game. And

Brittany [Vergara] did a good job on their center, [Christina]

Richards.”

Brittany, Bethany’s older sister, was giving up 10 inches to

Richards, a 6-foot-1 freshman, but held her to four points in the

game.

“Brittany continually plays bigger than her size,” Weeks said of

his 5-3 senior center.

Her younger sister limited Love, Santa Ana’s top scorer, to just

two points in the first half and nine in the game.

Just as important were two plays Bethany made in the fourth

quarter after Santa Ana had cut a 23-10 halftime deficit to six

points.

With Mesa struggling to score -- it shot just 4 of 24 from the

field in the second half (17%) -- Bethany made a key steal with just

over five minutes remaining in the game, leading to a Deanna Sanchez

layin that pushed the Mustangs’ advantage to 32-24.

Just over a minute later, Bethany grabbed an offensive rebound and

fed Judie Akansel for a 15-foot jumper and a 10-point Mesa advantage.

Those were the only two field goals Mesa made in the fourth

quarter.

The Saints closed the gap to four points, 34-30, when Love sank a

pair of free throws with 41 seconds remaining. Santa Ana had two more

chances to further cut into the lead after Mesa missed the front end

of a pair of one-and-one opportunities, but failed to score each

time.

The Mustangs were finally able to put the game out of reach when

Sanchez converted a pair of free throws. Susy Trujillo added a free

throw with three seconds remaining for the final margin.

“We worked hard,” Weeks said. “In the first half, we made some

good shots. In the second half, it was the same thing as always, we

just couldn’t put the ball in the hole at all. If we shoot the ball

well, we’re a good team.”

Trujillo led the Mustangs with 14 points, including a key

three-pointer in the third quarter when Mesa scored just five points.

*--*

Golden West League

Costa Mesa 37, Santa Ana 30

Score by Quarters

Costa Mesa 13 10 5 9 -- 37

Santa Ana 4 6 11 9 -- 30

Costa Mesa -- Trujillo 14, Br. Vergara 5, Be.

Vergara 8, Brick 2, Kelly 0, Sanchez 4,

Bjelland 0, Akansel 2, Cluff 2. 3-pt. goals --

Trujillo 2, Br. Vergara 1.

Santa Ana -- Ava 2, Love 9, Richards 4, Rincon

8, Rojas 3, Toscano 4. 3-pt. goals -- Love 1.

*--*