Clear forecast for Eagles

Patrick Laverty

In the words of Tami Rappa, the Estancia High girls basketball coach,

“the fog has lifted.”

Fighting for their playoff lives and matched up against their

archrival, the Eagles, plagued by inconsistencies throughout the year

and with a four-game losing streak attached to their name, played a

flawless first half and emerged with a 59-38 victory over host Costa

Mesa.

The victory clinched a playoff spot for Estancia (9-15, 6-5 in

Golden West League play), which is guaranteed to finish no worse than

fourth in the league. The top four teams in the seven-team Golden

West League receive automatic berths into the CIF Southern Section

playoffs.

The Mustangs (9-13, 3-7) still have playoff aspirations of their

own, but will need to win their final two games against Westminster

and Santa Ana to earn the 11 wins needed to qualify for consideration

for an at-large berth.

Costa Mesa was hoping to knock off Estancia to inch closer to that

win total and with the Eagles entering the game having lost their

last four games, the Mustangs had some hope.

But Rappa said her team had an epiphany after their latest

setback, a 52-35 loss to Santa Ana. What the Eagles realized was that

if they didn’t awake from their slumber, they wouldn’t extend their

season into the postseason.

The fact that it was the Battle of the Bell might have helped in

the matter.

“Obviously, there’s a rivalry thing going,” Mustangs Coach Jim

Weeks said. “They’re very talented. When they want to play, they’re

very talented. I give them a lot of credit.”

The Eagles definitely wanted it Friday, racing out to an early

double-digit lead and never looking back.

The Eagles led 19-4 after one quarter and 33-13 at the half as

they made 11 of 21 first-half shots, including 4 of 8 behind the

three-point arc, and shot 7 of 8 from the free-throw line. In

addition, the Eagles committed just two first-half turnovers, and

perhaps most importantly, just three fouls, possibly the most

surprising statistic considering Estancia’s propensity for foul

trouble.

“We had a few things bothering us before the games and we brought

it out on the court,” Estancia senior center Nancy Castro said about

the Eagles’ recent slump. “Tonight we left it off the court and

played hard.”

Castro led Estancia with 27 points and 12 rebounds, continuing her

fine performance throughout league play, during which she is

averaging 19.6 points.

“With [Costa Mesa], it’s a mismatch,” Rappa said. “They had to

keep sending in someone different to guard her because they’d all get

in foul trouble. They couldn’t stop her.”

Even if the Mustangs tried, guards Trisha Wase and Imelda Pena

were there to beat them from the outside. Wase finished with 14

points, including three three-pointers, and Pena added two

three-pointers and a total of 16 points.

Costa Mesa, which shot just 12 of 40 from the floor (30%) and 7 of

30 from three-point range (23%), played tough throughout the second

half, even putting a mild run together that cut Estancia’s lead,

which grew as large as 27 points, to 49-33 midway through the fourth

quarter after a Venise Enesi three-point play.

But Castro came back with a bucket and Wase and Castro each made a

free throw to extend the lead back to 20 points.

Senior Cassey Brick led the Mustangs with 10 points and eight

rebounds.

While the playoffs are now a sure thing for the Eagles, who close

the regular season at home Tuesday against Orange, Mesa will need to

upset Westminster and handle Santa Ana to return to the postseason

for the 15th straight season.

“We’ll go after Westminster as hard as we can,” Weeks said. “I

know this team will fight back.”

*--*

Golden West League

Estancia 59, Costa Mesa 38

Score by Quarters

Estancia 19 14 10 16 -- 59

Costa Mesa 4 9 7 18 -- 38

Estancia -- Wase 14, Mino 0, Pena 16,

Maldonado 2, Castro 27, Diep 0, Neal 0,

Becerra 0, Hallock 0, Flores 0. 3-pt. goals

-- Wase 3, Pena 2. Fouled out -- None.

Technicals -- None. Costa Mesa -- Trujillo 9,

Br. Vergara 3, Be. Vergara 2, Brick 10, Kelly

4, Sanchez 0, Bjelland 3, V. Enesi 5, Akansel

0, Cluff 2. 3-pt. goals -- Trujillo 3, Br.

Vergara 1, Brick 2, Kelly 1. Fouled out -- Be. Vergara, V. Enesi. Technicals -- None.

*--*