Steve VirgenIt was “Senior Night” at Santa...

Steve Virgen

It was “Senior Night” at Santa Ana High, but the evening belonged to

a sophomore sensation named Scott Knox.

The Costa Mesa guard hit 10 three-pointers, a Newport-Mesa

District record, and scored a career-high 36 points, leading the

Mustangs’ boys basketball team to a 65-47 victory over Santa Ana to

close out Golden West League action Friday.

Costa Mesa (17-9, 8-4 in league) finished third in the Golden

West, while Santa Ana (9-16, 4-8) finished fifth. The Saints’ loss

put Estancia (13-13, 5-7) in fourth and into the CIF Southern Section

playoffs along with its crosstown rival.

Knox’s record surpassed the previous mark, nine three-pointers in

one game, held by former Costa Mesa players Steve Whittaker (2000-01)

and Ryan Naff (‘99-00) and Estancia’s Jon Cantrell (‘99-00).

“It felt good,” Knox said of his night. “It was nice and smooth. I

have to thank my teammates for giving me the ball when I had the hot

hand. It’s really good because we have an unselfish team that likes

to share the ball.”

Knox was 10 of 17 from threedom. He knocked down one three-pointer

in the first quarter, two more in the second, three in the third and

four treys in the final quarter. He was perfect in the fourth, 4 for

4.

Asked if he had a nickname, the young player smiled and said,

“No.”

Perhaps “Scorchin’ Scotty” would be the proper moniker. He was

certainly hot against the Saints.

“A lot of that is the result of unselfish teammates,” Costa Mesa

Coach Bob Serven said. “There was good recognition of knowing that he

had it going from the beginning. He had it going all night. It wasn’t

just for a few minutes here and there.”

Knox was especially on fire in the second half. Through the first

12 minutes, 54 seconds of the second half Knox scored 23 of the

Mustangs’ 25 points. He scored all 11 of Costa Mesa’s points in the

third quarter and then scored the Mustang’s first nine points of the

fourth quarter before Brandon Aleson connected on a mid-range jumper

that gave Mesa a 56-40 lead with 5:08 remaining.

Then, 30 seconds later Knox nailed his final three-pointer on his

last three-point attempt prompting a Santa Ana timeout.

“I just wanted to give him the ball,” said sophomore point guard

Brian Molina, who had 10 assists. “When he has the hot hand, you have

to give it to him.”

Costa Mesa also received a key contribution from junior forward

Jeff Waldron, who scored 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Aleson

came off the bench to add eight points.

Santa Ana also had a hot hand.

But Knox was so sensational he stole the spotlight from Santa Ana

senior Pete Flores who scored 27 points and drained seven

three-pointers.

The Saints trailed, 23-9, after one quarter. They came within,

45-35, early in the fourth quarter, but Costa Mesa went on a 16-5

run. Knox scored 12 in that spurt.

Apparently the Saints were not motivated to win. If Santa Ana had

won it would have tied Estancia for fourth. The Golden West League

has its top four advance to the CIF playoffs. A coin toss would

determine the fourth-place finisher and it was done before the game.

Estancia boys athletic director Tim Parsel said the Eagles won the

coin toss.

Serven said league standings aside he was more concerned with his

team grabbing momentum as it heads into the playoffs. He was pleased

and said it was “pretty good” to have 17 wins with three sophomore

starters.

The Mustangs’ program also received more noteworthy news from its

freshmen team that won the Golden West League title. The Costa Mesa

freshmen, led by its top scorer Cody Waldron, went 19-7, 11-1 in

league.

*--*

Golden West League

Costa Mesa 65, Santa Ana 47

Score by Quarters

Costa Mesa 23 11 11 20 -- 65

Santa Ana 9 10 13 15 -- 47

Costa Mesa -- Molina 3, Knox 36, Krikorian 2,

J. Waldron 14, Stankovic 2, Aleson 8, C.

Waldron 0, Wase 0 , Gandia 0. 3-pt. goals --

Knox 10, J. Waldron 2, Molina 1. Santa Ana --

P. Flores 27, Silva 2, Granuelos 6, R. Flores

7, Mendoza 0, Morales 3, Gurrola 2. 3-pt.

goals -- P. Flores 7, Granuelos 2, R. Flores

1, Morales 1.

*--*