Class in session

Bryce Alderton

The season is only two games old and Estancia High boys basketball

players are already proving to be quick learners.

After watching film of Century, the Eagles’ opponent in a La

Quinta tournament quarterfinal Wednesday at La Quinta High, Estancia

first-year coach Jason Simco, with the help of his staff, added three

new offensive plays to the arsenal.

The Eagles had just one day to practice the added sequences, but

it hardly showed as Estancia improved to 2-0 with a 45-33 triumph

over the Centurions (2-2).

Senior Carlos Pinto poured in game-highs in points (21) -- on

6-of-12 shooting -- rebounds (13) and blocks (three), to pace the

Eagles, who face either Huntington Beach or Aliso Viejo in the

tournament semifinals at 8 p.m. Friday.

Pinto, a four-year varsity player and reining Newport-Mesa Dream

Team selection, eclipsed the 1,000-point plateau in his Estancia

career with a three-pointer off a Hugo Escobedo assist in transition

with 2 minutes, 13 seconds left in the first period to put the Eagles

up, 11-1.

The Eagles, who never trailed in the game, raced to a 13-3 lead

after one quarter and held a 19-9 halftime cushion.

With help from a full-court press, Century scored the first four

points after halftime, cutting the Eagles’ lead to six.

The game went scoreless for the next three minutes before a 5-0

run, capped by Rafael Montillo’s layup off a Pinto pass, upped the

Eagles cushion to 24-13 with 2:55 left in the third quarter.

The Centurions scored the next three points, but would get no

closer than eight the rest of the way.

Junior point guard Shaun Markley scored 11 points and grabbed

three rebounds while junior Mike McDaniels added nine points, two

rebounds and two steals for the Eagles, who found paydirt with their

screens and back-door cuts on the offensive end.

The cuts led to several easy layins for the Eagles, whose zone

defense both confused and smothered Century ballhandlers for a

majority of the contest.

“The back cuts were new,” said Simco, who credited his assistants

with helping him pore over three tapes of Century footage. “We knew

we had to be ready and focused. [Century] Coach [Greg] Coombs’ teams

execute and defend well.”

The Eagles didn’t do too shabby, either.

Starter Ray Verrette made four steals despite playing with four

fouls for the game’s final 10:29.

Simco said Verrette’s foul trouble hurt, but Scott Markley,

Shaun’s brother, and Escobedo, filled in admirably off the bench.

“We knew [Century’s] point guards [juniors Orlando Isais and Jorge

Arroyo] were tough to guard, so we went to the zone to prevent them

from penetrating a lot,” Simco said.

Isais and Arroyo scored six and five points, respectively, while

junior forward Daniel Lopez led the Centurions with 10 points.

Simco was more pleased with the Eagles’ defense against the

Centurions than in a 64-45 victory over Irvine in the tournament

opener Monday.

“[Against Irvine] we played hard, but not smart,” Simco said.

“[Wednesday], we won the game on the defensive end and that is huge.”

“Defense wins ball games, right?” said Pinto, who entered the game

needing just three points to reach 1,000. The four-year varsity

member and reining Newport-Mesa Dream Team honoree, said he knew of

the eventual feat after reading a newspaper article following the

Eagles’ victory over Irvine.

“I am happy and surprised,” Pinto said. “I never thought about

[scoring] 1,000 points. I owe it to hard work.”

*--*

La Quinta tournament

Quarterfinal

Estancia 45, Century 33

Score by Quarters

Estancia 13 6 10 16 -- 45

Century 3 6 7 17 -- 33

Estancia -- Montillo 3, McDaniels 9, Pinto 21,

Verrette 1, Sh. Markley 11, Sc. Markley 0,

Escobedo 0, Kopp 0, Argumedo 0. 3-pt. goals --

Sh. Markley 2, Pinto 1, McDaniels 1. Fouled

out -- None. Technicals -- None. Century --

Leyva 4, Lopez 10, Ochoa 6, Isais 6, Arroyo 5,

Ornelas 2, Rabadan 0, Moreno 0. 3-pt. goals --

Arroyo 1. Fouled out -- Lopez. Technicals --

None.

*--*