Eagles, Mustangs ready for hunt

Estancia tries to defend its Golden West League title, but three other teams look capable of competing for it.The race for the Golden West League boys’ basketball crown should be intriguing -- several teams look capable of contending for the championship, including Costa Mesa and Estancia.

The Mustangs (6-6) and Eagles (6-8) figure to battle for the league title with Saddleback (9-5) and Ocean View (6-6).

Both Costa Mesa and Estancia got off to rough starts, but appear to be back on the right track. Both teams have struggled against big teams because of their lack of size, but both have an abundance of talent that can make up for it.

Saddleback and Ocean View will try to pound it inside on opponents. Saddleback’s Jason Higgins is 6-foot-8 and has 24 blocks this season. Ocean View boasts four players 6-foot-5 or taller, including 6-7 Brad Sweezy, who has 136 rebounds.

Larry Puente, at 6-2, leads Costa Mesa with 44 rebounds. Scott Knox’s 213 points, including 47 three-pointers, lead the league.

Saddleback’s Charles Navarro leads the league in assists with 86. Costa Mesa point guard Brian Molina is second with 69 and Tony Krikorian, a tenacious defender, is third in steals with 33, just four behind Orange’s Brennan Walker and two behind Navarro.

Knox, along with Molina and Krikorian, are four-year starters for the Mustangs. As they go, the Mustangs go. The three seniors form the nucleus for a Mustangs team that will look to surpass last year’s second-place finish in the Golden West League.

Knox, Molina and Krikorian were first-team All-Golden West League picks last year.

Michael McDaniels, Dallas Kopp and Blake Pinto lead the charge for Estancia and figure to do most of the scoring. Kopp is the Eagles’ biggest inside presence at 6-6. Pinto, a first-year starter at point guard, has emerged as a consistent scorer from the outside and driving to the basket.

The Eagles won three games in a row before losing to two quality teams -- Edison (54-41) and San Clemente (54-43) -- in the final rounds of the Coast Classic. Estancia opened the tournament by beating Magnolia (65-42) and Trabuco Hills (47-44).

Estancia Coach Jason Simco led the Eagles to their first league title since 1997 and to the CIF Division III-A semifinals last season. But he lost league MVP Carlos Pinto, who led the team in almost every statistical category.

It took a few weeks for the Eagles to get used to playing without Carlos Pinto, but they are starting to gel and have a more balanced team offensively.

Estancia’s Golden West League opener that was scheduled for today was postponed until Jan. 21. Orange was 1-13 in nonleague action.

Costa Mesa went 2-2 in the Santa Barbara Tournament last week, beating Loara and Saugus and losing to Dos Pueblos and Santa Monica.

With plenty of experience in the backcourt with Krikorian, Molina and Knox, the Mustangs expect to contend for the league title.

Costa Mesa has impressive wins over Katella and Saugus this season.

The Mustangs open league play today at Westminster at 7 p.m. Westminster went 2-11 in nonleague play.20060105is8u4oncKENT TREPTOW / DAILY PILOT(LA)Blake Pinto is one of Estancia’s top scoring threats as the Eagles attempt to repeat as Golden West League champions.