Mustangs edge Arrowhead, advance to final

YUCAIPA — In a funk is how Michelle Figueroa started out and her coach let her know about it.

Costa Mesa High Coach Jim Weeks, fanatically pulled his floor leader in the first quarter, asking her: “Do you want to play or be scared?”

At the time, Figueroa looked like she wanted out of the biggest game to date, the CIF Southern Section Division IV-AA semifinals against No. 2-seeded Arrowhead Christian of Redlands at Yucaipa High.

Weeks wouldn’t allow it Saturday night. He had no choice but to bring back his junior point guard, with three centers in foul trouble early. Figueroa returned not to run the point, but to bang around in the post with 6-foot center Jessilyn Conicelli, who forced Figueroa into bad shots and who had her way with everyone else.

A mismatch for sure, but one that Figueroa won in the end. It lifted her spirits and the No. 3-seeded Mustangs to a 51-50 victory and into their first section championship game since the 1992-93 season.

Figueroa did it all in the second half to allow the Mustangs (20-10) the chance to play No. 1-seeded St. Mary’s Academy (28-5) for the title at the Walter Pyramid at Long Beach State. The game will be on either Friday or Saturday, which will be decided Tuesday when all CIF semifinal games have been played.

Figueroa scored 13 of her team-high 17 points and came up with key rebounds, steals and a couple of nice passes.

“She took over the game,” Weeks said. “What can I say.”

What Weeks told Figueroa early on stuck with her. Seeing Conicelli, who finished with 22 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks, force Nikki Brannon, Jennifer Courtney and Jasmine Werdel to foul out in less than a two-minute span with 1:47 left didn’t faze Figueroa.

Even when she wasn’t directing the offense and junior guard Antoinette Langmos was, with the Mustangs up, 47-45, Figueroa looked confident.

Langmos did, too. She distributed the ball well, finishing with six assists, and Figueroa finished most of those passes with points.

Figueroa’s putback off her own miss with 38 seconds left gave Costa Mesa a four-point lead and it looked like that would be enough. But after Langmos and guard Amy Gentling converted two of four free throws, Lillie Daniels hit a three-pointer to cut the Eagles’ deficit to 51-50.

But without any timeouts, Arrowhead Christian ran out of time.

“I played a real bad half. I was kind of nervous,” Figueroa said. “But I had to step it up in the second half. I left everything on the court. I did what Weeks told me to do.”

Weeks will try to win his second section championship during his 15-year career. He won in the 1989-90 season.

Brannon finished with 10 points and Courtney had nine rebounds.

CIF Southern Section

Division IV-AA

Semifinal

Costa Mesa 51,

Arrowhead Christian 50

Score by Quarters

Costa Mesa 8 11 13 19 — 51

Arrowhead 15 9 9 17 — 50

Costa Mesa -- Figueroa 17, Brannon 10, Werdel 6, Langmos 5, Malapira 5, Courtney 4, Gentling 4.

3-pt. goals -- Gentling 1.

Fouled out -- Courtney, Brannon, Werdel.

Arrowhead Christian -- Conicelli 22, Johns 10, Larson 11, Daniels 5, Spoeltsra 2.

3-pt. goals -- Daniels 1.