Defense of title the goal

Jim Weeks couldn’t hide the laughter in his voice.

The Costa Mesa High girls’ basketball coach is a year removed from starting 5-foot-6 Jennifer Courtney as a main post presence for the Mustangs. It worked out for everyone involved, as Courtney, the Orange Coast League Player of the Year, helped lead the Mustangs to the league title, the CIF Southern Section Division IV-AA championship game and a berth in the CIF State Southern California Regional Division III tournament.

Courtney, who was the Daily Pilot Dream Team Co-Player of the Year last year with teammate Michelle Figueroa, graduated. But the other four starters — senior guards Figueroa and Kathy Trinh, senior center Jasmine Werdel and junior guard Amy Gentling — return.

Someone has to fill Courtney’s spot in the starting five, and the nine points and team-high 11.3 rebounds she averaged a season ago. Weeks said he might go even smaller, with senior Tatiana Caicedo.

“She’s our 5-foot-4 power forward,” Weeks said, adding a chuckle. “She’ll screen out anybody. She does a great job at that, and that will really help us. Her experience, and desire, has got her the starting position right now.”

Experience and desire are what the Mustangs are all about. Costa Mesa returns seven players from the Orange Coast League championship team.

Figueroa led Costa Mesa in points (9.8) and assists (4.3) last year, when she was first-team All-Orange Coast League and first-team All-CIF Southern Section Division IV-AA. She has picked up where she left off, too, as Figueroa scored 24 points in the Mustangs’ 65-56 loss to Pacific Hills on Saturday.

Costa Mesa is 0-2 early in the season, but has lost to two powerhouses (Pacific Hills reached the Division III-AA final last season and Mission Viejo is a strong program).

How far the Mustangs can go may depend on how far Figueroa can lead them, Weeks said.

“She’s the engine that drives the train,” Weeks said of Figueroa, adding that she can hit the outside shot as well as penetrate. “She creates a lot of mismatches for teams. We’ll need her leadership. The team really feeds off her emotion a lot.”

Werdel will also be a force down low, Weeks said. Last year, the second-team all-league performer averaged 6.2 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game.

“She’s really improved a lot on the inside game,” Weeks said. “Our guards will have to shoot well so they don’t collapse on Jasmine.”

Gentling, also a second-team all-league selection a year ago, was fourth on the team in scoring (5.6 per game). But her biggest role may be as a defensive stopper.

“She’ll guard the best player on the other team every time,” Weeks said. “She knows how to play good, solid positional defense. We’ll use her against almost everybody, other than centers.”

Trinh, like Figueroa, can either drive to the basket or shoot outside. The senior guard averaged 5.3 points last season, when she received honorable mention in all-league voting.

Senior Antoinette Langmos, who will back up Figueroa at point guard, can also capably lead the Mustangs’ fast-paced offense, Weeks said.

Also returning is senior Denise Rosello, whom Weeks described as the Mustangs’ most dangerous three-point shooter. That’s especially true as then-sophomore Miriah Malapira, who led the team with 29 three-pointers last season, transferred to Saddleback.

Moving up from last year’s junior varsity will be junior Kelsi Bauermeister and sophomores Olivia Scheidt and Julianne Judkins. Bauermeister and Scheidt were Co-MVPs on the JV team a year ago.

Weeks said Calvary Chapel, which handed Mesa its only league loss a year ago, returns two of its three leading scorers. But the Mustangs are favored to repeat as Orange Coast League champions.

“Estancia and Laguna Beach are improving, too,” Weeks said. “They’re all going to compete. We just have more girls coming back, so we should be favored. I know we’ll be the one that everyone gets up for.”

MATT SZABO may be reached at (714) 966-4614 or at matthew.szabo@latimes.com.