Mustangs exact revenge

COSTA MESA — Michelle Figueroa, and later in the game Antoinette Langmos, kept driving the ball inside for the Costa Mesa High girls’ basketball team.

On the sideline, Newport Harbor Coach Randy Larson kept waiting for his team to take a charge as the Mustangs’ senior point guards kept driving and dishing.

But the only Mustangs charge was on the scoreboard, as Mesa started strong and cruised to a 62-30 win in a consolation semifinal of the 25th annual Costa Mesa Winter Classic on Friday.

Just two weeks earlier, when the teams played in the Magnolia Tournament on Dec. 15, the Sailors were able to slow Figueroa in Newport Harbor’s 50-33 win. Figueroa was held to nine points in that game, but this time, she totaled team highs of 18 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and three steals.

“She’s a wonderful kid and a good athlete, she has her spin move and we know exactly where she’s going,” Larson said. “Last game, we took four charges against her and got her in foul trouble. Today, we let her go all the way in for layups. She’s their person who needs to be stopped, and the whole game she was just going down the key.”

The Mustangs (8-6), who play in the consolation final against Fountain Valley today at 1:30 p.m., jumped on Newport Harbor (4-10) early. Figueroa and senior center Jasmine Werdel each had six points in the first quarter, as Mesa jumped out to a 14-6 lead.

“We weren’t ready last time [against Newport Harbor],” said Mesa senior guard Kathy Trinh, who had 11 points. “Nobody was really into it as much. Today, we really wanted to beat them.”

Newport Harbor, which plays in a consolation game today at 10:30 a.m., never got closer than eight points the rest of the way. The Mustangs went into the half up, 27-13, on senior Denise Rosello’s three-pointer. But it was Figueroa driving the lane again with seconds left in the half, on a play where Larson wanted a charge and didn’t get it, that made the Sailors coach say something.

“Call the game both ways,” Larson said to the referee as the teams went off the court.

“Play the game both ways,” the referee responded, and the exchange continued until Larson was assessed a technical foul. But after the game, Larson seemed to agree with the referee’s assessment.

“I’m not sure what’s happened, but [the players] have lost the mental toughness and physical toughness,” Larson said. “We’re trying to get back there. We have to have girls who want to play hard ... Unfortunately, they’ve not had a winning record here for a long time. It’s trying to get over that hurdle and say, ‘To be a winning team you have to play at this level.’ We’re working, but we’re also real young.”

Mesa opened the second half on a 9-1 run, pushing the lead to 36-14 before a basket from the Sailors’ Maiquel McLeish. Sophomores Katey Thompson (6-foot-1) and McLeish (6-0), Newport Harbor’s primary post players, are both not at full strength. Friday, they combined for three points.

“[Thursday] was Maiquel’s first game back after a concussion, and Katey’s had a sprained ankle,” Larson said. “We’re just not that big after you take them out of the game.”

Jasmine Werdel had 14 points and seven rebounds for Costa Mesa, which held Newport Harbor to single-digit scoring in each of the four quarters. Langmos had three assists, all of them coming in the third quarter. The last assist, to Rosello for a corner three-pointer, pushed the lead to 30 at 48-18.

“Last time they jumped on us, and this time we got them down early and jumped on them,” Costa Mesa Coach Jim Weeks said. “We executed really well today. The plays we ran, we finished them.”

Sophomore Coleen Mead had eight points to lead Harbor.

Laguna Hills faces Rosary for the Winter Classic title tonight at 8.

Costa Mesa Winter Classic

Consolation semifinal

Costa Mesa 62, Newport Harbor 30

SCORE BY QUARTERS

NH – Mead 8, Hohl 6, Schnieders 6, Ke. Thompson 3, McLeish 3, O’Tousa 2, Riley 2.

3-pt. goals – Mead 1.

Technicals – Coach.

CM – Figueroa 18, Werdel 14, Trinh 11, Rosello 8, Judkins 4, Bauermeister 2, Caicedo 2, Scheidt 2, Gentling 1.

3-pt. goals – Rosello 2, Trinh 1.

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