DAILY PILOT GIRLS’ BASKETBALL DREAM TEAM:

Two years ago, grades were what stopped Michelle Figueroa from getting on the basketball court as she was academically ineligible.

But, in her senior season at Costa Mesa High, Figueroa wasn’t going to let anything get in her way.

Her left knee hurt, but she played through it.

“I learned how to forget about it,” Figueroa said. “I thought, ‘If you don’t have pain, it’s because you’re not working hard enough.’ ”

After all, Figueroa’s back was just fine, and the Orange Coast League MVP carried the Mustangs on it for much of the year.

Figueroa is the Daily Pilot Dream Team Newport-Mesa Player of the Year for the second straight year. Last year, the point guard shared the honor with teammate Jennifer Courtney, but this season it was obvious who Mesa’s standout was after Figueroa averaged 19.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game.

Coach Jim Weeks, who retired after 16 years as the Mustang girls’ head coach, was glad to go out with a gamer like Figueroa.

“It was a special thing to be able to walk out with that kind of player,” Weeks said. “She’s grown and matured in all aspects of her life.”

Figueroa, also named a Southern Section Division IV-AA first-team selection, had big games when the Mustangs (19-9, 8-1 in league) needed them most. She had 22 points and 17 rebounds in Costa Mesa’s 62-51 victory at Laguna Beach on Feb. 5, the win that clinched Mesa’s second straight league crown. Previously, she scored a career-high 31 points to lift the Mustangs past cross-town rival Estancia, 55-41, on Jan. 23.

Figueroa nearly doubled her scoring total from her junior year (9.8), but also had more assists and was Costa Mesa’s second-leading rebounder behind senior center Jasmine Werdel.

“I think that says a lot right there,” Weeks said. “When she was penetrating, getting the ball to people and scoring, she really made our offense go. I think this was the best offensive team I’ve had since I came back [in 1997], and she was the reason for it.”

Costa Mesa fell short of its goal of returning to the CIF Southern Section Division IV-AA championship game, losing at St. Matthias in the second round, 60-56. Even then, Figueroa delivered with 28 points and 17 rebounds.

“After that game, it kind of got to us when we got back to school,” Figueroa said. “It was hard. It was really hard on us seniors, but we’re all kind of over it. It had to happen, but there’s nothing you could do about it. We grew as a team, and that’s all that matters.

“It was a good season. We had our ups and downs. At the end, you start looking back, and we had a lot of great games. The whole year, we did a great job.”

Figueroa said she will likely attend either Orange Coast College or Fullerton College, where she plans to continue her basketball career. She’s leaning toward OCC.

But for now, she has plenty of memories over the last two years.

“We held our own against teams that were bigger,” Weeks said. “Michelle would really spur us on, and you couldn’t knock her down. If you knocked her down, she was getting up. It was real good leadership.”

Also making the six-player Dream Team are a pair of Figueroa’s Costa Mesa teammates, Jasmine Werdel and Amy Gentling. Sage Hill School’s Tierney Danner and Katie McKeon also make the squad, as does Estancia’s Kassie Stratton.

JASMINE WERDEL

Costa Mesa, Senior

 The Mustangs’ 5-foot-11 center was a force down low all year long, especially defensively. Werdel averaged 11.6 points per game, as well as team-highs of 8.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks.

Werdel, a first-team All-Orange Coast League selection, had one of her best offensive games in the league-clinching win over Laguna Beach, scoring 19 points.

She was also a reason why Figueroa, the point guard, was able to get so many rebounds, screening out the opponents’ bigger players down low.

AMY GENTLING

Costa Mesa, Junior

 Weeks would often put Gentling on the opponent’s best offensive player, and the tenacious 5-foot-5 guard delivered almost every time. She did it against Fountain Valley in the consolation final of the Costa Mesa Winter Classic on Dec. 30, helping the Mustangs impressively win the consolation crown and shutting down the Barons’ Sami Little. Little had scored 21 points in an earlier meeting, but was held to eight in the rematch.

Gentling’s offense also came around for the Mustangs. A first-team All-Orange Coast League selection, she raised her scoring average from 5.7 as a sophomore to 6.8 this year, third on the team. She also had 30 steals, second on the team.

TIERNEY DANNER

Sage Hill, Junior

 Danner was a force inside for the Lightning, but was versatile enough to hold her own in the transition game. A first-team All-Academy League and All-Southern Section Division IV-AA selection, she averaged team-highs of 17.2 points and 9.1 rebounds per game and tallied 12 double-doubles.

The 6-foot forward, a repeat Dream Team selection, scored in double figures in 25 of Sage Hill’s 27 games. Danner helped the Lightning finish 17-10 and advance to the quarterfinals of the CIF Southern Section Division IV-AA playoffs. Coach Lou Silverman admired Danner’s even demeanor, even with all the contact in the paint.

Look for Danner to help Sage Hill, which will bring back its other top two scorers in Stephanie Garrison and Morgan Hembarsky, to even loftier heights next season.

KATIE McKEON

Sage Hill, Senior

 A starting point guard for four years, McKeon was an invaluable resource on the court for Silverman.

McKeon averaged 4.6 points and a team-high 5.0 assists per game. A second-team All-Academy League pick, she brought maturity to a fairly young team, and her leadership qualities in the court helped the Lightning go.

“She’s a huge asset to the school, to the program, to the coaching staff on and off the court,” Silverman said. “She has a great leadership repertoire.”

KASSIE STRATTON

Estancia, Freshman

 Stratton, a 5-foot-10 wing player, emerged as a consistent scorer for the Eagles. She scored a team-high average of 12.2 points per game, bumping it up to 12.6 in Orange Coast League play.

Coach Tommy Rausch said Stratton led Estancia (3-23, 0-9 in league) in scoring in 13 of the 21 games she played in. Weeks certainly knew how dangerous she was, putting Gentling on Stratton every time.

A first-team All-Orange Coast League selection, Stratton scored over 20 points three times, including a season-high of 22. She’s a big reason why the Eagles hope to be on the upswing over the next several years.

“She is tremendously gifted with a huge upside,” Rausch said. “She’s a very coachable player with a great attitude toward the game and her teammates. I really look forward to working with her for the next three years.”

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