Eagles’ late errors thwart comeback

COSTA MESA — With six unanswered points scored in 64 seconds, it seemed as if the Estancia High boys’ basketball team had all the momentum against Laguna Hills.

Hawks Coach Joe Brick shouted for a timeout, nearly costing himself a technical foul with 2:15 left in the quarterfinal game of the Estancia Coast Classic.

During the short break, Estancia Coach Agustin Heredia reminded his players to take care of the ball, but that would prove to be their demise. The Eagles (7-8) committed two pivotal turnovers that helped the Hawks (3-11) hold on for a 60-52 victory Saturday night.

Estancia, which had closed to within 50-43, drops to the fifth-place semifinals, where it will face Aliso Niguel Monday at 4:45 p.m.

“I told them that when we make a run, those are the times we have to take care of the ball and cherish it,” Heredia said. “I don’t think we did that.”

At times, the Eagles did take care of the ball and would provide glimpses that they can be a sound team, even when matched up against taller players.

Estancia outscored Laguna Hills, 12-7, in the first quarter and held a 19-9 advantage after senior Tim Neumann scored inside with 5:38 left before the half.

But the Hawks woke up and went on a 17-6 run to close out the second quarter, taking a 26-25 lead into the locker room.

“We played really hard,” said junior Kohl Jones, who led the Eagles with a game-high 20 points. “But in the end they were just bigger than us and stronger than us. We had a few turnovers in the end that cost us.”

Laguna Hills opened the third quarter with a 9-2 run that allowed the Hawks to gain control of the game. They used their height advantage to maintain their lead. Tyler Young, a 6-foot-6 senior, led the Hawks with 17 points, and 6-7 senior Collin Pfingst added 13 points.

Estancia’s tallest player is Ryan Knapp, a 6-4 senior reserve post player.

“Our size was exploited,” Heredia said.

The Hawks stayed in a man-to-man defense throughout, allowing some good looks for senior Troy McClanahan, the Eagles’ best outside shooter. But several of his shots rattled in and out. He did hit three three-pointers and finished with 13 points.

“I was just off a little bit,” McClanahan said. “A lot of them were just rattling in and out. It’s going to happen some nights, but you want to limit those nights.”

Brick thought Max Cymermint’s defense also played a part in McClanahan’s off night. The Laguna Hills senior stayed on McClanahan after he hit two three-pointers in the second quarter.

Estancia Coast Classic

Quarterfinal

Laguna Hills 60, Estancia 52

SCORE BY QUARTERS

LH – Young 17, Mangano 14, Phingst 13, Cymerint 10, McCullough 3, Overend 2, Ur 1.

3-pt. goals – Mangano 3, Cymerint 1.

Fouled out – Phingst.

Technicals – None.

Est – Jones 20, McClanahan 13, Neumann 7, Knapp 5, Thomas 3, Joyner 2, Cherney 2.

3-pt. goals – McClanahan 3, Jones 1, Thomas 1, Knapp 1.

Fouled out – None.

STEVE VIRGEN may be reached at (714) 966-4616 or by e-mail at steve.virgen@latimes.com.