Mustangs surpass rivals

CORONA DEL MAR — All that was missing from completing a huge turnaround was that bell for Costa Mesa High to ring.

Where was it at Thursday night?

Without it, the Mustangs still answered the bell when they had to against cross-town rival Estancia.

The organizers of the Battle for the Bell might want to wait until the season is over before giving the Bell trophy and free ribs to the winner.

This time, the Mustangs were hungrier than the Eagles. For that, they’re the city boys’ basketball champions.

Deservedly so, as Costa Mesa beat Estancia, 52-48, giving it the edge in the series and earning itself the Orange Coast League’s second playoff berth in a league playoff game at Corona del Mar High.

The two adversaries met for a third time this season due to three teams being tied for second place at 4-4 in league play after Wednesday.

A day later, Costa Mesa (10-15, 5-4 in league) left Estancia and Calvary Chapel to fight for the league’s third and final postseason berth tonight at Corona del Mar at 7.

The Mustangs are heading to the CIF Southern Section Division IV-A playoffs after winning one game last season.

Who would’ve thought this was possible after the Mustangs last season suffered the program’s worst season in school history?

Mikey Molina believed. The senior delivered down the stretch, allowing Costa Mesa to fulfill its goal of reaching the postseason.

Molina scored nine of his 15 points in the fourth quarter, getting his opportunity to seal the Mustangs’ fate. In the final 24 seconds, with Estancia trailing by one point and later two points, Molina attempted two sets of free throws, coming on one-and-one situations.

From the sideline, first-year coach Bryan Rice kept saying, “Ice it Mikey” when the Eagles fouled his guard.

Molina was clutch. He went four for four from the free-throw line. There was no way he was going to miss.

This was Molina’s last chance to return to the playoffs.

“Coming from a one-win season last year, [this] just shows how much we’ve improved this year as a team,” Molina said. “You never know what a year can bring you. It brought us back to the CIF [playoffs].”

Estancia, last season’s runner-up, will try to join Costa Mesa in the postseason.

The Eagles (4-5 in league) will have to beat Calvary Chapel for the second time in three nights. A tough task is ahead tonight.

Estancia put itself in this situation. After fighting back in the second half to take its first lead of the game with 3:28 left in the third quarter, the Eagles were outscored, 20-10, in the final quarter.

The Eagles’ lead lasted until the 2:04 mark in the fourth. The Mustangs went ahead, 48-47, after Ben Lefebvre converted two of his 14 points on a jumper.

On the following Eagles’ possession, Costa Mesa fouled, sending Estancia to the free-throw line for a one-and-one situation. The Eagles missed the first attempt and Costa Mesa rebounded the ball.

Costa Mesa tried to eat time off the clock. An offensive rebound on a missed three-pointer helped the Mustangs take almost another minute off the clock.

With 36 seconds left and Estancia still down one, the Eagles threw a long inbound pass to Davon Joyner. The sophomore, who led the Eagles with 15 points, drove to the basket, but he missed the layup.

On the floor, Joyner came up with the loose ball. He tried to kick it out, but Costa Mesa’s Brian Waldron intercepted it. What transpired next hurt the Eagles.

They were called for a flagrant foul with 26 seconds left.

Costa Mesa missed the two free throws, but it got the ball due to the hard foul. Two seconds later, Estancia was forced to foul Molina. When Molina hit the first free throw, giving him another opportunity, Estancia Coach Agustin Heredia felt it getting away.

“That was the nail in the coffin,” said Heredia, who began to replay what went wrong. “We stopped playing. They just played a little harder than us.”

“[To get into the playoffs we have to do the] same thing that we did [Wednesday night]. Compete a little bit. I’m not sure we did that [Thursday].”

Orange Coast League

Costa Mesa 52, Estancia 48

SCORE BY QUARTERS

CC – Molina 15, Lefebvre 14, Waldron 7, Albers 6, LeValley 6, Astorino 4.

3-pt. goals – Molina 3, Lefebvre 2, LeValley 2, Astorino 1, Waldron 1.

Technicals – Coach.

E – Joyner 15, Jones 13, Neumann 13, McClanahan 6, Cherney 1.

3-pt. goals – Joyner 2, McClanahan 2, Neumann 1.