Eagles let one slip away

COSTA MESA — Just before Laguna Hills High’s final shot nestled into the net, Estancia boys’ basketball coach Agustin Heredia looked away from the court.

He sensed Amin Sharif’s game-winning free throw would go in. In his mind, the Eagles had already lost before Sharif’s foul shots connected with two seconds left to give the Hawks a 46-45 win in the first round of the Estancia Coast Classic Saturday night.

“I knew it was going in because we didn’t deserve to win that game,” Heredia said. “We stopped playing on several occasions. We have a tendency to do that.”

At times, it appeared the Eagles (8-5) had a win in hand, early on with a 16-4 lead after one quarter, and even late in the game. With 43 seconds left, junior Raymond Holmes drained a three-pointer to give Estancia a 45-44 lead. Senior Ryan Cherney grabbed a rebound for the Eagles after Jason White missed a three-pointer with 20 seconds remaining.

Then two seconds later, the Hawks fouled senior Wes Shaw to send him to the free-throw line in a one-and-one situation. He missed the first attempt and Laguna Hills rebounded. The Hawks called a timeout with 10 seconds left to set up a final play. Heredia told his players to foul if they were beat off the dribble since the Eagles had three fouls to give. But Sharif drove in too deep and by the time he approached the basket, Davon Joyner’s foul came as Sharif put up a shot.

Sharif scored 13 points to share his team’s lead with Tevin Brock. Senior Kohl Jones scored 14 points, including seven in the first quarter. Joyner, a junior, added 11 points and seven rebounds. Jones also had seven rebounds. Shaw scored nine points.

“The first quarter was fine,” Heredia said. “Then we stopped playing in the second and the third quarter, but that’s something we do all the time. It’s frustrating to no end. We keep talking about it and we keep doing it. I’m at a loss right now.”

Even though the Eagles are experiencing some struggles, they opened the season 4-0. Against the Hawks, they sure started out hot. Laguna Hills appeared to be without emotion and scored just four points in the first quarter.

But the Hawks came to life in the second quarter, yet Estancia still carried a 23-15 into halftime. However Laguna Hills used an 18-4 run in the third quarter, which featured a three-pointer by Austin Shiras that gave the Hawks their first lead of the game at 29-27.

The Eagles didn’t let Laguna Hills increase its lead.

They jumped back in the game with a 9-0 run that spanned four minutes. The teams then traded shots in the final quarter.

There were five lead changes and two ties in the fourth quarter.

Yet, Estancia failed to finish. Now the Eagles must play in the consolation bracket of their own tournament. They’ll play against Dimond of Anchorage, Alaska in a consolation quarterfinal Monday at noon.

JSerra defeated Dimond, 57-53.

After Estancia lost, Heredia was frustrated.

“We talked about the same things we talk about over and over again,” Heredia said of what he told his team after the loss. “We can’t stop playing ... It’s typical of what we do. We just don’t sustain an effort.”