Mackenzie Sanchez, Estancia girls' basketball top Los Amigos

Estancia's Alexis Orellana takes a shot in front of Johanna Torrez during a basketball game against Los Amigos.

By Scott FrenchSpecial Contributor

Dec. 23, 2021 7:02 PM PT

Mackenzie Sanchez is back on the court, for real this time, and that could be the difference as Estancia High School‘s girls’ basketball team seeks their first trip to the CIF Southern Section playoffs in four years.

Sanchez, who missed nearly all of her first three seasons after tearing her left and then her right anterior cruciate ligament, is the pivotal figure for the Eagles, and she made that apparent in Thursday afternoon’s 43-23 nonleague romp over visiting Los Amigos.

The 5-foot-2 point guard made three three-pointers en route to 15 points, pulled down 13 rebounds and made a half-dozen steals as Estancia (5-4) grabbed a winning mark for the first time since a season-opening win over Los Amigos (0-11) in the Lobos’ tournament.

“At this point, we’re over .500,” said head coach Judd Fryslie, whose Eagles last posted a winning record six years ago, when they won their fifth Orange Coast League title in six seasons. “We’re going to try to stay over .500, because [then in Division 5A we would] really have a good chance of going to the playoffs.”

Mackenzie Sanchez drives in for a layup during a girls' basketball game against Los Amigos on Thursday.

A lot of the responsibility for that falls to Sanchez, who injured her knee in her varsity debut as a freshman, then injured the other when she returned late in her sophomore season and missed her junior campaign last spring.

“Sad for her to miss most of her career with her knees,” Fryslie said. “So far [this season], so good.”

Sanchez was the standout in a ragged game in which the Eagles were comfortably in command after her three-pointer provided a quick lead after 38 seconds. They opened a double-digit lead by the end of the third quarter, then pulled away down the stretch.

Alexis Orellana scored nine points and made seven steals, Morgan Bargas grabbed seven rebounds, and Estancia forced 28 Los Amigos turnovers, turning them into 23 points.

Estancia's Morgan Bargas pulls a rebound from Los Amigos' Amber Rangel during a girls' basketball game on Thursday.

The Lobos, who made just six of 47 field-goal attempts, were strong on the boards — Amber Rangel had 22 rebounds, nine on the offensive end, and Giselle Hernandez grabbed 11 — with 53 rebounds to Estancia’s 39.

“As far as finishing goes, that’s still what we have to do,” said Los Amigos coach Nate Werdel, whose team lacks varsity experience after 11 seniors graduated six months ago. “We rebound, we compete with teams, we just don’t finish on the offensive end.”

The Eagles made just 25% of their shots and streaked to a 14-4 lead in the second quarter, before Los Amigos made it tight for a spell as Hernandez’s three-point play was followed by the first of two Gallardo three-pointers.

Sanchez says the road back to health was difficult, but she has much to accomplish now that she’s on the court.

“I wanted to be able to play and help the team out, and the time it took to get back was really hard, because physical therapy and all that took a lot of work,” she said. “I’m excited for the season, and since it’s my last year, I’ve got to play hard and get as many wins and good games as possible so that we could hopefully make it to playoffs.”