Estancia girls’ basketball clamps down defensively to key win at Costa Mesa
The wins have come of late for the Estancia girls’ basketball team, a run of consistent play the Eagles will have to build on to achieve their goal of a playoff berth.
As Estancia coach Judd Fryslie figures it, there are a handful of evenly-matched teams within the Orange Coast League, and it’s how the Eagles fare in those games that will determine their fate.
The Eagles completed the first assignment in that task, pulling away from host Costa Mesa in the second half for a 40-30 win on Thursday in the first meeting with their crosstown rival in the Battle for the Bell.
“We’ve got those four teams in our league that are pretty much all about equal,” Fryslie said. “It’s who wins those games gets to go to playoffs because I don’t think anybody’s beating Calvary [Chape] or St. Margaret’s.
Estancia (9-6, 1-1 in the Orange Coast League) has won six of its last seven games, though Fryslie bent over at the waist in disbelief when guard Jaydin McClure could not convert a layup after a steal going into the break. The Eagles’ lead had shrunk to 17-15 at the half after they made just one field goal — an offensive putback by Morgan Bargas off a missed free throw — in the latter portion of the second quarter.
“We had to start reading, we had to anticipate a little bit, because we were almost there in the first half, but we were just a step late every time,” Fryslie said. “Once we got a little more pressure on the ball, it slowed it down, and then we started reading a lot of the passes.”
A suffocating defense provided a path out of the offensive woes. Costa Mesa (3-6, 0-2) possessions often ended with one shot or none at all. The Eagles jumped into passing lanes, creating turnovers that led to fastbreak chances.
Estancia outscored Costa Mesa 13-1 in the third quarter, all but putting the game away behind a seven-point period from McClure.
“He always knows that we can play way better than how we play, if we’re messing up, and he just gives us the motivation, like, ‘Come on. I know you can play better. You’re going to play better. Keep your head up,’” McClure said of Fryslie’s halftime focus. “It was kind of just basically like him telling us what we could do better on the court, and we fixed it right away, and we came up with that 10-point lead.”
Leslie Calderon converted three times from beyond the arc, including a big three-pointer with three minutes remaining that ended a 9-2 run by the Mustangs. It made the score 37-26.
Bargas had 10 points, 14 rebounds and two blocked shots. Andrea Meza had a team-high seven steals to go with six rebounds and four assists. McClure, who paced the Eagles with 14 points, added five steals.
“We put in the hours, and we definitely can make it far in league,” Bargas said. “That shouldn’t be hard for us this year.”
It was the result the Eagles needed after they dropped the league opener against reigning league champion Calvary Chapel 61-27 at home on Dec. 12. St. Margaret’s has also won its first two league games.
Costa Mesa suffered its third loss in a row on Saturday against visiting Corona. The Mustangs have not scored more than 30 points in any of their defeats.
Against Estancia, Leilani Quero provided a bright spot, scoring 18 points and leading the charge in the second and fourth quarters, in which the Mustangs produced double-digit point totals.
Jade Martinez added six points, and Myah Martinez chipped in with four points.
“The biggest thing for us at the end of the second quarter was getting the ball over the top,” Costa Mesa assistant coach Victor Haney said. “We kept breaking their press, which was great. We just were missing our passing windows. Other than that, we were doing what we’re supposed to do.”
Orange Coast League
Estancia 40, Costa Mesa 30
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Estancia 9 - 8 - 13 - 10 — 40
Costa Mesa 3 - 12 - 1 - 14 — 30
E — McClure 14, Calderon 11, Bargas 10, Navarro 2, Meza 2, Estevan 1.
3-pt. goals — Calderon 3, McClure 1.
Fouled out — None.
Technicals — None.
CM — Quero 18, J. Martinez 6, M. Martinez 4, Terry 2.
3-pt. goals — Quero 3, J. Martinez 1.
Fouled out — None.
Technicals — None.
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