Boys’ Basketball: Mesa makes CIF, Eagles get ribs
The last Battle for the Bell boys’ basketball game between rivals Costa Mesa and Estancia also marked the last game of the season for one of the high schools.
The winner took third in the Orange Coast League and made the CIF Southern Section playoffs. As for the loser, there is no postseason.
The Mustangs are returning to the Division 4AA playoffs, as they clinched third in league with a 51-37 win at home over Estancia on Thursday.
Already on their way to locking up third, finishing 6-4, two games ahead of the Eagles, the Mustangs came close to claiming the rivalry. They needed to win by at least 16 points, but their shot at the buzzer was no good.
The only reward for the Eagles on the evening was it won the Battle for the Bell series and the rib dinner that comes with it because they beat Costa Mesa by 15 points in the first meeting. None of that seemed to matter to both coaches. Costa Mesa’s Phil Weber is taking his team to the postseason for the second consecutive time, while Xavier Castellano’s Eagles are staying home in the postseason for the second time in a row.
Only the top three teams in league earn berths into the playoffs. With the section requiring teams to finish with at least a .500 overall record to be considered for an at-large playoff entry, Costa Mesa and Estancia went into the final regular-season game below .500. They both had to win to keep their season alive.
“We put more emphasis on winning the game, getting to CIF, than we did the Bell,” Weber said. “I knew there was a lot coming in. It was senior night and our last home.”
The Mustangs (10-17) looked sluggish through the first three quarters, scoring only 28 points. In the final quarter, Costa Mesa almost put up that many points to finish off the Eagles.
Osman Hefner and Nico Dasca played well in the final eight minutes, combining for 15 of the team’s 23 fourth-quarter points.
Hefner scored eight of his 12 points in the fourth, and came up with three of his four steals. Dasca produced seven of his 12 points in the fourth, making each of his three shots, including a three-pointer that pretty much put away Estancia with 3½ minutes to go.
After Estancia cut the deficit to 35-31 on Evan Pettingill’s layup, giving him two of his 13 points, the Mustangs went on a run. They scored 11 straight points. Jack Perez (six points, 10 rebounds) drained a three-pointer, Ben Swanson (eight points) had a putback, Hefner drove in for two and made a free throw, and then Dasca hit his second three. The Mustangs extended their lead to 46-31.
Estancia (11-13, 4-6 in league) went almost four minutes in the fourth quarter without scoring. Cameron Jones’ three ended the drought with 1:39 left. Jones led everyone with 19 points, but it wasn’t enough.
“Two games below [.500],” Castellano said of how close his team came to making the Division 4A playoffs, “but it’s a big improvement in year three [with me in charge]. I’m proud of my guys. I made them a promise back in the spring that we were going to have a winning record and make playoffs. After we lost three in a row [in January], it was tough, but the kids battled back [and won half of their last eight games].”
Orange Coast League
Costa Mesa 51, Estancia 37
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Estancia 7 – 4 – 15 – 11 — 37
Costa Mesa 12 – 5 – 11 – 23 — 51
E – Jones 19, Pettingill 13, Gray 3, Brown 2.
3-pt. goals – Pettingill 2, Jones 2, Gray 1.
Fouled out – None.
Technicals – None.
CM – Dasca 12, Hefner 12, Swanson 8, Perez 6, Ayala 5, Chavez 4, Workman 2, Villalpando 2.
3-pt. goals – Dasca 2, Perez 2, Swanson 2, Hefner 1.
Fouled out – None.
Technicals – None.
Twitter: @ByDCP
