Eagles clinch playoff spot
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Barry Faulkner
Having risen to the top of the Golden West League, the Estancia
High girls basketball team’s challenge with three league games
remaining is to not lower its play to the level of competition.
Unfortunately for the Eagles’ attempt to prepare for the
postseason, that level doesn’t figure to be inordinately high, as was
the case Monday night against visiting Santa Ana.
The Saints (9-11, 2-6 in league) played hard to the end, but were
overmatched by the Eagles, who improved to 14-8, 9-0 with a 57-43
victory that Coach Tami Rappa won’t file alongside her team’s classic
performances. The win, combined with a loss by fourth-place Ocean
View (4-5 in league) clinched a guaranteed berth in the CIF Southern
Section Playoffs for the Eagles, who can wrap up at least a share of
the league crown with a win Wednesday night over crosstown rival
Costa Mesa.
“It was sloppy,” said the first-year Estancia coach, whose team
has now won 14 straight league games, dating back to a 5-0 run to
close the Pacific Coast League campaign last year, en route to a
co-championship. “We got into our jungle ball court game, instead of
running our offense.”
The Eagles committed 31 turnovers, some of which were caused by
steadfast Santa Ana defense. But several wayward passes appeared to
be the result of indifference, as the hosts, at times, toyed with the
scrappy Saints.
“If we don’t come out pressing, we don’t have that intensity,”
Rappa said. “But we’d demolish a lot of the teams in this league if
we pressed all the time. At the same time, our girls have to be
disciplined enough to know we have to come out and play hard against
teams that don’t have our skill level.”
The lack of early intensity was apparent as the Saints seized
leads of 3-2 and 5-4, then rallied to tie the game at 9-9 with 2:13
left in the first quarter.
But, with its full-court press in place, the Eagles scored the
next 16 points, over a span of 3:39, and were never again seriously
threatened.
Senior Tisha Gray was the most consistent Eagle, dispersing her 19
points and 10 rebounds throughout four quarters.
Junior Trisha Wase collected 12 rebounds, 10 assists and five
points, despite missing about half the first quarter with foul
trouble.
Senior Xochitl Byfield and junior Nancy Castro chipped in eight
points and five rebounds, apiece, while 10 of the 11 Eagles who saw action scored.
Helping to overcome their turnover trouble, the Eagles posted a
47-31 rebounding advantage. And, despite playing in the boys gym for
the first time all year (a broken cable prevented one goal from being
lowered into place in the girls gym), they shot 52.5% from the field,
including 7 of 8 in the final eight minutes.
The Eagles, however, missed 17 of 31 free throws, after coming in
with what Rappa estimated as 70% proficiency from the foul line all
season.
Rappa said she hopes to have the basket repaired in time to host
Costa Mesa Wednesday.
After the 16-0 run put Estancia in command, the two teams traded
runs to close the first half. Santa Ana sandwiched a pair of 6-0 runs
around a 5-0 Estancia burst to make it 30-21 at intermission.
The Eagles scored the first six points of the third quarter and,
after Santa Ana’s Veronica Palacios banked in a layup with 5:26 left
in the third quarter, the Saints went the next 8:21 without
converting a field goal.
With Wase threading passes through the defense to open teammates
underneath -- she collected four assists on such plays in the fourth
quarter -- the Eagles held off the Saints, who nearly doubled their
point total with 19 in the final period.
Palacios had 12 points off the bench to pace the Saints, who
received nine points from Alicia Love (eight in the first period,
including both of her team’s three-pointers), and eight points from
reserve Daniela Sosa.
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