Patrick LavertyAnd the streak goes on. Probably....

Patrick Laverty

And the streak goes on.

Probably.

The Costa Mesa High girls basketball team did its part, winning

the final two games of the season, including a 38-25 defeat of

visiting Santa Ana Thursday, to reach the 11 wins necessary to be

eligible for a postseason at-large berth.

Now the Mustangs (11-13, 5-7 in Golden West League play) must sit

back and await the decision on their playoff fate. There is an

excellent chance that they will extend their consecutive playoff

appearance streak to 15 years. In recent seasons, any team with 11 or

more victories that has petitioned for entry into the postseason has

been granted such.

“There’s a possibility [that we get left out],” Costa Mesa Coach

Jim Weeks said. “It’s not guaranteed.”

But that didn’t prevent the Mustangs from celebrating after the

win over the Saints (5-16, 3-9). After upsetting Westminster on

Tuesday, Costa Mesa left itself in a one-game playoff to reach the

postseason and produced the victory.

“I told them before the game, ‘This team and this game means more

to me than the CIF championship game we won in 1990,’ ” Weeks said.

“This team fought through everything, all the disadvantages that are

obvious. The heart of this team is incredible.”

Those obvious disadvantages are a lack of height that leaves the

Mustangs starting a 5-foot-3 center. Costa Mesa has no one taller

than 5-8 on the roster.

To compensate, the Mustangs have resorted to the long ball,

launching more than half of their shots from behind the three-point

arc. When those shots don’t fall, like in the first quarter against

Santa Ana when the Mustangs were 1 of 10 from beyond the arc, Costa

Mesa is in trouble. But the Mustangs have shown a knack for knocking

down the key shots at the right times.

“When you’re shooting threes, you go in streaks and we’re a

streaky team,” Weeks said.

After they fell behind 7-3 in the first quarter, things turned

around when seniors Susy Trujillo and Brittany Vergara hit

back-to-back three-pointers early in the second period, giving the

Mustangs their first lead of the game. A three-pointer by Deanna

Sanchez with 2:30 remaining in the second quarter and the shot clock

expiring broke an 11-11 tie and Costa Mesa never trailed again.

“There’s no doubt we are a better team than Santa Ana and we

played that way in the last three quarters,” Weeks said.

Leading 16-14 at halftime, Costa Mesa broke the game open by

outscoring Santa Ana, 14-2, in the third quarter. Trujillo had seven

of her game-high 17 points in the period, including a three-pointer

that opened the scoring in the second half. Vergara added a shot from

beyond the arc and two free throws in the period and finished with

eight points and three rebounds.

The lead grew as large as 15 points when Trujillo converted a

three-point play early in the fourth quarter.

“I told them, ‘If you lose this game, you seniors are going to

think about if for the rest of your life and the rest of you will

think about it until next November,’ ” Weeks said.

Senior point guard Cassey Brick added six points and six rebounds

for Mesa. Her three-pointer with 1:20 remaining in the first quarter

provided the Mustangs’ only points of the opening period and halted

an 0-for-9 run that opened the game.

*--*

Golden West League

Costa Mesa 38, Santa Ana 25

Score by Quarters

Santa Ana 7 7 2 9 -- 25

Costa Mesa 3 13 14 8 -- 38

Santa Ana -- Love 0, Chavez 3, Rojas 4, Rincon

1, Sosa 6, Toscano 4, Ava 4, Fernandez 1,

Richards 2. 3-pt. goals -- Ava 1. Fouled out -- None. Technicals -- None. Costa Mesa --

Trujillo 17, Br. Vergara 8, Sanchez 3, Brick 6,

Kelly 4, Be. Vergara 0, Akansel 0, Cluff 0.

3-pt. goals -- Trujillo 2, Br. Vergara 2,

Sanchez 1, Brick 1. Fouled out -- None.

Technicals -- None.

*--*