Win comes easy for Mustangs

COSTA MESA — It was too easy for the Costa Mesa High girls’ basketball team to score.

So much so that the Mustangs could’ve matched Redlands Adventist Academy’s enrollment with points.

The Mustangs played host in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division IV-AA playoffs to a private school that its coach said has just a little more than 100 students.

A mismatch from the get-go for the Bulldogs. Costa Mesa has 1,240 students, and Redlands Adventist Coach Joe Agustines didn’t need to look at the huge poster facing his team’s bench to figure it out.

It read, “Watch Out 4R Stampede” and it was right on, as third-seeded Costa Mesa won, 81-19, to advance to the second round.

“We’ve never faced anybody with this size,” Agustines said. “We’re talking about everyone in our [Victory] league is just a small school. It’s always going to be tougher to go up against a school with 1,000 kids.”

It probably felt to Agustines that every Costa Mesa female student contributed.

Well, each of Coach Jim Weeks’ 13 players received minutes. Eleven scored, and the two who didn’t, Costa Mesa (17-10) tried to let them in the fun against the Bulldogs (10-15).

Guard Amy Gentling’s 15 points led four players in double figures, and each time she or anyone else scored, Weeks smiled.

He was giddy throughout, because Costa Mesa was on its way to finally making it into the second round, where it plays Saturday against La Quinta of Westminster. La Quinta advanced after beating Loma Linda, 59-55, in its first-round game Thursday. There will be a coin flip today determining which school plays at home in the second round.

“Last time was 2001,” said Weeks of getting out of the first round of the playoffs, which the school has qualified for 17 out of the last 18 seasons. “I don’t think we’ve scored [81] since I’ve come back [to coach] nine years ago. I know [the Bulldogs] feel bad because they’re having to go against a big public school. But when you’re going up against a 1,300-student private Catholic school [like we have in the past in Division III], where they get to recruit, it’s almost the same as what they had to face today.

“We talked to [the team] at halftime, we said, ‘Yes, this game’s over basically [with us leading, 48-12] … but we want to keep trying to get better.’ This is the first step. This isn’t the end. We’ve got things we want to accomplish.”

Like a section title. The Mustangs played like championship contenders, with everyone chipping in.

When Gentling wasn’t knocking one of her three three-pointers, teammate Miriah Malapira began lighting it up. She hit three three-pointers to finish with 14 points.

For the game, Costa Mesa shot 11 for 18 from behind the three-point line. Five players hit three-pointers, and the times they missed, forward Jennifer Courtney grabbed the offensive rebounds.

Courtney didn’t get the start, but she finished with 11 points, 11 rebounds and three steals. Nikki Brannon started for Courtney and before tipoff she knew why.

“I didn’t start because I missed practice on Monday. I stood up, and [Weeks] was like, ‘No, no, you’re sitting down,” Courtney said. “I was like, all right.”

Even with Courtney out, Costa Mesa was all right going up against a small school. Just ask its coach.

CIF Southern Section

Division IV-AA Playoffs

First round

Costa Mesa 81,

Redlands Adventist Academy 19

Score by Quarters

Redlands 5 7 3 4 — 19

Costa Mesa 23 25 23 10 — 81

Redlands Adventist -- Houck 7, Duden 6, Rice 2, McBeth 2, Oberg 2.

3-pt. goals -- None.

Costa Mesa -- Gentling 15, Malapira 14, Courtney 11, Figueroa 10, Trinh 8, Brannon 6, Ashoori 6, Werdel 4, Rosello 3, Langmos 2, Gutierrez 2.

3-pt. goals -- Gentling 3, Malapira 3, Trinh 2, Ashoori 2, Rosello 1 .