Eagles fly by Chiefs

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COSTA MESA — The player that lifted the Estancia High boys’ basketball team Wednesday to newfound success almost missed out.

Coach Agustin Heredia was sure looking for a player the caliber of Mark Allred at the start of his first year. Someone as gritty as he was during his Estancia playing days.

But Heredia said some offcourt issues held his senior back, this after Allred spent the last two years at a continuation school. Away from basketball, Allred still fought his way back to join a team fresh off a 2-24 season.

“He got his act together and came back, and we’re lucky to have him,” Heredia said. “We knew who Mark was. We were helping him out, getting him ready to come back when he was ready to.”

Allred has been eager ever since, emerging late in the season as one of the top players in the Newport-Mesa area. In the biggest game in three years at Estancia, the guard proved it in the opening round of the CIF Southern Section Division III-A playoffs.

Every time the Eagles needed a big basket against Santa Fe, there was Allred shaking off defenders before pulling up for a fadeaway jumper. Money almost every time as Allred recorded a career-high 29 points to lead the Eagles to a 73-64 victory, their first playoff win since the 2004-05 season.

As the final buzzer sounded, the Estancia faithful, the few that believed the Eagles (14-13) stood a chance against Santa Fe (18-11), didn’t know what to do. Some stormed the court, others celebrated in the stands. Heredia knew what caused all the commotion.

“We don’t have him, we’re done,” Heredia said of Allred. “Bottom line is, we don’t have Mark here we’re not playing [in] the second round.”

Or playing host to a first-round game. Allred was responsible for last Thursday’s game-winning shot at the buzzer, upsetting defending Orange Coast League champion Laguna Beach to close out the regular season, and helping the Eagles earn the home game.

Since then the team’s confidence has been at an all-time high, a big reason why the Eagles led, 44-25, at halftime. Allred scored 21 of those points, converting four three-point plays.

“It was a confidence booster for us,” Allred said of last week’s win at home against the Breakers that secured second place in league. “It’s like when you beat a top dog like them you kind of feel like you can play with anybody.”

Now the Eagles hit the road, where they are going to face No. 1-seeded Renaissance Academy of La Cañada Friday in the second round. The game will be the first for the Wildcats (22-2) in the postseason after having a first-round bye.

Heredia was already in work mode after Wednesday’s game. He said he would hit up alumnus Jason Simco, who was in attendance to watch Estancia in the opening round.

Simco, the previous coach to lead the Eagles to a home playoff win, is in his second year as an assistant at Corona del Mar. The Sea Kings beat the tall and athletic Wildcats in last year’s section title game and practically the entire team is back.

“They’re going to help us out and share some tapes with us,” said Heredia of the Sea Kings’ staff. “We’re excited, tired, and [I’m] getting over this flu. Absolutely I’ll sleep better tonight.”

The Eagles made sure their coach would get rest, even though they knew Santa Fe would make a run in the second half to make it a closer game.

After Allred’s stellar first half, Santa Fe’s Maurice Cole tried to turn the second half into a one-man show. In the third quarter, when Allred left in foul trouble, getting his fourth foul with less than four minutes remaining, Cole went on a shooting rampage.

The quick senior, also with four fouls, scored nine of his game-high 35 points in the third, cutting the deficit to 55-46 heading into the fourth. Cole scored 14 in the fourth, when he hit four three-pointers, but the closest Santa Fe got was within eight points.

By then Estancia forwards Tim Neumann and Barry Fryslie, who finished with 18 points and 11 points, respectively, made sure to pick up the slack with Allred sitting out the first three minutes of the fourth. The two kept crashing the boards, with Neumann picking up 13 rebounds and Fryslie 10.

Granted Santa Fe missed a lot of shots, shooting 35% from the floor. But the effort spoke volumes of how far the Eagles have come since that tumultuous season of a year ago, when there was more in-fighting than camaraderie on the team.

“We were all on the same page,” Allred said. “None of us wanted to go home, so we know it was either we take it or we’re going home.”

CIF Southern Section Division III-A First round

Estancia 73, Santa Fe 64 SCORE BY QUARTERS

SF – Cole 35, Casillas 11, F. Corona 6, McClement 5, Alvarado 5, Jones 2.

3-pt. goals – Cole 5, McClement 1, Alvarado 1.

Est. – Allred 29, Neumann 18, Fryslie 11, McClanahan 7, Jones 6, Knapp 2.

3-pt. goals – Allred 3, Fryslie 1, McClanahan 1.

DAVID CARRILLO PEÑALOZA may be reached at (714) 966-4612 or at [email protected].