HIGH SCHOOLS:

When teams win games, most coaches like to stress the importance of senior leadership. But sometimes, especially within the Newport-Mesa area, much of the credit for girls’ basketball teams has gone to players who aren’t seniors.

At Corona del Mar, the Sea Kings have racked up a 13-2 record, while relying on two sophomores, Kayla Marolt and Ellie Nadal, and a junior, Katie Bergsma, most of the time.

With Marolt leading the team in scoring (16.2 points per game), Bergsma on top with rebounding (10 per game) and Nadal being the assists leader (five per game), the Sea Kings won their first 11 games and captured the championship of the season-opening Corona del Mar-Estancia Tournament.

“We have seven sophomores and a freshman playing for us,” CdM Coach Mark Decker said. “We have had some good success this year, but I think it also bodes well for the future. We will graduate two seniors who are a big part of the team, but we’re going to be fine.

“I don’t see this as a one-year thing or an aberration. I think it’s going to be something that’s pretty consistent from here on out.”

Bergsma is second on the team in scoring, averaging 10.3 points per game.

Corona del Mar will play host to Estancia tonight at 5:30.

The Eagles (9-4) have also been powered by a youth movement that’s helped them triple their win total from a year ago. They’ve lost twice to the Sea Kings this season, but they were in both games, a 58-47 loss in the title game of the CdM-Estancia Tournament, and a 43-40 setback in the Liberty Christian Tournament.

Sophomore Kassie Stratton, who leads Estancia in scoring with 16.2 points per game, has shown to be one of the best players in the area. She’s also been the catalyst for the Eagles’ turnaround year.

Junior Erika Soto, who averages 11 points per game, and her younger sister, Brenda, a sophomore, have also been helping the Eagles, who have just one senior in Amy Martinez. Five sophomores and three juniors make up the rest of the Estancia roster.

“[Stratton is] a very talented player,” Estancia co-coach Xavier Castellano said. “I think the reason that she’s scoring so much is because everyone has started playing defense. She’s stepping up as a defender, too.

“Brenda and Erika have done so much ... they’re the ones that get us going.”

 At Sage Hill, the Lightning (9-4) have been led by seniors Tierney Danner, Stephanie Garrison and Morgan Hembarsky, but a few other younger players have made key contributions this season.

The efforts of junior Hannah Jeffrey and freshman Ava Soleimany helped Sage Hill win the Avalon Tournament Wednesday. Jeffrey scored eight points in the Lightning’s 53-51 win over Godinez for the tournament championship and made the all-tournament team.

“She’s been a monster on the boards,” Sage Hill Coach Lou Silverman said of Jeffrey. “She’s averaging about 11 rebounds a game, which includes 20 in one game. She takes a lot of pressure off of [Danner], so that she can float and do other things.”

Soleimany contributed six points and six assists against Godinez.

“Ava has come in as a freshman and stepped into some big shoes with Katie McKeown gone,” Silverman said. “She has played huge minutes for us. She has been smart and steady and has been making great decisions. She has been a huge asset for our team so far. It’s really impressive what she has done as a freshman. Her skills have been noted by everyone else on the team.

“We had a big need and she has filled it really well so far.”

 At Costa Mesa, the Mustangs have been forced to go young because of injuries, most notably the one to senior Amy Gentling.

She sustained a severe ankle sprain as time wound down in a 69-48 loss to San Pedro Dec. 26 in the Costa Mesa Winter Classic.

Gentling has received a new cast for her right ankle and is going back to the hospital for an MRI next week, Costa Mesa first-year coach Jay Supple said.

“The doctors think it might be a bone chipped in her ankle,” Supple said. “They think she’ll be able to recover from it 100%, which is the most important thing, but in the short term it doesn’t look too promising that she would be back for league. We’ll get the full report on Wednesday.”

Junior Julianne Judkins should also receive a definitive diagnosis on her injured knee next week,” Supple said.

The Mustangs have already brought up sophomore Itzel Barcenas from the junior varsity and they might need to bring another player up from JV to help out.

“We’re going to move forward to league,” said Supple, whose team opens Orange Coast League play at home against Estancia on Thursday at 7 p.m. “We think we still have a good chance in league. We have to play with who we have and we have to step it up and play hard.”

The Mustangs did end the Costa Mesa Winter Classic on a high note with a 56-37 victory over Vaughn of San Fernando. Senior Kelsi Bauermeister led the Mustangs with 17 points, while junior Olivia Scheidt added 11 points and junior Mercedes Gordon scored 10.

 When Estancia High plays at Corona del Mar High tonight in girls’ basketball there will be plenty of familiarity between the players and it’s not because it will be the third meeting of the teams this season.

Playing on the same National Junior Basketball youth team were CdM’s Marolt and Nadal, and Estancia’s Stratton and sophomore Jenny Boldizar.

STEVE VIRGEN may be reached at (714) 966-4616 or by e-mail at [email protected].