Estancia girls’ basketball clinches playoff berth against rival Costa Mesa

Nothing puts fans in the stands like a rivalry game, especially one with major playoff implications.

Estancia High was the site of the Battle for the Bell girls’ basketball game on Wednesday night. Costa Mesa traveled across town, hoping to unleash absolute chaos in the Orange Coast League playoff picture.

A Mustangs win would have opened the door to a three-way tie for third place. That possibility looked to becoming a reality with Costa Mesa up by 12 points at halftime.

Eagles co-coach Ramia Griffin delivered a halftime speech that was all about heart, and the Eagles answered the call with a rousing 46-39 victory in the teams’ regular-season finale.

With the win, Estancia (10-14, 5-5 in league) clinched the third seed in the league and a CIF Southern Section Division 4AA playoff spot. Costa Mesa and Saddleback were one game behind the Eagles coming into the night. The Mustangs will miss the playoffs because their overall record is below .500.

Gisselle Rios scored all of her team-high 14 points in the second half for Estancia. She connected on a trio of three-pointers in the third quarter, a period in which she scored 11 points.

Late in the third quarter, Leslie Escorcia found Rios open in the corner. The senior guard’s three with 2:04 left in the quarter gave Estancia a 32-31 lead.

“It was amazing,” Rios said of her hot shooting. “It all came from the heart. I did it for myself and the team, which I wanted to continue on to the playoffs.”

It was the Eagles’ first lead since they held a 5-3 edge following a three-pointer by Jennifer Leon at the 3:08 mark of the first quarter.

Leon, a senior captain for the Eagles, was proud of her team for upholding tradition. The Eagles have taken the Battle for the Bell in girls’ basketball five years in a row.

“It means everything,” Leon said of the Eagles beating their rival to clinch a postseason berth. “It’s a five-peat. It’s tradition. We’re getting ribs.

“We didn’t make playoffs last year, but this year, we did with our new coach.”

Costa Mesa (7-13, 3-7) was as healthy as it has been all season, with point guard Samantha Filner and power forward Tarah Harmon returning from injuries. Nevertheless, the Mustangs were never able to develop depth this year.

Center McKayla Ortiz fouled out with 3:15 remaining in the third quarter. Once Estancia had gotten back into the game, forward Katie Belmontes tried to take over the game in transition. Unfortunately for the Mustangs, Belmontes was called for a pair of questionable charging fouls early in the fourth quarter, and she fouled out defending a layup on the other end.

Belmontes scored 15 points to go with 24 rebounds. Harmon had seven points, six rebounds and four steals. Filner added eight points and two steals.

Cielo Cruz had nine points, seven rebounds and four steals for Estancia. Wendy Santillan and Escorcia each had seven points.

When the game ended, the Eagles lined up one-by-one to take their turn ringing the bell. Griffin went last, and did not stop ringing it until she was mobbed by her players.

“They mean the world to me,” Griffin said of her teammates. “I love them as much as they love me, if not more. I cannot be any more proud of them.”

*

Estancia 46, Costa Mesa 39

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Costa Mesa 11 – 16 – 4 – 8 — 39

Estancia 6 – 9 – 19 – 12 — 46

CM – Belmontes 15, Filner 8, Harmon 7, Garcia 5, Ortiz 4.

3-pt. goals – Harmon 1, Garcia 1.

Fouled out – Belmontes, Ortiz.

Technicals – None.

E – Rios 14, Cruz 9, Santillan 7, Escorcia 7, Leon 6, Mulrooney 2, De La Cruz 1.

3-pt. goals – Rios 4, Leon 1.

Fouled out – None.

Technicals – None.

andrew.turner@latimes.com

Twitter: @ProfessorTurner