PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Trabuco Hills Puts It in Higher Gear to Defeat Estancia

Trabuco Hills played it fast and loose, then even looser, Friday night.

The Mustangs proved they were a little better at not playing defense with a 90-81 victory over Estancia, which kept them in a first-place tie with Century.

Players on both sides gave the semblance of defense, even staying within a few feet of the man assigned them. It was merely an illusion. The idea was to get the ball, run and shoot it.

It was enough to make Rainer Wulf’s heart soar.

“This was Trabuco Hills’ basketball,” Wulf said. “We don’t want to concentrate on our opponent, we want to get the ball up the floor.”

Neither side seemed to have any problems with that strategy.

The result was a back-and-forth, get-it-and-go game. Leads evaporated quickly and without much notice. Estancia was up by seven at halftime. Trabuco Hills led by nine after three quarters. The Eagles get within four with five minutes left.

The Mustangs (19-5, 7-1) finally put it away with a 12-2 run that gave them a 85-73 lead with 1 minute 26 seconds left.

“We want to create turnovers, push the ball and try to put together runs,” Wulf said. “It’s our style.”

The style and personnel fit.

Rob Warnick scored 24 points, including seven in the fourth quarter. Ryan Karnoff scored 23 points, 15 in the second half.

But both needed a map to find the players they were guarding. Estancia had seven layups in the second quarter.

“We decided to put a man deep in the second half,” Wulf said.

That was usually Derek Uhl, who on one play flattened Estancia’s Clay Frenz.

Uhl, a 6-foot-5, 225-pound center, also scored 13 points, more than he had had all season. It was only his third game back from a knee injury. He was particularly effective in taking out Chris Candlish, Estancia’s 6-5, 250-pound center.

Candlish had 19 points and 12 rebounds in the first game against Trabuco Hills. He fouled out Friday with five points and one rebound. Three Estancia players fouled out.

“Derek fouled out their entire front line,” Wulf said.

On one possession, Uhl was hit on the arm as he shot. It went straight up, approximately 25 feet, and straight through the net.

“There were three shots Uhl took that I would have bet a dollar weren’t going to go in,” Estancia Coach Tim Parsel said.

Uhl wasn’t alone.

Everyone was letting them fly. Frenz scored 19 points and Mark Pierson 15 for Estancia (14-9, 5-3).

It was a pace the Eagles liked, but the Mustangs loved.

Said Wulf: “When Trabuco Hills scores 80 points, Trabuco Hills usually wins.”

In another league game:

Century 67, Laguna Beach 39--Senior center Thomas Harmon scored a game-high 23 points for sixth-ranked Century (21-3, 7-1).