This Time, Mendiola Strikes With Key Assist

Giuliana Mendiola won her second consecutive county scoring title last season, but she also averaged 7.5 assists per game.

She got a big assist Tuesday in the second round of the South Coast Holiday tournament, zipping a pass to freshman Sara Brown, who converted a baseline layup with 20 seconds left to give sixth-ranked El Toro a 52-50 victory over No. 10 Esperanza.

El Toro (2-0) plays Laguna Hills on Friday in a semifinal at University High. Esperanza (1-1) will play Santa Margarita Thursday.

Brown’s backdoor cut was wide open as three defenders converged on Mendiola at the top of the key. Brown’s only opposition was her own confidence. And that, she said, wasn’t a problem.

“I was just thinking, ‘Make it, make it,’ ” said Brown, whose final basket gave her 17 points and gave El Toro a 51-50 lead. “I knew we were going to win that game even if we were trailing with point one seconds left.”

It wasn’t that extreme, but El Toro did trail by 10 points at halftime, 31-21, as Esperanza’s spirited defense--led primarily by Lindsey Helvey’s man-on-man coverage against Mendiola--held the Chargers to six of 18 from the field.

Neither of the game’s two best players had great nights. Mendiola and Esperanza’s Kristin Peters made only one of their first 10 shots. Mendiola finished with 26 points, Peters with 13.

By the time it ended, with Mendiola making a free throw with five seconds left and then the ball squirting through Bethany Blair’s hands on what might have led to a game-tying shot in the final desperate seconds, El Toro made 19 of 46 shots (41.3%), Esperanza 19 of 57 (33.3%).

“After we got the lead, I think we got it in our head that the game was ours,” said Peters, one of only two Aztec seniors. “If we put those shots in, we win the game.”

“Those shots” were in the third quarter, when Esperanza converted only one of 10 field goal attempts and committed seven turnovers. El Toro shot over 50% in the quarter, and took a 39-36 lead into the fourth.

Blair scored 16 for Esperanza, which rallied to a 50-47 lead. Then Mendiola converted a 15-footer, her only perimeter basket, then two free throws. Then she converted the pass to Brown.