Estancia girls’ basketball edged by Santa Ana in CIF semifinals
After backing into the playoffs, the Estancia High School girls’ basketball team was just happy to be a part of the action.
A four-game losing skid to close the regular season did not foreshadow what was on the horizon for the Eagles, a most unexpected run to the CIF Southern Section Division 5A semifinals.
And once there, the Eagles could see the final in their sights, an Orange Coast League rival standing in their way.
Behind a strong defensive effort, Estancia gave itself a chance, but Santa Ana rallied in the fourth quarter to claim a 39-37 win and dash the dream for the visiting Eagles.
Estancia coach Judd Fryslie said the Eagles wanted to make someone other than Santa Ana senior point forward Halle Broadnax beat them. They were successful in that regard, holding Broadnax scoreless.
“Don’t let her touch the basketball,” Fryslie said of the game plan. “And if you’re guarding her, you don’t even look at the basketball. You just keep your eye on her, because otherwise, she’ll be gone.”
Janessa Roa stepped up to provide 17 points, four rebounds, three steals and two assists for Santa Ana (16-16), the third-place team in the Orange Coast League this season. Yarexy Diaz had eight points, three rebounds and two assists. Ashley Silva had six points, seven rebounds and three steals, and Lucila Medina had seven points and five rebounds.
“I’m very, very happy to be a part of it,” Santa Ana coach Tony Jarjoura said of guiding Santa Ana to its first CIF finals appearance. “We have an incredible group of girls. I’m in my third year here, and my first year here, I remember talking to them and just telling them, ‘I want a banner. We’re here for championships,’ and hopefully Saturday, we can prove that.”
Estancia (15-13), which split the home-and-home set with Santa Ana in the regular season, reached the postseason as an at-large selection. With the help of a couple of third-quarter three-pointers by Mackenzie Sanchez, the Eagles went into the final frame with a 29-24 lead.
Santa Ana scored nine unanswered points in the first three minutes of the fourth quarter — four different players scoring the baskets — as the Saints picked up the pace to go ahead 33-29.
“Honestly, I feel like right there, it all came down to heart,” Roa said. “Who wanted it more. I feel like we really didn’t come out like how we should and how we know we can play, so I feel like at the end, we just really turned it on and just proved that we can take the win.”
Others found ways to contribute outside of the scoring. Broadnax had seven rebounds, three steals and two assists for the Saints, while Elizabeth Agama added 14 rebounds.
“The rebounding was the biggest factor tonight,” Fryslie said. “We’re just so little, so small across the floor. We just gave up — especially in the first half — we gave up way too many rebounds. They got offensive rebounds right over us, put back up, and probably accounted for at least eight [to] 10 of their points, and then of course, we wouldn’t stop fouling.
“I even said before the game, ‘Don’t foul. This game, we’re not going to foul. Move your feet. Stay down.’ I think they got excited. Being where they are, they got excited.”
Sanchez had 11 points, 10 rebounds and two assists for Estancia. She showcased a strong arm on outlet passes, but the Eagles could not convert them into fastbreak layups. Lizbeth Espinoza-Sanchez scored eight points to go with four rebounds and two assists.
Alexis Orellana added five points and five rebounds, while Sofia Sihabouj, Elisa Hernandez and Sandy Hernandez all scored two points and pulled down at least four rebounds apiece for the Eagles.
“From the beginning, that’s what we wanted was to go to the championship,” Sanchez said. “Once we knew that we qualified to go to the playoffs, the first round, I noticed a change in the way our team has been playing. We started playing more aggressive on defense, and we just were playing way better than what we were doing in league, and I think that’s what brought us here today.”
CIF Southern Section Division 5A semifinals
Santa Ana 39, Estancia 37
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Estancia 6 – 13 – 10 – 8 — 37
Santa Ana 7 – 13 – 4 – 15 — 39
E — Sanchez 11, Espinoza-Sanchez 8, Orellana 5, Calderon 3, Sihabouj 2, E. Hernandez 2, S. Hernandez 2, Meza 2, McClure 2.
3-pt. goals — Sanchez 3, Espinoza-Sanchez 1, Calderon 1.
Fouled out — Sanchez.
Technicals — None.
SA — Roa 17, Diaz 8, Medina 7, Silva 6, Agama 1.
3-pt. goals — Roa 2, Diaz 1.
Fouled out — Medina.
Technicals — None.
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