Can Sage strike again?

On the court, it’s senior point guard Katie McKeon’s job to know what’s going on.

But, off the court, McKeon said she never knows what will happen next with her Sage Hill School girls’ basketball team.

An example she offers is a recent Christmas party, when several players decided to put raisins in junior forward Tierney Danner’s toothpaste as revenge for a prank Danner pulled earlier. But McKeon and fellow senior guard Jordan Hidalgo let it slip that the perpetrators were in Danner’s bathroom.

“Tierney went running up to find them in her bathroom, and they started fighting,” McKeon said, laughing. “There was toothpaste everywhere. Hanna Hunt had toothpaste all over her red shirt. I got it all on videotape on my camera.

“There’s just so many different incidents that happen all the time, that we all just laugh about so much. You never know what’s going to happen with this team.”

McKeon has been starting at point guard at Sage since midway through her freshman year, and she’s the last remaining player from that 2005 team that won the first Academy League title in the program’s history. She said that sense of family is something that has always been there.

“I was the only freshman on the team, but we were always such a family,” she said. “We hung out together, we went to movies together and had sleepovers. I still talk to the players who were seniors when I was a freshman. We’ve always been a really tight-knit group. I hope it stays that way once I leave.”

That close-knit team should help the Lightning (9-5) as they chase what would be their fourth straight league crown. They’re off to a good start after beating Capistrano Valley Christian, 52-27, in the league opener on the road on Friday.

Danner leads Sage in scoring and rebounding, with 19.2 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. Junior Stephanie Garrison is also averaging 8.6 points and 8.0 rebounds, while junior guard Morgan Hembarsky is scoring eight points per contest.

Sophomore forward Hannah Jeffrey is averaging 4.4 points and 7.3 rebounds per game for the Lightning, while McKeon averages a team-high 4.4 assists, including a season-high 10 against Capo Valley Christian.

Coach Lou Silverman said he remains most concerned with the progress that his team makes, not about the rest of the league.

“Last year, the teams were very balanced, and I have no reason to expect anything different this year,” Silverman said. “Our job is just to take care of how we play. If we do that, hopefully we have a good outcome at the end of the game. Our goal continues to be inwardly focused, to try to be the best team that we can be.”

Here’s an update on the other Newport-Mesa area girls’ basketball teams as league play begins:

 

COSTA MESA

The Mustangs will begin defense of their Orange Coast League championship with a home game against cross-town rival Estancia on Friday at 6 p.m.

Costa Mesa had a tough December schedule, but Coach Jim Weeks said he’s happy to end the month with a 9-6 record, including the consolation championship of the Costa Mesa Winter Classic.

“This is one of our best records we’ve had at the end of December,” Weeks said. “If we start January over .500, I’m very happy. Especially in our tournament, we’ve responded really well.”

Mesa is led by senior point guard Michelle Figueroa. Last season’s Newport-Mesa Co-Player of the Year is averaging 19.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game.

Senior Jasmine Werdel (11 points and nine rebounds per game) has become a more viable post presence, and the Mustangs are also receiving scoring contributions from senior guard Kathy Trinh (7.2 points per game) and junior Amy Gentling (6.9).

Mesa first plays Calvary Chapel, the only team to beat the Mustangs in league last year, at home on Jan. 30.

 

CORONA DEL MAR

Pacific Coast League play may be tough for Coach Mark Decker’s squad, which has a 7-11 record headed into Wednesday’s home opener against Beckman.

Laguna Hills is the defending CIF Southern Section Division IV-A champion, while University and Irvine are both expected to be contenders.

The Sea Kings are led in both scoring and rebounding by sophomore center Katie Bergsma, who is averaging 10 points, 11 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game.

Senior guard Susan Moheimani is averaging 7.5 points per game, and freshman guards Kayla Marolt (7.0 points per game) and Ellie Nadal (6.5 ppg.), as well as junior guard Brittany Rhyme (6.0 ppg.) also are key scorers for CdM.

CdM, which has just eight varsity players, will need contributions from everyone.

“The bottom line for us is that if we don’t come to play, we’re in trouble,” Decker said. “When we do come to play, I think we’re pretty good. Our problem is inconsistency. We’ve got a lot of young girls, and that’s part of the process. I think our high end is really good, we’re just not getting there as much as I’d like right now.”

 

ESTANCIA

Estancia opens Orange Coast League play at cross-town rival Costa Mesa on Friday. The Eagles (3-14) have suffered through a 10-game losing streak this season, but head into league having won two straight.

Estancia, led in scoring by freshman Kassie Stratton (13.0 points per game), has also received sizable contributions from senior point guard Tiffany Monteiro (9.2 ppg), who leads the team in assists.

Senior forward Abby Koff (3.9 ppg) leads the team in rebounds, and sophomore Erika Soto (6.6 ppg) paces the Eagles in steals.

Estancia likely won’t make the 12-win requirement for an at-large entry into the CIF playoffs, so Coach Tommy Rausch now hopes that the Eagles can earn an automatic bid by finishing top two in league. But, he said, it won’t be easy.

“Mesa is going to be tough,” Rausch said. “They’ve earned the right to be league favorites ...The league’s more talented than it was last year, I think, and it’s more competitive. I know Laguna Beach is much improved, and I think Calvary Chapel is just as good as it was last year.”

 

NEWPORT HARBOR

First-year coach Randy Larson said he has set a goal of 6-4 in the Sunset League for the Sailors, who opened league play with a tough 70-21 loss to Esperanza on Thursday.

Newport Harbor(6-11) is young, with 6-foot sophomore post players Katey Thompson (4.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per game) and Maiquel McLeish (4.0 points and 4.0 rebounds per game).

Junior forward Corinne Schnieders leads the team in scoring, averaging just fewer than seven points per game.

Larson said the skills are there for his team, but the key may be learning how to win.

“I think there’s some teams in the middle of the pack [in league] that we can play with,” Larson said. “Physically, we’re coming along. It’s the mental toughness; We get mentally down. They haven’t learned how to fight through it yet. A team gets a run on us, and we have to mentally bounce back to stop the run.”

MATT SZABO may be reached at (714) 966-4614 or at [email protected].