Shot heard round Eagles’ world

Rick Devereux

It was fitting the last shot of the game decided the fate of Friday’s

Estancia High and Costa Mesa boys basketball game.

Both teams entered with six-game winning streaks on the line and

both were a perfect 5-0 in the Golden West League.

It was also fitting that Estancia’s Carlos Pinto, arguably the

best player in the league, made a three-pointer with less than two

seconds remaining to lift the Eagles to the 38-37 victory.

“He just showed he’s the best player in the league,” Coach Jason

Simco said. “That was as huge a shot as it comes.”

Pinto finished with a game-high 18 points.

Costa Mesa’s Brian Molina hit a free throw with 13 seconds

remaining to give the Mustangs a 37-35 lead.

When Pinto pushed the ball up the court he was supposed to find

teammate Mike McDaniels, but McDaniels was guarded closely by a Mesa

defender.

Instead, Pinto pulled up two feet behind the three-point line and

connected on the game winning shot.

“We ran a play that was meant for Mike, but they gave me a little

room and I had to take that shot,” Pinto said. “[The shot] felt good

but I didn’t know it was good until it went in.”

The standing-room-only crowd was silent as the shot was released,

but the Estancia crowd rushed the court after it went in. Pinto’s

teammates carried the hero on their shoulders.

The atmosphere was electric even before tipoff as the green-clad

Mesa fans and the red-and-gold Estancia section exchanged cheers and

jeers during warmups.

The players were visibly excited, missing layups and open shots.

The Mustangs held a 9-4 lead after the first quarter, but both teams

settled down after that.

Estancia went on a 12-0 run to close out the first half with a

21-19 lead. Guard Shaun Markley was the catalyst for the scoring

spurt, nailing three consecutive three-pointers and connected on a

baseline layup with time winding down to erase a 19-10 deficit.

“Once I started making my shots, coach told me to keep on

shooting,” Markley said. “[Costa Mesa] was giving me pretty open

looks, so I just took advantage of it.”

Markley, who averages six points a game, finished with 13 Friday.

“He and I are like brothers,” McDaniels said. “We had dinner

together before the game and I told him that Mesa was going to be

marking Carlos all night. It was up to someone else to step up and he

did it in a big way.”

McDaniels also had a big game, although he finished with just two

points. McDaniels was assigned to guard Costa Mesa’s top offensive

weapon, Scott Knox.

Knox, who leads the Mustangs with a 15.2 points-per-game average,

had zero points.

“We played a diamond-and-one defense,” Markley said. “The other

guys were in a zone and I was on Knox’s hip the whole time. My job

was to shut him down.”

Costa Mesa (11-8, 5-1 in league) play at Westminster Tuesday.

Estancia (16-4, 6-0 in league) host Orange Tuesday.

Golden West League

Estancia 38,

Costa Mesa 37

Score by Quarters

*--*

Costa Mesa 9 10 9 9 -- 37

Estancia 4 17 10 7 -- 38

*--*

Costa Mesa -- Molina 9, Sc. Knox 0, Krikorkian 7, Waldron 5,

Aleson 6, D. Wase 0, Puente 10, Lefebvre 0.

3-pt. goals -- Krikorkian 2, Waldron 1, Puente 1.

Fouled out -- None.

Technicals -- None.

Estancia -- C. Pinto 18, McDaniels 2, Argumedo 4, Montillo 0, Kopp

0, Sh. Markley 13, Verrette 0, Escobedo 1, B. Pinto 0.

3-pt. goals -- Sh. Markley 3, C. Pinto 1.

Fouled out -- None.

Technicals -- None.