Girls basketball: Eagles lose at buzzer

MISSION VIEJO - A victory that would have clinched a berth in the

championship game was pulled out from under the Estancia High girls

basketball team Friday in the Jim Hill Memorial Tournament at Mission

Viejo High.

West Torrance, inbounding with seven-tenths of a second left, hit a

three-pointer before the buzzer to claim a 53-52 pool-play win that

dropped the Eagles (4-6) into today’s 3:30 p.m. third-place game against

Pacific Coast League rival University.

The Eagles, who along with West Torrance and El Toro finished 2-1 in

their pool, lost a tiebreaker based on point differential.

The Eagles led, 52-48, after two Xochitl Byfield free throws with

about a minute left and had the ball twice in the final seconds, after

the Warriors closed to within 52-50.

Estancia, however, missed three free throws down the stretch to give

West Torrance life and the Warriors cashed in.

Byfield had 18 points and Tisha Gray added 17 for Estancia.

JIM HILL MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT

Pool play

West Torrance 53, Estancia 52

Score by Quarters

West Torrance 12 13 16 12 - 53

Estancia 18 9 13 12 - 52

West Torrance - Uemura 1, Farren 7, Choy 2, Wilton 10, Ishigo 7,

Nishihara 13, Natare 2, Sua 3, Loftin 8.

3-pt. goals - Ferren 1, Ishigo 1, Nishihara 2.

Fouled out - none.

Technicals - none.

Estancia - Gray 17, Byfield 18, Castro 8, Mino 5, Wase 4, Pena 0,

Garcia 0.

3-pt. goals - Byfield 1, Mino 1, Gray 1.

Fouled out - Wase.

Technicals - none.