Boys basketball: Fernandomania

Barry Faulkner

COSTA MESA - All Fernando Maldonado wanted for Christmas was an

open gym.

But, when he failed to connect by phone Tuesday with anyone who could

have granted his wish, the Estancia High senior guard merely settled for

a little post-holiday shootaround against Whittier Christian Wednesday in

the first round of the Estancia Coast Classic on the Eagles’ floor.

Maldonado, whose debut varsity season had produced a previous

single-game high of 23 points, scored 10 in each of the first three

quarters, en route to 35 points in the Eagles’ 68-45 triumph. It was the

sixth straight win for Estancia (8-4), which faces Notre Dame of

Riverside tonight at 6:25 in the championship quarterfinals.

The 35 points were not only a career-high for Maldonado, but the most

by an Estancia player in the 17-year history of the tournament. Sam

Nelson’s 31 points in 1997 had been the most.

Maldonado, named Most Valuable Player of the Garden Grove North County

Shootout after averaging 16.5 points in four wins (Dec. 17-22), made 14

of 24 field-goal attempts and 3 of 5 free throws against the Heralds

(4-10).

“I was feelin’ it,” said Maldonado, who noted 28 points, as a

sophomore on the junior varsity, were the most he’d ever scored in a game

before Wednesday.

“Fernando was the one guy who didn’t look like he had three days off,”

Estancia Coach Chris Sorce said. “When you have a kid call the coach on

Christmas to see if he can get into the gym to shoot, that tells you what

kind of kid he is.”

Maldonado was clearly the go-to guy for the Eagles and his teammates

kept feeding him the ball accordingly. He took eight shots in the first

quarter, seven in the second and six in the third.

“My teammates were really helping me out,” said Maldonado, who sat out

about four minutes at the end of the third quarter and the beginning of

the fourth and left the game in the final minute.

“I wanted to get back in there,” he said with a smile, speaking of his

extended respite.

But Maldonado was there when the Eagles needed him most. His

three-pointer with two seconds left in the first quarter, gave the Eagles

a 16-12 lead.

After the Heralds, whom the Eagles defeated, 65-36, Dec, 19, scored

eight straight points to claim a 22-20 edge with 2:48 left in the first

half, the spindly 6-foot Maldonado scored six points to key an 8-2

Estancia run to end the half.

Maldonado then converted an inbound pass from Jorge Prado for a layup

to open the third quarter, giving the Eagles a 31-24 edge.

Maldonado hit three-pointers with 5:01 left in the third period and

again with 1:55 left in the quarter and was 3 of 4 from beyond the arc

after halftime.

He also connected on a pair of jumpers that were just inside the

19-foot-9 three-point stripe.

Maldonado, however, had plenty of help, including 10 points and 12 rebounds from junior forward Lewis Bradshaw.

Junior center Joey Lindquist had eight points and eight rebounds and

Prado collected seven points and four assists.

But senior Mitch Valdes earned special praise from Sorce, after coming

off the bench to contribute seven rebounds, five assists, three steals

and two points.

“Mitch Valdes really stepped up tonight, providing leadership on both

ends of the court,” Sorce said. “It was good to see, because we’re going

to need him, along with (starter) Jermaine Snell, to run our offense and

also set the tempo defensively.”

Juniors Erik Andersen (five rebounds and a steal) and Zack Novak (four

assists, three rebounds and two points) also played well off the bench.

Tyler Hoffman, a junior varsity call-up, made an auspicious varsity

debut. Shortly after entering the game, Hoffman netted a three-pointer

while being fouled and converted the rare four-point play with 10 seconds

left.

ESTANCIA COAST CLASSIC

First round

Estancia 68, Whittier Christian 45

Score by Quarters

Estancia 16 13 18 21 - 68

Whittier Christian 12 12 12 9 - 45

Estancia - Bradshaw 10, Prado 7, Lindquist 8, Maldonado 35, Snell 0,

Hoffman 4, Valdes 2, Novak 2, Andersen 0.

3-pt. goals - Maldonado 4, Prado 1, Hoffman 1.

Fouled out - none.

Technicals - none.

Whittier Christian - Sanchez 16, Aliaie 6, Hogue 4, Albeanu 6, Santos

4, Koomen 5, Torres 2, Underwood 2.

3-pt. goals - Koomen 1.

Fouled out - none.

Technicals - none.