Basketball Recap: Costa Mesa Takes Down Capistrano Valley Christian in a Playoff Battle

It's playoff time, and Costa Mesa had no trouble coming through when it counted. They put the hurt on the Capistrano Valley Christian Eagles with a sharp 42-21 victory on Saturday. That's more bragging rights for the Mustangs, who also won the pair's last head-to-head.

Leilani Quero

Steals

02/15/25 vs Capistrano Valley Christian	3
02/13/25 vs St. Genevieve	2
01/30/25 @ Westminster	2
01/28/25 vs Ocean View	2
01/23/25 vs Garden Grove	3
+ 4 more games

Leilani Quero was her usual excellent self, putting up 16 points along with eight boards and three steals. She has been hot for a while, having posted two or more steals the last nine times she's played. Yanelly Martinez was another key player, earning six points in addition to six rebounds and five steals.

Costa Mesa smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 30 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive boards in 13 consecutive matchups.

Capistrano Valley Christian's defeat came despite a true team effort with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Malea Salcedo, who posted 11 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Cayla Mercadel, who scored seven points.

The win got Costa Mesa back to even at 14-14. As for Capistrano Valley Christian, their loss dropped their record down to 11-7.

Looking ahead, Costa Mesa will challenge Nordhoff at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Nordhoff knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 55 points or more in their past three contests -- so hopefully Costa Mesa likes a good challenge. Capistrano Valley Christian does not have any more games scheduled as of now.