Basketball Recap: Costa Mesa Takes a Loss

Costa Mesa's tournament run continued when they took on Diamond Ranch on Tuesday. The Costa Mesa Mustangs lost 43-20 to the Diamond Ranch Panthers. While losing is never fun, the Mustangs can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 894th, while the Panthers are ranked 303rd).

Despite the loss, Costa Mesa still got an impressive performance from Emi Kamikihara, who posted eight points along with eight boards and three steals. Kamikihara is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last 15 games she's played dating back to last season. Yanelly Martinez was another key player, putting up six points and five rebounds.

Among those leading the charge was Jazlyn Wint, who put up 13 points along with eight rebounds and three steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Jordyn Seales, who had eight points.

Costa Mesa has been struggling recently as they've lost five of their last six games, which put a noticeable dent in their 6-10 record this season. As for Diamond Ranch, they are on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last ten matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 10-5 record this season.

Costa Mesa will welcome Laguna Hills at 6:15 p.m. on Friday. Laguna Hills will roll in looking for their fifth straight win, something Costa Mesa surely won't give up without a fight. As for Diamond Ranch, they will host Chino at 4:30 p.m. on January 8th.