Molina leads Mustangs’ show

maleathleteofweek-molinaThe senior point guard sets the tone for the Mustangs, who remain undefeated in Golden West League play.When the Costa Mesa High boys’ basketball team is firing on all cylinders, it is applying effective pressure defense, holding its own on the boards, pushing the ball up-court and getting open looks at the basket.

Point guard Brian Molina is perhaps the most important component to the fast-paced Mustangs machine.

Molina was on his game last week when he helped lead Costa Mesa to three consecutive Golden West League wins. He had a team-high 17 points and played high-intensity defense when Costa Mesa beat rival Estancia, 66-51, on Tuesday.

Molina came back the following day and had 15 points, three assists and three steals in Costa Mesa’s 51-50 victory over Santa Ana. He added three three-pointers in the Mustangs’ third win of the week on Friday against Saddleback.

Against Santa Ana, Molina hit the game-winning shot as time ran out. After a timeout, with the clock winding down, Molina dribbled down court and looked for the open man. He was about to pass the ball to Scott Knox, but hesitated when a defender closed the gap on Knox.

With Knox covered, Molina headed for the basket.

“So I went to the lane and threw a little floater in,” Molina said.

It was a bit of sweet redemption for Molina, and kept the Mustangs’ home winning streak alive.

“My guy was scoring on me. He kept draining his shots no matter what I’d do, so my coach was chewing me out,” he said. “He was saying how we can’t lose at home. We didn’t lose at home all of last year.”

Molina leads the team with 85 assists and averages 2.1 steals per game. Even when he’s not putting up big numbers, he’s vital to what the Mustangs are trying to accomplish on a game-by-game basis.

“In my opinion, he’s our MVP,” Costa Mesa Coach Ryan Schachter said. “Without him, we’re not really as dynamic or explosive. We can’t do half of what we do without Brian. He’s the key part to the whole thing.”

Molina is only 5-foot-5, but he makes up for his lack of size with his quickness. When he is on, he creates matchup problems for opponents.

“Other teams’ coaches say the main thing they want to do is try to shut his penetration down,” Schachter said. “But lately, he’s been finding a way to make it to the basket. He carried us in the first half against Estancia. He took it upon himself to take it to the basket.”

Molina said talented teammates make his job easier.

“Going to the basket and creating for other people [is my strength],” Molina said. “I have shooters -- it’s not like I don’t have people to dish it to. And when we’re all hitting threes, we’re tough to beat.”

Costa Mesa hit 14 three-pointers in its 59-45 win over Saddleback. Seven different people made three-pointers, including Knox with five and Molina with three.

When Molina is not setting somebody else up for a three-pointer, he’s often taking one himself.

“With the game on the line, he’s the one I want with the ball to either shoot or create a shot for someone else,” Schachter said.

How Molina performs the rest of the season will go a long way toward whether or not Costa Mesa claims its first Golden West League title since 2002.

The Brian Molina File

Hometown: Costa Mesa

Height: 5-foot-5

Weight: 135

Sport: Basketball

Position: Point guard

Coach: Ryan Schachter

Favorite food: Mom’s cooking, especially the Mexican food.

Favorite movie: “Glory Road”

Favorite athletic moment: “Beating Ocean View at Ocean View because we’ve never done it before.”

Week in review: Molina had 17 points and led a pressure defense that stymied Estancia in a 66-51 victory on Tuesday. On Wednesday, Molina scored the game-winning basket as time expired as the Mustangs beat Santa Ana, 51-50. Molina topped the week off by hitting three three-pointers in Costa Mesa’s 59-45 win over Saddleback on Friday.(LA)Costa Mesa’s Brian Molina, the Daily Pilot Male High School Athlete of the Week.20060121JD1N5L0ENo Caption20060121itf6w8ncJAMIE FLANAGAN / DAILY PILOT(LA)