Estancia league leaders

COSTA MESA — Five seconds remained in a tied basketball game at Estancia High when Davon Joyner went to the free-throw line.

The first attempt rimmed in and out. The gym went silent before Joyner attempted the next free throw. A Calvary Chapel fan yelled, “He’s going to miss it again!”

Joyner was thinking the same thing.

“I don’t know,” Joyner said. “I just couldn’t make a free throw to save my life.”

Joyner wound up saving Estancia on Wednesday night. He converted the next free throw and the host Eagles won, 46-45, and remained in first place in the Orange Coast League.

Joyner finished with 16 points and helped Estancia keep pace with Laguna Beach, as both programs are 4-1 in league. Coach Agustin Heredia doesn’t know how Estancia pulled it off. The team shot a dismal 34% from the field and 59% from the free-throw line.

Estancia (14-9), ranked No. 14 in the CIF Southern Section Division IV-AA coaches’ poll, was also without its go-to-guy, Kohl Jones.

The senior suffered a high-ankle sprain during practice on Tuesday. That night, Heredia said he couldn’t sleep at all.

“That’s the first game he’s missed ever,” Heredia said. “It was kind of [weird] not seeing him out there. It felt different.”

Jones came to the contest in black slacks, a white-collared shirt, a gold tie, and one dress shoe missing because of the injured ankle. Jones, on crutches, dressed up, looking much like Heredia, except for the Mohawk.

Heredia was busy pulling his hair out.

Estancia frustrated Heredia for most of the game. At halftime, his team had 15 points, which isn’t a season low. That mark was recorded Friday, when Estancia produced 11 points in the first half against rival Costa Mesa.

In the final minute, things almost got out of control. Joyner had just tied the game at 45-45 with a clutch three-pointer in the corner. When Calvary Chapel (2-3 in league) turned the ball over near midcourt with half a minute left, Joyner quickly shot another three-pointer, unaware Estancia could wait to take the last shot.

Heredia yelled, pleaded for a timeout. Five seconds ran off after Estancia guard Kevin Thomas got the long offensive rebound on Joyner’s missed three. With 23 seconds to go, Heredia got his timeout before anyone fired up another shot.

Heredia sat on a chair and drew up a play. It was going to Joyner. When Estancia returned to the floor, it ran some time off the clock before getting the ball to the junior.

Calvary Chapel fouled Joyner as he drove toward the basket and sent him to the charity stripe. Joyner had missed his previous two free throws and at that point was six for 13 for the game. The next two were huge.

Calvary Chapel needed to beat Estancia for the second time this season to get back into contention for the league title. Heredia wanted just one free throw, hoping it might be enough to keep Estancia on track to winning its first league crown since the 2004-05 season. Joyner gave Estancia the one.

“We got lucky,” Heredia said right after Calvary Chapel guard Jeremy Jeranko missed a three-point attempt at the buzzer and finished with 18 points. “Davon, he missed a lot of free throws, but he made the one there at the end. All that everyone remembers is that last one.”

Orange Coast League

Estancia 46, Calvary Chapel 45

SCORE BY QUARTERS

CC – Jeranko 18, Koustik 7, Weisman 6, Spera 6, Balajadia 3, Fierro 3, Schick 2.

3-pt. goals – Jeranko 2, Balajadia 1, Fierro 1.

Fouled out – Schick.

Est – Joyner 16, Shaw 14, Cherney 7, Thomas 6, Mikol 2, Antonio 1.

3-pt. goals – Thomas 1, Joyner 1.