Girls’ Basketball: Maya makes it happen for Estancia win

ORANGE — Maya and Nefertiti Van Den Heever have played in big games during their careers on the Estancia girls’ basketball team, but over the summer they experienced another level.

The senior twin sisters both played on the Solomon Islands national women’s basketball team at the Pacific Games, a multi-sport tournament similar to the Olympics that was held in Papua New Guinea in July.

Maya’s club team, OC Elite, beckoned soon after that, the twins’ father John said.

“I spent thousands flying her all the way back from the South Pacific to play in a four-day tournament in San Diego,” John Van Den Heever said. “She jumped up and got something, and landed askew.”

Maya, a senior point guard, still wears a brace on her left knee. She said sometimes it hurts, on and off.

But it did not seem to hamper her Wednesday night. She had 15 points and 12 assists as the Eagles beat Tustin, 49-37, in an Orange Tournament pool-play opener at Orange High.

Estancia (4-1) is playing well early in the season. The Eagles, who have won three straight Orange Coast League titles and advanced to the quarterfinals of the CIF Southern Section Division 4AA playoffs last year, finished fifth in the Oxford Academy tournament last week. The only game Estancia lost was to Saint Joseph, 58-35, but Coach Judd Fryslie said the Eagles were down by just one point at halftime before Maya Van Den Heever aggravated her injury in the second half.

The Eagles continue pool play in the tournament on Thursday at 4 p.m. against Esperanza. They finish up pool play on Friday against Sunny Hills.

Estancia led throughout against Tustin (3-2), which was coming off a third-place finish in the CdM Tip-Off Tournament last week. Sophomore forward Finley Garnett led all scorers with 17 points, and Nefertiti Van Den Heever had a double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds. Senior center Sam Wagner had three points and five rebounds, and junior Maddy Letterman contributed a basket in the first quarter.

“I feel like it’s going really good,” Maya Van Den Heever said. “We’re pretty short this year, so everybody has to try to rebound and help on the boards and stuff.”

The Eagles’ lead against Tustin got to 14 points twice early in the third quarter, on back-to-back layups by Nefertiti Van Den Heever. The first came after an offensive rebound by senior Estefenia Flores kept the possession alive, and Nefertiti hit a reverse layup. The second score came on a nice assist by Maya, who found her sister cutting toward the basket.

But Tustin kept fighting and chipping away at the lead. Junior Bianca Barajas, who led the Tillers with 16 points, got hot. Barajas scored 14 of her points in the second half. Her third three-pointer of the game cut Estancia’s lead to six.

“We were probably paying a little bit too much attention to [junior Lilly Ballestero],” Fryslie said. “[Ballestero] was their player.”

Ballestero, who had 10 points for Tustin, got into the act too. Her deep three-pointer from the left wing brought Tustin within 38-35, with four minutes to play. But Estancia ended the game on an 11-2 run. Garnett picked up the pace late, making three layups and also hitting a free throw.

Maya Van Den Heever was called for her fourth foul midway through the fourth quarter on what she thought was a clean block. Fryslie didn’t dare take her out, even with the left knee brace, but did offer her some advice after the game.

“You were getting too cute,” he said. “That’s one of those refs who doesn’t like cute. They were good blocks, but that kind of ref, you’ve got to know and stop doing that. Adjust to him, don’t make him adjust to you.”

—

Orange Tournament

Pool play game

Estancia 49, Tustin 37

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Estancia 13 – 11 – 12 – 13 — 49

Tustin 7 – 9 – 9 – 12 — 37

E – Garnett 17, M. Van Den Heever 15, N. Van Den Heever 12, Wagner 3, Letterman 2.

3-pt. goals – M. Van Den Heever 2, N. Van Den Heever 1, Wagner 1.

Fouled out – None.

Technicals – None.

T – Barajas 16, Ballestero 10, Thorn 4, Pauu 4, Gutierrez 3.

3-pt. goals – Barajas 3, Ballestero 2, Thorn 1.

Fouled out – None.

Technicals – None.