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PLACENTIA — The Esperanza and El Dorado girls basketball teams provided a reminder Friday night why their sport is known as a game of runs.
Kaiya Mack provided a reminder why Aztecs coach Jimmy Valverde calls her “Big Time Mack” among a few of her nicknames.
The senior guard scored 28 of her game-high 33 points in the second half as Esperanza rallied from a 16-point deficit to beat host El Dorado 54-48 in a wild Crestview League game.
The Aztecs (19-3, 3-0), ranked seventh in Orange County, took a 13-0 lead in the first quarter only to trail by 16 points early in the second half. But Valverde unleashed a full-court press and Mack in the second half, closing the fourth period with a 15-2 run.
“Basketball is a game of runs, right?” Valverde said. “But as a coach, you don’t want those runs against us. You got to get stops (on defense), and the girls pulled together. They just played with so much heart and never quit, and they”re great teammates.
“All those things won the game.”
El Dorado (17-5, 2-1), which drops to second place in the league standings, led 36-20 early in the third period after a 3-pointer by senior Avery Shiring.
Esperanza responded with a 7-0 run that included a pair of baskets by Mack. That prompted a timeout by Valverde with 5:37 left in the third. The Aztecs, unranked in CIF-SS Division 1, shifted to their full-court press and began to chip away at the Golden Hawks’ lead.
El Dorado led 46-39 early in the fourth after a layup by Shiring off an assist by Kaylee Shimoda (eight points). But Mack responded with consecutive 3-pointers, including one off an inbound play with 3:11 left.
She then made three free throws after being fouled on a 3-point attempt, giving Esperanza a 48-46 lead.
Mack added a steal and layup with 1:05 left to push the advantage to 50-46. She finished the fourth with 18 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the floor, including three 3-pointers, and made all seven of her free throws.
“I’m proud of the whole team,” Valverde said, “but that’s Big Time Mack.”
Valverde praised the steady play of sophomore Janelle Miyatake, who shifted to point guard to help free Mack and freshman Madi Lam (eight points). Miyatake, celebrating her and twin sister Lacie’s 16th birthday, added a 3-pointer in the fourth.
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Shiring, a senior forward, led El Dorado with 19 points. Sophomore Bianca Carter sank three 3-pointers in the first period, including one at the buzzer, to help the Golden Hawks tie the score at 15-15.
“Being up by so much really shows what we’re capable of and gives us more confidence,” Shiring said.
Esperanza finished with nine 3-pointers, one more than El Dorado.