Staff Writer
With a chance of redemption after losing in the CIF semifinals, the Mustangs were unable to pull through at the state level.
The team lost to Hanford West High School, 68-59, on Wednesday at Hanford. This was the team’s first match in the state competition and the Mustangs’ last match of the season.
“Nothing went our way,” senior point guard Cole Feaster said. “ It was not a clean game, and everything was out of control.”
Senior center Ryan Kaseff led the team with 17 points, six assists and 10 rebounds, and seniors forward Oliver Mausner and guard Kevin Kim scored nine and eight points, respectively. Junior forward Justin Strings had 13 points and six rebounds.
“I think I played pretty well,” Strings said. “I hit my shots in the first half, but they weren’t going in the second half.”
The Mustangs had to make a long trek to get to Hanford for their game. The drive took the team five hours, and they did not return home until early morning. But the long journey proved beneficial for the entire squad.
“The ride actually was not that bad,” senior point guard Cole Feaster said. “It may have been long, but it was a great time for us to bond before the crucial match.”
The team fought back, but the lead of the game went back and forth. The Mustangs were behind after the first quarter, closing it out 10-8, and they were able to keep up with Hanford going into the half with a score of 27-21.
“We felt really confident going into the game,” coach Jeff Amaral said. “However, we knew Hanford was a tough team coming in, and they proved it early on.”
The Mustangs stayed determined for the rest of the match but could not pull ahead. Costa finished the third quarter at 46-39. During the fourth, Kevin Kim, Mausner and sophomore guard Dylan Kim each made a three-pointer to push ahead, but the Mustangs could not pull through and finished the game at 68-59.
“We had a number of opportunities in the last four minutes,” Amaral said. “But we couldn’t quite put together enough plays, and Hanford played with a lot of energy and emotion.”
As it was the final game of the Mustangs’ season, the team will be losing senior players such as Kaseff, Feaster, Kevin Kim and Mausner, but will also have standout players returning like Strings and sophomore guard Dylan Kim.
“I am really excited for our team,” Strings said. “It was a truly great postseason. We made Mira Costa history, and I am really proud of our performance.”
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