Esperanza girls basketball edges Villa Park for undefeated league title

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ANAHEIM — Thuds off the rim and an alarming thud on the hardwood by a record-setting scorer.

Esperanza’s girls basketball team encountered multiple challenges in the first quarter of its Crestview League showdown against visiting Villa Park.

The Aztecs shot 1 of 12 from the floor and held their collective breath as the school’s all-time leading, Charlotte Muller, fell hard on her shoulder and eye.

Esperanza, however, turned the thuds into championship cheers by the end of Tuesday’s game.

Muller scored the go-ahead basket with 6.2 seconds left in regulation on an inbound pass from her twin sister Alexa Muller, and Avery Kame added a late steal as Esperanza rallied past Villa Park 37-36 to punctuate an undefeated league title.

Ranked sixth in Orange County, players for Esperanza (19-9, 8-0) leaped toward their bench as Kame ran out the final seconds after a steal against No. 7 Villa Park (21-7, 6-2).

“It was an amazing game,” said Esperanza senior Ellie Frazier, who scored a season-high 14 points with nine rebounds and four steals. “Everyone came together as a team and … played really tough, hard-nosed defense and made them work for it.”

“It’s definitely part of what we do here,” Frazier added about the narrow win. “It’s from hard work and dedication to our sport. We’re not satisfied with losing a game by one or losing a game at all.”

Esperanza trailed 36-35 after Villa Park’s Sabina Patel sank two fouls with 14.8 left in the fourth quarter. After two Villa Park fouls and an Esperanza timeout, Alexa Muller found her sister under the Spartans’ basket after a cut from the top of the 3-point arc.

“It’s a thing,” Frazier said of the twins’ special connection.

“Great pass,” Charlotte Muller said of the toss from the sideline near half court. “I don’t think we give up. We keep playing until the end.”

Alexa Muller finished with six assists to go along with 11 points and two steals.

Kame came alive in the fourth with a pair of drives for left-handed layups. The sophomore guard converted one into a 3-point play for a 33-31 lead with 3:07 left in the fourth.

She made another layup for a 35-31 lead with 1:26 remaining. Villa Park responded with a 3-pointer from sophomore Lauren Wolfe with one minute left and two foul shots by Patel for a 36-35 advantage.

Esperanza trailed by as many 11 points in the first half. Villa Park made a 14-0 run after Alexa Muller sank a 3-pointer to open the scoring in the first quarter.

The Aztecs made 3 of 16 3-pointers in the first half but adjusted in the second half to find Frazier on cuts to the basket. Villa Park still led 25-15 late in the third quarter.

“My kids don’t quit,” said Esperanza coach Jimmy Valverde, whose program claimed its third league title in four years. “They always believe and listen to instruction. They did a great job coming back.”

Patel and Wolfe each finished with 13 points for Villa Park, which fell to Esperanza 49-43 in the first round of league. Bailey Roczey added 18 rebounds.