Posted: Dec 16, 2011
Pirates find success in Coast Classic opener
| COSTA MESA -- After several games of ragged basketball, the Orange Coast College women's basketball found some offensive success and turned it into a 58-43 win over Southwestern College in the opening round of the 2011 Erin Tomlinson Coast Christmas Classic on Friday night. Ashley Engeln led the Pirates' offense with 18 points and five assists, but several others chipped in quality minutes including Yesenia Maldonado (eight points on 4-of-6-shooting), Nisma Ali (nine points on 4-of-6 shooting, seven rebounds) and Anna Bartel (eight points on 3-of-5 shooting). Three players -- Andrea Reiff, Chloe Cook and Gabby Robledo -- each had nine points for the Jaguars (2-6). Robledo also grabbed nine rebounds and dished out five assists. Leading by two points at the half (27-25), the Pirates (6-6) and led by just four (42-38) with just under 10 minutes left in the game before the Jaguars went on a seven-minute scoring drought, allowing OCC to grab control of the game. By the time the Jags found the bottom of the net, Coast had built up a 12-point lead with under two minutes remaining, allowing the Pirates to advance to tomorrow's championship semifinal matchup with College of the Canyons, beginning at 7:30 p.m. In other tournament action from Friday ... CANYONS 76, CUESTA 67 -- In the Battle of the Cougars, it was the team from Santa Clarita (7-4) that prevailed over the team from San Luis Obispo (7-5). Canyons led for most of the game and despite a few runs by Cuesta, the defeated Cougars couldn't climb all the way back. Angelica Sahagun led Canyons with 22 points and eight rebounds, while Jazzmyn Davis notched a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds. For Cuesta, Katie Rodriguez led all scorers with 27 points, while Alyssa Palma added 14. IRVINE VALLEY 44, PALOMAR 42 -- A late second-half push by the Lasers (7-6) allowed IVC to escape with a two-point win over the Comets (1-9). The Lasers trailed by six with just under nine minutes left before closing out the game with an 11-3 run in a low-scoring matchup. Shomari McCorkle led Irvine Valley with 14 points and 11 rebounds, while Lizeth Tamayo added seven points. For Palomar, Tiana Dominick led the way with 14 points and eight rebounds, while Tessa Balcom knocked down three 3-pointers for nine points off the bench. SADDLEBACK 63, CHAFFEY 62 -- In the tournament opener, two of the top teams in Southern California went at it and in the end, it was the Gauchos who held on for the one-point win. It was a rough day of shooting for Saddleback's Raven Gammage, but she managed to step to the free-throw line and drain a pair of charity shots in the game's final minute, putting the Gauchos up for good. Rina Towne and DonQuenae each had 13 points for Saddleback, while Desire Ale added 12. Naijahlece Calhoun and Destinee Duncan each had 12 points for Chaffey, while Mary Windom and Bree Ball each added 11. SATURDAY'S SCHEDULE Consolation Semifinals 1:30 p.m. -- Chaffey vs. Palomar 3:30 p.m. -- Cuesta vs. Southwestern Championship Semifinals 5:30 p.m. -- Saddleback vs. Irvine Valley 7:30 p.m. -- Canyons vs. Orange Coast |
