Pirates to host Irvine Valley in SoCal Regional Playoff

COSTA MESA -- A very familiar foe will make its way into the Peterson Gym on Saturday as the Orange Coast College women's basketball team takes on Orange Empire Conference rival Irvine Valley in the second round of the Southern California Regional Playoffs.

The top-seeded Pirates (23-5), OEC champs and back-to-back reigning state champions, will take on the 17th-seeded Lasers (16-13, tied for third in the OEC), who toppled No. 16 Antelope Valley on Wednesday night with a thrilling 59-57 win, courtesy of a game-winning basket at the buzzer by Kivonni Williams.

The Pirates are the three-time OEC champs and are going into the playoffs as the No. 1 seed, but the team is looking for a return to a level of play that saw them win 16-of-17 midway through the campaign. Coast ended the season with a stunning 60-55 loss to Santa Ana and a nailbiting 53-49 win at Irvine Valley on Feb. 21. It was a far cry from the first round of conference play, which saw OCC topple IVC 74-41 back on Jan. 29 and it's something that head coach Sammy Doucette would like to see from her squad for the postseason.

"I did not like our performance the second time around," Doucette said. "None of us did. If felt like a loss. So I'm excited for another opportunity to play better."

Leading the return to the postseason are sophomores Alyssa Dreessen and Myia Collins, who bring the veteran experience to this young, talented squad. Dreessen, this year's Orange Empire Conference Most Valuable Player, leads Coast with 13.2 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.4 steals, 1.3 assists and two blocks per game.

Collins, a first-team, All-OEC selection this year, comes in with the best all-around numbers, averaging 11.1 points, 9.9 rebounds and 4.5 assists. Her ability to score, rebound and distribute will be crucial for the Pirates to get their swagger back before it's too late.

Another "X-Factor" for Coast comes from freshman guard Melaiah Joseph, who has shown throughout the season that she can be a leading scorer for the Pirates and will need her touch to return after a couple of tough outings. This year, Joseph earned second-team, All-OEC honors while averaging 13.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game this year. 

First-team, All-OEC selection Zoie Lamkin averages 13.1 points to go along with 4.2 rebounds and two assists per game. Her quick, athletic ability will need to be felt on both sides of the floor.

Sophomore Hailey Estrada (9.2 points, 5.4 rebounds. 2.6 assists per game) and freshman Kayla Borgelt (7.6 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists) also have the ability to take over games for the Pirates, so with the playoffs now here, it's time for the squad to take a quick breath and get back into their highest level of basketball focus for the playoffs.

"We need to let the inside game come to us a little more than forcing it down low," Doucette said. "That's something we've been trying to work on this week ... just get some more pace and quickness and flow back to our game. We need that 'playoff switch' to flip on and I think it will."

For the Lasers, winners of five of their last seven games coming into Saturday's matchup with the Pirates, they have been led offensively by the 1-2 punch of sophomore Moka Saiki and Samantha Barnett. Saiki leads IVC in scoring at 12.6 points per game to go along with 3.7 rebounds, and three assists per game. Barnett is close behind, averaging 12.1 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. Freshman Alexis Price (9.4 points, team-best 7.1 rebounds per game) led IVC with 14 points in Wednesday's win over Antelope Valley, while Saiki and Haruka Mikuma each had 11.

The winner of Saturday's game will advance to the third round of the Southern California Regional Playoffs, set for Saturday, March 8, at 7 p.m.