Lopez scores 25 to lead Pirates to comeback win over Moorpark

WALNUT -- It was the game that everyone involved with the Orange Coast College women's basketball team knew Sabrina Lopez had in her and at the State Final Four, it came out with a vengeance as the the Pirates rallied from a 14-point, fourth-quarter deficit to slip past Moorpark, 62-55, at the 3C2A Women's Basketball State Championships on Saturday afternoon.

Lopez finished the night with 25 points, nine rebounds and four steals, propelling the Pirates (29-3) back to the State Championship Final for the second year in row, where the defending state champs will play Glendale (30-2) for all the marbles on Sunday, beginning at 1 p.m. Coast will attempt to become a repeat state champion for the first time since Mt. San Antonio College turned the two-fer in 2016 and 2017.

"Once again ... SO PROUD!" OCC head coach Sammy Doucette said. "We tried everything ... Moorpark was not trying to lose that game and quite frankly, neither were we ... especially Sabrina Lopez. You can't write the script better than this. I am so proud of her. You know how much I've talked about how inexperienced we are. But inexperienced or not, they play hard for each other and they didn't give up ... and that's how we won."

Ashari Cassell added 15 points and four assists, while Bridgette McIntyre 12 points and six rebounds. For the Raiders (28-4), Rebecca Saidoff led the way with 17 points and seven rebounds, while Mike Jarrett added 16.

After three frustrating quarters of basketball, the shots FINALLY started to fall for the Pirates in the fourth quarter. Averaging 81 points per game, Coast was held to just 36 points through three quarters and two minutes into the final frame, Coast found itself down 50-36. A 14-point deficit and just eight minutes to survive and advance.

"I told them in a huddle that this isn't our last game and from there, we just dug in and bought into each other," Lopez said. "The coaches and the bench, we were all just determined to win and we fought for each other."

Lopez helped spark the comeback with a layup and 3-pointer to pull to within nine (50-41). Moorpark answered with a made jumper to make it 52-41 with just over 6 minutes left ... the Raiders' LAST made jumper of the game.

From there, OCC went to work and held the Raiders to just three made free throws the rest of the way. Lopez scored 14 of her 25 points in the fourth to help carry the majority of the load.

Down seven with 2 minutes left to go, A made free throw by Cassell and a clutch 3-pointer by McIntyre trimmed the deficit to 55-52.

Cassell came up with a steal and made another free throw to make it 55-53 with 49 seconds left to go.

After another turnover by the Raiders, Coast had the ball and a chance to tie or take the lead for the first time since midway through the second quarter.

McIntyre, who struggled to find her 3-point range, found the bottom of the net with 44 seconds remaining, giving the Pirates a 55-54 lead.

Moorpark had a good look on its next possession but the shot missed its mark and Cassell grabbed a key rebound and was fouled. The Cal State L.A.-bound freshman calmly stepped up and connected on both free throws to make it a 58-55 Pirate advantage with 34 seconds left to go.

Lopez then came through with another clutch defensive play, picking up a steal on the Raiders' next possession and drawing another intentional foul. Lopez came through with both free throws to push the advantage to 60-55, all but closing the game out with just 24 seconds remaining.

"For me, I trusted God and knew He gave me amazing people on my side who supported me endlessly," Lopez said. "I was able to play my best because everything was the same. Coach Sammy prepared all of us for this moment."

Another Moorpark miss, another Lopez rebound and two more made free throws iced the game for good, sending the Pirate players, coaches and fans into a frenzy.

"We are super pumped for this opportunity, but more than anything, we're grateful to have one more day and 40 more minutes of being a team together," Lopez said. 

After shooting just 13-of-46 for the first three quarters of play, Coast was 7-of-15 in the fourth with 3-of-5 shooting from 3-point range, outscoring the Raiders 26-10.

Up next will be Glendale College, a team who pulled off the upset of the tournament on Saturday after the Vaqueros rolled on Northern California's No. 1 team, Butte College, 66-42. Glendale shot 52 percent from the floor and drained nine 3-pointers en route to victory over the Roadrunners. Patil Yaacoubian came off the bench to lead Glendale with 19 points. Malia Ulery added 14 points and Paola Gorgeiz tossed in 10. 

Sunday's championship final pits two different trails of success as the Pirates come in as the state's No. 2 ranked offense at 81 points per game, while the Vaqueros are ranked No. 1 in team defense, holding the opposition to just 45.6 points per game. 

"They stunt and recover really well and rotate quickly to help," Doucette said. "So, we need to be ready for that."