WALNUT -- It was a St. Patrick's Day to remember forever for the Orange Coast College women's basketball team as the Pirates successfully found their "pot-o-gold" at the end of their rainbow for the second straight year, beating Glendale, 71-60, to win their second straight state title at the 3C2A Women's Basketball State Championship on Sunday at Mt. San Antonio College.
It was the first successful championship defense since Mt. San Antonio won back-to-back titles in 2016 and 2017. It's the third women's basketball state championship in school history and the 99th overall state championship in the 76-year history of Orange Coast College.
While trying to follow the performance of last year's 32-1 state championship journey, this year's Pirates (30-3) definitely earned their own chapter in the OCC sports history books and it's a team that will not be forgotten anytime soon.
"I challenged this team early on in the year to write their own story," OCC head coach Sammy Doucette said. "Find their own identity. Early on, they kept trying to be last year's team. They were so hard on themselves for not being perfect in preseason. It just wasn't going to happen. They weren't going to be last year's group. They weren't going to be perfect. It's impossible. So they started to write their own story ... different story, but same result, I guess!"
Tournament MVP Bridgette McIntyre followed in the footsteps of her sister and last year's State Tourney MVP, Meghan McIntyre, scoring 18 points with four rebounds, three assists and three steals for the Pirates, who ended the season on a 20-game win streak ... their THIRD 20-game victory run over the past two seasons.
"This team and the coaching staff is truly special and I'm so grateful to be a part of this family here at OCC," McIntyre said. "I definitely knew that I had big shoes to fill upon coming here, but my sister being my inspiration just fueled me every day to be better, just like her. Ever since I got here, I was instantly comfortable, due to the fact that everyone was confident in me and how I could help/add to our talented team."
Ashari Cassell led Coast with 19 points, four assists and three steals, while Saturday night's hero, Sabrina Lopez, tossed in 13 points and six rebounds after battling some early-game foul trouble. Both players joined McIntyre on the All-State Tournament Team for their incredible play throughout the three-day event.
For Cassell and Lopez, who witnessed last year's state title run but did not play, it was a fulfillment of a season-long goal to return this squad to the top of the mountain once again.
"This year was nothing short of incredible," Cassell said. "I had the privilege of watching last year's team win it all and since then, I've been hungry for that same feeling. This team definitely embodied that same hunger and as a result, we set goals for ourselves. Within setting those goals, we found ourselves feeling pressured from external expectations. But Coach Sammy, being the great coach that she is, constantly encouraged us to 'write our own story.' When we finally realized what that meant, we decided that we needed to redefine ourselves and most importantly, have fun doing it."
For Lopez, who had some ups and downs away from the game of basketball, she needed time to find her way, not only with life in general, but with the Pirates and with hard work and belief, she managed to do just that. "You can't go back and change how you began, but you can start where you are and change the ending," Lopez said. "I saw this at my lowest point this season and just took it as a sign from God that I needed to keep trusting Him and the people he put around me."
As for the Vaqueros (30-3), their amazing season came to an end at the hands of a Pirate team that waited for their most important game to have their most impressive win. Patil Yaacoubian led the Vaqueros with 24 points, while Osanna Tirityan added 15 points and nine rebounds. Malia Ulery had the challenge of following around Cassell on defense, but did a stellar job on both sides of the ball, chipping in 12 points and five assists.
The game started as well as could be for the Pirates. Going up against the best defensive team in the state (46.4 ppg allowed), Coast nearly had half of that number by the end of the first quarter. Meanwhile, the Pirate defense -- also darn good (54 ppg allowed) -- clamped down on the Vaqueros through the first 10 minutes of play and led 21-8. Cassell had nine of her points in the first on a perfect 4-of-4 from the floor and three treys from the Pirates helped get the champs off on the right foot.
"After rallying together to pull off that game against Moorpark in the semis, this team was more bonded than ever," Cassell said. "It was a super-emotional win and I think that is what allowed us to come together so seamlessly today. We were ready, we knew our assignments and we knew we weren't leaving without a state championship title."
But the Vaqueros, who stunned Northern California's top team, Butte College, in the semifinals, showed exactly WHY they deserved to be in the title game and fought back, holding Coast to just seven points in the second quarter and pulled to within six at the break, 28-22.
"The game was a tough one, but we fought hard for all 40 minutes, worked hard to execute the 'scout', as well as trusted in each other that we had each other's backs," McIntyre said. "Additionally it was important for us to have fun, for we wanted this for each other and the opportunity to be able to play one more game together fueled us."
After Saturday's incredible comeback win over Moorpark, the second half could NOT have an ending any differently than what played out as the Pirates used a 19-2 run to start the third quarter and turned the state championship into a rout, 47-24. Quarterfinals hero, Jordan Arreola, who joined the Pirates after coming oh-so-close to the championship last year at Butte College (OCC beat Butte to win the title in 2023), scored five of her 12 points during that run and the sophomore transfer made sure runner-up was not an option this time.
"Coming from Butte to Coast was definitely the best decision I've ever made," Arreola said. "Adjusting to OCC wasn't hard at all ... I felt right at home. When you're in the right place, you just know in your heart and that's exactly how it felt playing for Coach Sammy and with this team. Butte taught me so much last season, that I brought over for this year and I believe that contributed heavily on my success."
From there, Coast cruised to victory ... sort of.
Glendale put on an impressive shooting display late in the fourth quarter to trim a 26-point OCC advantage (64-38) down to just 10 (67-57), but there just wasn't enough time on the clock to get any closer. Glendale was 6-of-11 on 3-pointers alone during that span, but it was too little, too late as the Pirates worked the clock down to zero and the celebration began.
"This year was everything I have always wanted," McIntyre said. "I now have life-long friends and another family which brings me so much joy. Besides winning a championship, I am just so proud of each and every one of the people who make up this team. Every single person was/is extremely valuable to how we got here and I am so proud to be a part of this team."
In addition to her State Tourney MVP honors, McIntyre finished her OCC career with a staggering 120 made 3-pointers this season ... shattering the previous record of 98 and even topping the men's single-season record of 111, set by former Pirate and current Irvine Valley College women's head coach, Jason Garey.
The Pirates have won 62 games and lost just FOUR over the past two years. This year's group -- an entirely different group (excluding Pirate favorite Emmeline Law) won 30 games, went undefeated through the always-tough Orange Empire Conference (14-0) and ended the 2024 season with a 20-game win streak. Average margain of victory ... 25.5 (37.1 in conference). The best team in the state finished right where they needed to be.
"This season has meant everything to me," Cassell said. "I am grateful for God's plan for me included my time here at OCC. Meeting Coach Sammy Doucette was definitely a turning point in not only my basketball career, but in life. Coach Sammy believed in me. That is a huge deal, to have a coach believe in you. Feeling that from her is what gave me confidence in myself and in my teammates. I'm just glad I can thank her for all she has done for me with another state championship! I learned so much from being apart of OCC's program and will be taking everything I learned to the next level at Cal State L.A. I couldn't be more excited!"
Lots of different stories ... one happy ending.
Release by Tony Altobelli, Orange Coast