Pirates wrap up perfect conference run by topping Bobcats, 75-40
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Saddleback (10-18, 3-11) | 10 | 14 | 9 | 7 | 40 |
|
Orange Coast (25-3, 14-0) | 24 | 20 | 18 | 13 | 75 |
COSTA MESA -- After last year's incredible state-championship season, it was a hard act to follow for this year's Orange Coast College women's basketball team, but on Friday night, the Pirates managed to do something even last year's team didn't do ... a perfect run through the Orange Empire Conference.
The Pirates (25-3, 14-0 in the OEC) wrapped up their perfect conference run with a 75-40 win over visiting Saddleback, finishing unbeaten in the OEC for the first time since the 2006-07 season.
With a couple of top Pirate players on the sidelines, it was up to the Coast role players to step up and step up they did ... nobody more so than sophomore guard Emmeline Law, who got her first start of the season in her final regular season game game inside the Peterson Gym. Law, the ultimate team player for Coast the past two seasons, made the most of her opportunity, hitting five 3-pointers and finishing with 15 points as well as five assists. Fellow sophomore Bridgette McIntyre led all scorers with 20 points and five assists, while Hailey Estrada came off the bench and provided a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Post standouts Alyssa Dreessen (five points, 14 rebounds) and Myia Collins (eight points, seven rebounds) did the dirty work down low, while Amailia Cardona came through with seven points and five rebounds in 17 minutes of work.
Bianca Powell led the Bobcats with 11 points, while Aleksia Gadea added 10.
With the win, the back-to-back OEC champs will now wait and see who they play in the second round of the Southern California Regional playoffs after earning a first-round bye. Coast will host whomever that might be on Saturday, March 2 at 7 p.m.
