Pirates edged by Chaffey in Coast Classic opener

COSTA MESA -- There was no home cooking down the stretch for the Orange Coast College women's basketball team on Wednesday in the opening round of the 2013 Erin Tomlinson Coast Christmas Classic.

Dominique Worthy's running basket with 12 seconds remaining helped give Chaffey College the hard-fought 63-62 win over the host Pirates, dropping OCC into Thursday's consolation semifinals (3:30 p.m. against Palomar). The victory moved the Panthers into the 7:30 p.m. championship semifinal against Cuesta College.

Trailing for most of the game, the Pirates (8-4) grabbed the lead for the first time since the opening minutes of the first half when Chanelle DiCroce's layup put Coast up 58-57 with 4:33 left in the game.

The lead grew to as many as five for Coast 62-57) before the Panthers (10-3) began their comeback.

Back-to-back baskets by Raven Dixon and Tyease Bryson closed the deficit to 62-61 and, after four missed shots by the Pirates, Worthy's runner in the lane pushed Chaffey ahead by a point.

In the final seconds, Coast had two more looks at the hoop, but the Panthers' defense held serve and kept the hosts off of the scoreboard the rest of the way.

Jasmine Matar (nine rebounds) and Chanelle DiCroce (10 rebounds) each had 13 points for the Pirates, while Raechelle Davis added 11 points and 11 rebounds.

For the Cougars, Mary Windom had 12 points, while five other players chipped in six points or more.

In other Coast Christmas Classic action ... 

Saddleback 72, College of the Canyons 54 -- A strong second-half scoring outburst by the Gauchos (9-4) helped propel them into Thursday's 5:30 championship semifinal. Saddleback shot 15-of-35 from the field (42.9 percent) and scored 40 points in the second half while holding the Cougars (5-6) to just 23 points over the final 20 minutes of play.

Whitney Braeutigam led the Gauchos with 18 points and 12 rebounds, while Tatiana Moana added 14 points and nine rebounds. For the Cougars, Keiona Mathews scored 17 points, while Shawn Kolani chipped in 13.

Irvine Valley 66, Southwestern 58 -- The Lasers, who led by 23 points with just under 10 minutes left in the game, withstood a barrage of Jaguar baskets down the stretch to win by eight in the second game of the day. 

A pair of double-doubles (and nearly a third) led the way for the Lasers (8-4). Breanna Turner led the offense with 15 points and 10 rebounds, Kiara King added 14 points and 14 rebounds and Alexis Casillas chipped in 12 points and nine boards.

For the Jaguars (5-3), Alexis Harris had 16 pints, while Cardedra Evans added 14 points and 11 rebounds.

Cuesta 80, Palomar 70 -- The unbeaten Cougars (12-0) made their living in the lane and at the free-throw line and pulled out a 10-point victory over the pesky Comets (3-8).

Katie Rodriguez set a CCC tournament record for made free throws in one game with 14 and led the Cougar offense with 23 points. Courtney Chadwick added 15 points, while Miriam Zabinsky chipped in 13 points, eight rebounds and six steals.

The Comets were led by Mikaela Stanton, who scored 25 points. Dechae Evans added 17 points and 14 rebounds, while Maureen Fegan tossed in 12 points and grabbed 10 boards.

DAY 2 SCHEDULE

1:30 p.m. -- Canyons vs. Southwestern (Consolation Semifinal)

3:30 p.m. -- Orange Coast vs. Palomar (Consolation Semifinal)

5:30 p.m. -- Saddleback vs. Irvine Valley (Championship Semifinal)

7:30 p.m. -- Chaffey vs. Cuesta (Championship Semifinal)