Pirates capture Sequoias Tournament!

VISALIA -- It was a worthwhile trip for the Orange Coast College women's basketball team as the Pirates swept their three games to win the Central Valley Conference Tournament this past weekend.

In the opener on Friday, Coast (5-1) picked up a 72-61 win over Merced College. Trailing, 49-41, the Pirates rolled past MC in the fourth quarter, 26-12, to pick up the win. Chyann Pendergrass led the way with 19 points and 11 assists, while Michelle Wu added 11 points and five rebounds and Elizabeth Sakamoto tossed in 10 points.

In the championship semifinals, Coast's offense came to live in a BIG way, as the Pirates cruised to a 100-45 win over the College of San Mateo. It was the first time that OCC hit the 100-point mark in a game since Jan. 26, 2007, when the Pirates demolished Golden West, 102-33.

The Pirates led 42-28 at the half before blowing away CSM in the second half, outscoring the Bulldogs, 58-17.

Coast was on fire from 3-point land, draining 21-of-44 from beyond the arc. Sydney Driggs led the Pirates with five 3-pointers and a game-high 16 points. Danielle Obong went 4-for-4 from downtown en route to 14 points, while Bela Raimondi added 12 points and three steals. 

With the win, the Pirates earned a trip to the tourney title game and there, Coast pulled out a hard-fought, 69-65 win over host Sequoias. 

Undefeated heading into Sunday's matchup with Coast, the Giants (8-1) carried a 42-38 lead into the second half, but Coast responded with a 19-12 third quarter to grab a 57-54 advantage.

The Giants led 49-47 with 4:30 left in the third on a 3-pointer by Isabella Jimenez, but from there, Coast went on a 15-5 run to take the lead for good. A pair of 3-pointers by Obong and a trey from Jenna Miramontez helped spark the run that put the Pirates up for good.

COS would get to within a point a 64-63 with 2:46 left in the game, but Coast's defense clamped down and held the Giants to just one made layup the rest of the way. 

Pendergrass, the tournament's Most Valuable Player, had 13 points, six rebounds and six assists, while Obong added 12 points. 

Wu (21 points, eight rebounds, four assists) and Megan McCullough (22 points, 10 rebounds, six assists) also earned All-Tournament honors for the Pirates, who won their fifth straight game.

The Pirates will take the Thanksgiving weekend off before returning to tourney action on Friday, Dec. 2, at 2 p.m. against Grossmont at the Cypress College Tournament.