Pirates blow out Falcons in Coast Classic tourney opener

COSTA MESA -- The pace of the game was set early for the Orange Coast College women's basketball team in Monday's 75-52 win over Cerritos in the opening round of the Erin Tomlinson Coast Christmas Classic.

Using the familiar Peterson Gym surrounding to their liking, the Pirates (9-4) busted out to a 30-17 lead and held an advantage in the other three quarters en route to the win. OCC will advance to the championship semifinals against Chaffey College, beginning at 7 p.m.

OCC hit 12-of-22 from the floor in the opening quarter, including five 3-pointers. The scoring was spread out in the opening quarter as Elizabeth Sakamoto, who led the Pirates with 21 points, scored six of those points in the first quarter, while Chyann Pendergrass (10 points, nine rebounds, six assists) and Megan McCullough (seven points, seven rebounds, four assists) each had five.

The bigger, faster Pirates out-rebounded the Falcons (2-7) by a 59-36 margin. Cerritos was led offensively by Kaylyn James with 15 points, Crystal Rodriguez with 12, Alexis Clark with 11 and Angie Ferreira with 10. 

The Pirate bench, which outscored Cerritos, 31-2, was led by Sarah Nunes, who had 10 points, while Danielle Obong chipped in seven.

In other Coast Christmas Classic action ... 

Saddleback 72, El Camino 57 -- In the tourney opener, Janae Omusi had 21 points and eight rebounds, while Kiazha Ginwright added 20 points, 10 rebounds and six steals as the Gauchos (10-3) rolled to a solid win over the Warriors (5-4). Irma Ealy chipped in 15 points and seven rebounds for Saddleback, while Kara Ito added seven points and a team-best nine assists. For El Camino, Meghan Peneueta had 17 points, five rebounds and four assists, while Elise Allison contributed 11 points.

Palomar 85, Irvine Valley 53 -- The two-time defending tourney champs had trouble in the first half breaking away from a pesky Lasers team before coming alive in the second half for the win. Leading, 35-28, Palomar outscored IVC 50-25 the rest of the way and advanced to the championship semifinals. Ariana Hernandez drained six 3-pointers on her way to a game-high 22 points, while Kendall Crosby added 19 points and eight rebounds for the Comets (10-2). Kydell Pearson and Kiara Warren each had 12 points for the Warriors (5-6).

Chaffey 68, Canyons 59 -- A big third-quarter proved to be the difference for the Panthers (9-5) in their win over the Cougars (4-8). Leading 30-27, Chaffey doubled-up Canyons 20-10 in the third and were not threatened the rest of the way. Melanie Henderson notched a double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds, as did teammate Aleezah Butler (11 points, 12 rebounds). For the Cougars, Marina Rojas led the way with 18 points and six rebounds, while Gissel Sanchez added 17 points.

SCHEDULE FOR TUESDAY

1 p.m. -- El Camino vs. Irvine Valley (Consolation Semifinal)

3 p.m. -- Canyons vs. Cerritos (Consolation Semifinal)

5 p.m. -- Saddleback vs. Palomar (Championship Semifinal)

7 p.m. -- Chaffey vs. Orange Coast (Championship Semifinal)