Pirates to play at College of the Canyons in playoff opener
COSTA MESA -- The Orange Coast College women's basketball team will return to playoff action for the first time in five years and will take on College of the Canyons on Thursday night at COC, beginning at 7 p.m.
The Pirates (20-8), who finished second in the Orange Empire Conference, earned a No. 10 seed for the postseason and will be up against a tough No. 7-seeded Cougars squad (19-7) that finished third in the Western State Conference's South Division.
Coast enters Thursday's road showdown winners of 12 of its last 16 games, including six of its last seven. The Cougars have won eight of their last 11 games and OCC head coach Sammy Doucette sees some similarities between the two programs.
"Canyons is a really good program," Doucette said. "They've beaten some very good teams and they've lost to some teams they probably shouldn't have. On paper, we are very similar. The game is up for grabs and if we do the things we've constantly done well to get to where we are now, we should be OK."
The Pirates carry the majority of the team's offense through three main weapons ... sophomore Alexis Legan and freshmen Karina Cabrera and Annie Trinh. All three have the ability to lead the team in offense, giving the Pirates options as the game wears on.
Legan has been the main go-to weapon for Coast this year, averaging 22 points per game to go along with 9.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game.
In 22 games played, Legan has reached double figures 19 times, eclipsed 20 points on 12 different occasions, topped 30 points six times and reached a career-best 40 points against Santa Ana on Jan. 28.
Another steady option for the Pirates, Cabrera has played in all 28 games this year and is averaging 16.7 points per game to go along with a team-best 2.4 steals per game. She has hit double figures in scoring 25 times this year, with a season-best 31 against San Diego Mesa back on Nov. 5.
After an up-and-down start to her season, Trinh has become a very dependable player for Doucette and her Pirate squad, averaging 10.7 points this year, but has averaged 17.2 points over her past 10 games.
It is a team effort on the boards, so look for forwards Donya Smith (6.4 RPG), Savannah Seiler (6.9 PPG, 5.8 RPG), Madison Copeland (5.8 rebounds RPG) and Karissa Chvilicek (4.1 RPG) to do most of the heavy lifting, along with the aforementioned Pirate "Big Three".
For the Cougars, they enter Thursday's playoff game with three leading scorers as well with a team scoring average of 70.7 points per game.
Forward LuLu Salloom has dominated down low, averaging 16.2 points and 14.7 rebounds per game. She put forth a 32-point, 24-rebound performance against one of the top teams in the state, East Los Angeles, back on Dec. 28.
If working down low isn't working for COC, look for the Cougars to turn to guards Justice Walters and Monique Febles. Walters is second on the team in scoring, averaging 15.5 points per game, while Febles is close behind at 14 points per game.
The winner of Thursday's matchup will take on the winner of the Irvine Valley vs. Rio Hondo/Cerritos winner on Saturday with time and location TBA.
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IMPORTANT INFORMATION ON THURSDAY'S GAME IF YOU'RE ATTENDING ...
- Park in Lot 5 off of Rockwell Canyon Road ... SEE MAP
- Admission for Thursday's game is ... $12 for adults ... $8 for seniors, children and students (CCCAA Playoff Prices)
- Only Western State Conference, CCCAA and Media passes will be accepted
