Pirates capture Moorpark College tournament with win over ELAC
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
East Los Angeles (4-0, 0-0) | 13 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 60 |
|
Orange Coast (2-0, 0-0) | 20 | 11 | 20 | 17 | 68 |
MOORPARK -- The start of the 2023-24 season couldn't come fast enough for coach Sammy Doucette and her Orange Coast College Pirates. Tired of playing each other, the defending state champs kicked off their season with a three straight wins to capture the Moorpark College Tournament this past weekend.
Coast dusted off the cobwebs in the season opener against L.A. Trade Tech and cruised to a 73-40 win. The Pirates pulled away from the Beavers early on, allowing Doucette to play as many players as possible.
Bridgette McIntyre had 19 points, four rebounds and four assists for OCC, while Ashai Cassell notched her first double-double of the season with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Chase Dionio led the scoring off the bench with six points, Hailey Estrada dished out a team-best five assists to go along with five points and Makena Ching made the most of her 13 minutes played with 10 rebounds.
In the second game, Coast took on College of the Sequoias and again used a big lead early to fuel their 59-49 win. The Pirates led by as many as 25 points in the third quarter so the margin of victory is a lot closer than the game actually was.
Cassell again had a strong game with 18 points on 8-of-12 shooting, while McIntyre added 12 points and Alyssa Dreessen tossed in 10 points to go along with nine rebounds.
In the finale, Coast took on East Los Angeles and this game was the toughest of the three. Coast lead through the entire first half, but ELAC hung tough and actually took a 45-43 lead midway through the third quarter. But, the Pirates regrouped and pulled away in the fourth quarter en route to a 68-60 win.
McIntyre had a big game for OCC with 21 points, while Jordan Arreola came through with her best game of the early season with 17 points. Ching was the leader off the bench with 13 points and five rebounds. Helping her cause was a 7-of-10 performance from the free-throw line.
The Pirates -- tied for the No. 2 spot in the state rankings -- will host state No. 1, Mt. San Antonio College on Thursday in their home opener, beginning at 5 p.m.
