Pirates fall to Mounties in state championship matchup

WALNUT -- The two-time defending state champion Orange Coast College women's basketball team saw its stay atop the mountain end as Mt. San Antonio College captured the crown of the Pirates with a 52-39 win on Sunday at the 3C2A Women's Basketball State Championships at Mt. SAC.

Sadness ensued and tears were shed, but no heads were hung as the Pirates (27-6) went farther than most of the "experts" expected and went up against a buzzsaw Mounties program, hungry for a state championship celebration in their own building after coming up short of the State Tournament a year ago.

Coast just happened to pick a bad night to have a bad night ... a night largely forced by the Mounties (29-4), who made life miserable for the Pirate offense on just about every possession down the court. OCC was held to just 15 second-half points en route to its lowest scoring total of the season, but the loss does not diminish what this squad has accomplished over the past three seasons under head coach Sammy Doucette.

Hailey Estrada capped off her Coast career with a game-high 12 points, but that was about the lone offensive highlight for the Pirates on Sunday as Mt. SAC held OCC to 26.8% shooting and just 2-of-19 from 3-point land.

State tournament MVP Daisia Mitchell had 12 points and 14 rebounds for the Mounties, while Taliyah McFerson led all scorers with 15 points and 10 rebounds.

Coast stayed close to the Mounties in the first half and trailed by six (30-24) at the break, but a 2-for-14 third quarter did the Pirates in and the Mt. SAC lead began to grow before the game got out officially out of reach in the fourth.

While the loss was a tough pill to swallow, here's a glimpse inside the numbers of OCC's three years of dominance throughout the state.

Coast has gone an incredible 90-11 over the past three years ... winning three Orange Empire Conference championships (33-3 record against the OEC), two state titles and a trip to the championship game. In the playoffs, taking on the best teams the State of California can offer up, the Pirates have gone 14-1, winning those games against top teams by an average margin of victory by nearly 18 points per game. 

The OCC sophomores of Estrada, Alyssa Dreessen, Myia Collins, Kiley Esajian and Xio Cardona finish their OCC careers with a state title, a state runner-up, two OEC titles (22-2 against the OEC) and a 57-9 overall record. While it was a tough way to go out, this group of five have forever left their mark in the already-rich tradition of the OCC Women's Basketball program.

One bad game does not erase any of those accomplishments. 

With several returning standout players and another stellar recruiting class, the Pirates will continue to be one of the top teams in the state and should be back among the leaders for the 2025-26 season.