Pirates return to action, fall to Victor Valley in season opener
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Victor Valley (1-0) | 16 | 13 | 15 | 17 | 61 |
|
Orange Coast (0-1) | 14 | 6 | 14 | 10 | 44 |
COSTA MESA -- The 2021-22 season is officially underway for the Orange Coast College women's basketball team and despite a 61-44 home loss to Victor Valley, the vibe inside the Peterson Gym was happy and optimistic on Tuesday night after a 20-month hiatus due to the pandemic.
The visiting Rams picked up some balanced offensive production from their starting five as Jordan Brooks (11 rebounds) and Tyreshia Sessions each led the way with 15 points, while Maniyah Willingham added 12 points, 10 rebounds and six steals and Julianna Sanchez tossed in 11 points and six steals.
OCC's Karina Cabrera led all scorers with 24 points on 10-of-20 shooting, but for the rest of the Pirates, baskets in the home gym were hard to find. The rest of the squad went 5-of-30 for the evening against a very tough VVC defense.
The Pirates did a great job early on with solving the early defensive intensity delivered by the Rams and after one quarter of play, Coast trailed by just two after the first 10 minutes, 16-14.
Coast scored six of the first eight points of the second quarter to grab a 20-18 advantage, but the Pirates went cold over the final six-plus minutes of the first half as Victor Valley ended the half with an 11-0 run and led 29-20 at the break.
That run would be enough of a cushion for the Rams as they maintained their comfortable advantage the rest of the way.
The Pirates will return to the Peterson Gym on Friday against San Diego Mesa, beginning at 6 p.m.
