Pirates prepare for showdown with Mt. San Jacinto

COSTA MESA -- Two teams will battle for one invitation to the big dance as the Orange Coast College women's basketball team will host Mt. San Jacinto College on Saturday night in the Southern California Regional Finals inside the Peterson Gym, beginning at 7 p.m.

For the fourth-seeded and defending state champion Pirates (26-3), a return to the State Tournament with basically an entirely new roster would be a tremendous accomplishment for this team as well as for head coach Sammy Doucette. Following the departure of all five starting players from last year's 32-1 championship club, Doucette was hard at work to recreate an even-better version of last year's successful blueprint and she and the team are one win away from fulfilling that dream.

"It's going to be a very fast-paced game," Doucette said. "Mt. San Jacinto doesn't really play half-court basketball at all. But we tend to play fast as well so it'll be a good matchup."

For the Pirates, champions of the Orange Empire Conference and winners of 16 in a row, the path to Saturday's Regional Final was cleared after Coast topped East Los Angeles, 81-73. Ashari Cassell led the way with 24 points and four assists, while Bridgette McIntyre added 19 points and seven assists. Coast overcame a strong performance from all-state selection Lupe Vazquez, who had 30 points and five assists. 

For the Eagles (23-4), a 3-2 start to the season was followed up with wins in 19 of their next 20 games, including a 12-0 run through the month of December. After a regular-season stumble to Victor Valley, MSJC quickly brushed it off and rolled to a 30-point win over Citrus College (84-54) in their second-round playoff match on Saturday. 

In the win over the Owls, Breyonna Bell led the Eagles with 28 points, with double-doubles turned in by Jana Roman (18 points, 17 rebounds) and Alaysia Kidwell (10 points, 12 rebounds). MSJC is 13th in the state, averaging 71.1 points per game and the Eagles, while not leading other major categories, are among the top clubs in the state throughout the various categories, much like the Pirates. 

Coast averages 81.9 points per game, second-most in the state. McIntyre leads the way, averaging 18.8 points per game, with Cassell close behind at 14.4 ppg. 

The 1-2 post punch of freshmen forwards Alyssa Dreessen and Myia Collins have combined for 13.7 rebounds per game, while the Pirate defense averages 13 steals per game. 

For the Eagles, Bell (16.4 points per game) and Roman (10.5) are two of three MSJC players averaging 10-or-more points, including Valeria Brewer (11.9 ppg). Roman anchors the MSJC rebounding with 11.7 per game, with Kidwell joining in down low with 7.7 boards per contest. 

"Our defensive rebounding needs to be better than it was against ELAC," Doucette said. "Eight of our turnovers were on travel calls and although I didn't agree with half of them, that's obviously something we need to tighten up."

Be sure to order your tickets in advance to avoid a delay to get into the gym.Purchase your tickets HERE.

Reminder -- all prices for tickets were set by the California Community College Athletic Association and NOT Orange Coast College.