CCCAA STATE CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT CENTRAL
As the Wolverines awoke on Thursday morning, they made their way to the Lemoore College gym for a morning shoot around before taking on Moorpark College in the CCCAA women's basketball quarterfinals. The year was 2020. Then, just hours before the game, word came down that the tournament was canceled. The opportunity to play for a state title snatched away at the last minute. The Sierra squad left with an unquenched thirst, a mission left unfinished.
In the last two years, that has been the goal. To get back to Lemoore and take on the best teams in California. To play for a championship. Perhaps the fates wanted that as well, because as the tournament brackets were drafted, who would Sierra face in the quarterfinals? Moorpark.
Two years later, we got the game we had hoped for in 2020. Moorpark came out strong, starting things off with 9 point run, looking to leave the Wolverines in the dust. But Sierra followed that up with their own 8 point run to narrow Moorpark's lead to 1. The Raiders were able to keep pace for a moment, trailing by just 1 after the first quarter. But Sierra - up 35-26 at halftime - held the lead until their 83-53 victory, including a dominant third quarter where they outscored Moorpark 27-7.
Jesse Miller led the Wolverines in points with 19, with Christina Oliva close behind with 15. "Our mindset was really to just take the tournament one game at a time and give it our best effort every game" said Jesse Miller. "We wanted to be as prepared as possible for each team we face and just go out there and do what we do."
Sierra will face north #4 seed Sequoias after their 69-66 upset of Mt. SAC Thursday night. That semifinal matchup will take place Saturday afternoon at 3:00pm. More information can be found on the CCCAA Tournament Central page.
"Even before the season started, seeing everyone play and practice I already knew this team was special" says Devon Lewis. "Everyone can do something well, everyone has their talents and when you combine it all toghether it really makes us a great team."