The Irvine Valley women's basketball team saw its 2021-22 season end with tough loss in the California Community College Athletic Association State Championship semifinals at West Hill Lemoore Saturday afternoon.
The Lasers, seeded No. 2 in Southern California, lost to No. 1 in Northern California San Joaquin Delta, 77-74.
A furious rally from down 17 points in the fourth quarter lifted state No. 1-ranked San Joaquin Delta to a win over Irvine Valley.
The Mustangs (30-2) advanced to their third state championship final as they shoot for the program's first-ever state title on Sunday.
Trailing, 65-48, with seven minutes remaining, Delta put together an amazing, 19-1, scoring run to take its first lead of the game on a basket by No. Cal. Player of the Year Donja Payne with 1:43 left. Payne made another big play when she grabbed an offensive rebound off a missed free throw by teammate Breanna Grigsby and layed it in for a 71-68 lead with 46 seconds to go.
Alicia Jones came through in the final seconds in making four free throws to seal Delta's eighth straight win.
Payne made 11 of 13 shots from the floor, grabbed 10 rebounds, had two steals and added two blocks. She finished with 23 points.
Grigsby was a big part of the Delta comeback, scoring 12 of her 18 points in the second half, while adding 12 rebounds.
Irvine Valley's farthest trip ever in the postseason ended along with the team's 18-game winning streak. The Lasers (26-3) were led by the guard duo of sophomore Paola Roa, who was also named to the all-tournament team, and Jessica Suruor.
Both players scored 23 points.
In the big scoring run for the Mustangs, Payne and Trena Rathjen scored baskets, Andraya Perez sank a corner three-pointer, Grigsby hit back-to-back baskets, and all-State third team guard Maya Chelini, who had been scoreless all-game, drained consecutive three-pointers, her second one cutting it to, 66-65, with 2:14 remaining in the game.
Delta made 75 percent from the field in the final 10 minutes, making 9 of 12 attempts.
The Lasers had opened up a commanding 50-33 first-half lead with a relentless offensive attack and a hounding full-court press.
Suruor sank 5 of 6 from beyond the three-point arc and scored 16 points while Roa added 14 points in the opening 20 minutes.
IVC outscored Delta, 25-12, in the second quarter, shooting 11 of 20 (49 percent). The 50 points allowed was the most by Delta in a half all season (previous high 46) and more than the Mustangs 49.1 points allowed average per game.
In the third quarter, Delta's defense finally clamped down as the Mustangs outscored IVC, 13-6, cutting the lead to 56-46.
The only thing keeping the game within reach in the first half was Payne's flawless shooting, making a perfect 8 of 8 from the field in the first half for 17 points. The rest of the team was 4 of 25, a lowly 16 percent.
In the first quarter, the No. 2 and No. 3 defenses in the state, Irvine Valley and Delta, didn't resemble those stingy numbers.
Instead, both teams played up-tempo with IVC applying a press that resulted in four field goals directly off Lasers steals.
IVC led by as much as nine at 15-6, but Payne, who shot 4 of 4 from the field in the period, and brought the Mustangs back.
Payne's basket, and-one cut the score to 22-21. However, IVC's Suruor drilled a three-pointer to give the Lasers a 25-21, first-quarter advantage.
For Delta, Jones, an all-State second team guard, and Rathen each scored nine points and Chelini seven. Sarah Ruiz added eight assists.
The Mustangs will play the winner of today's other semifinal between North No. 2 Sierra and North No. 2 College of the Sequoias in the state championship game on Sunday at 1 p.m. Delta last played in the state final in losing to Pasadena City in the 2009 championship and it also made it as state runner-up at the 2006 finals v. champion Mt. San Antonio.
