Mt. SAC returns to winner's circle--a record 9th State Women's Basketball title

WALNUT -- Mt. San Antonio College held the two top seeds to their lowest point totals of the season and it was that type of suffocating defense that led the Mounties to return to the mountain top, winning their record ninth 3C2A State Women's Basketball championship. Mt. SAC, the #2 seed, completed the task in defeating South #1 Orange Coast, 52-39, before a packed house on Sunday afternoon.

Mt. SAC (29-4) cut down North #1 Sequoias' undefeated season (31-1) in Saturday's semifinals by limiting the Giants to just 50 points. In preventing the Pirates (27-6) from joining the 3-peat club, the Mounties held another high-energy offensive squad to just 15 second-half points, including a defensive masterpiece run of 17-2 over a course of 12 minutes during the second half.

Mt. San Antonio became the first team to ever win the title as tourney host and captured its first championship in eight years. 

The dynamic All-State duo of Daisia Mitchell and Taliyah McFerson combined for 24 points (12-for-23 from the field) and 14 rebounds in the first half, then supplied punishing defense along with Elizabeth Udeze in the final two quarters. All three players made All-State Tournament with Mitchell adding the MVP award to her mantel that includes two State Players of the Year, two South Coast Conference MVPs, and a WBCA All-American nod.

In the third quarter, Orange Coast was behind just 35-29 on a short bank shot by Hailey Estrada with 5:40 left in the period. From that point, Mt. SAC completely shut down the Pirates with a hard-nosed, athletic defense while adding to its lead. 

An 8-foot jumper by Frances Potts was followed by Udeze scoring on a driving layup, then a running jumper that built it to 41-29 going into the final quarter.

OCC couldn't mount a threat while Ryann Riddle sank a jumper followed by a fast-break bucket from Aanisah Moncrief on a bomb pass by Mitchell. By the time Udeze floated in another jumper with 4:12 left, Mt. SAC had increased the lead to 21, 52-31. The Mounties easily were able to run out the clock.

"We've been fighting to get back here, and we finally got over the hump," said Mt. SAC head coach Brian Crichlow, who has five state titles to his credit but was an assistant coach on the other four crowns. "We have a special group of players who believed in themselves going back to July. Mitchell and McFerson are like our ying and yang. We've leaned on them on both defense and offense all season."

On the team's defense, he said: "We play a hard man-to-man and we just wanted to make Orange Coast rush their shots and force them into turnovers."

McFerson (15 points, 10 rebounds, four steals) and Mitchell (12 points, 14 boards, two blocks) both recorded double-doubles and Udeze added 10 points, seven rebounds, and four assists. 

Mitchell talked about her teammates and her home floor. "I'm so comfortable at this gym, and I think I go harder at practices and games because I've spent two years doing it," she said. "This is what I came here to do (win a state title). All the other awards don't mean as much as this and none of it happens without the support of my teammates. Mt. SAC is about defense and that's what we do best."

Orange Coast was paced by Estrada with 12 points and Melaiah Joseph, who tallied eight points and seven rebounds. Alyssa Dreessen was limited to four points, eight boards, while making four steals. Myia Collins started strong but was also held down on six points and eight boards.

OCC shot just 26.8 percent from the floor (15-for-56) and made the game's only two 3-point baskets, one each by Joseph and Kayla Borgelt.

"We did our best but we couldn't get shots to fall," said OCC head coach Sammy Doucette. "Mt. SAC is a great team and they did what they had to do to win the championship. I'm so proud of our team and how we fought. It's been an incredible season and I'm sad it had to end this way."

The Pirates did make it to their third straight championship final but fell short in going for three in a row as Mt. SAC (2006-2008) and Ventura (2000-2002) remain the only colleges to 3-peat.

In the opening quarter, highlighted by two baskets by Myia Collins, Orange Coast jumped ahead 8-4. The Mounties built momentum on an 8-0 run with Mitchell hitting a 10-foot jumper and McFerson scoring on a putback as they took a 14-10 lead.

In the second period, Estrada got OCC going with a layup and four free throws that tied it at 18-18. OCC tied it again, 24-24, when Borgelt flew in on an offensive rebound and layup. Then the Mounties star duo went to work as McFerson scored on back-to-back layups followed by drawing a charging foul. Mitchell placed a bounce pass inside to McFerson for another easy basket inside and a 30-24 Mt. SAC halftime lead.  

3C2A ALL-STATE TOURNAMENT TEAM
Daisia Mitchell, Mt. SAC, MVP
Taliyah McFerson, Mt. SAC
Elizabeth Udeze, Mt. SAC
Hailey Estrada, Orange Coast
Myia Collins, Orange Coast
Jocelyn Medina, Sequoias
Malia Ulery, Glendale

Release by Robert Lewis, CCCWBCA Publicist