SRJC 70, City College of San Francisco 71
On the last day of the Santa Rosa Crossover Tournament, the San Joaquin Delta Mustangs (4-0), the top team in the North, overwhelmed the Shasta College Knights (2-4) 72-31. In the final game the Bear Cubs (4-1) battled the Rams (2-1) of City College of San Francisco, coming up a point short.
The Bear Cubs got on the scoreboard first their third time on offense when Kaia Eubanks banked in a 1-footer on a give-and-go play with Elle Picard. The Rams scored the next four points on Alessandra Nelson's 3-pointer and her one free throw on their next possession. The Bear Cubs put together a 10-0 run on Jordan Washington's 1-footer off of Eubanks' assist, Eubanks' fast break layup after catching Washington's long pass, Washington's reverse spin move, her drive from the wing, and Sydney Martin's low post move for a 12-4 lead at the 2:47 mark. Alexis Cornejo drained a 3-pointer 31 seconds later. Elle Picard swished one from beyond the arc with 1:05 left. Maryiah Mahsin made the last Rams' basket with 9 seconds to go. The Bear Cubs inbounded the ball, and Picard drove around defenders and released the successful shot from just inside the 3-point line as the buzzer sounded, giving the Bear Cubs a 17-9 advantage.
The Bear Cubs started the second quarter with the ball, and Jordan Washington drew a shooting foul. She made both free throws. Alexis Cornejo made two quick baskets in a row, including a layup off of a Bear Cub turnover. Kaia Eubanks banked in a 2-footer off of Elle Picard's pass at the 8:46 mark. The Rams went on an 8-0 run, including another layup after intercepting an ill-advised Bear Cub pass, to tie the score at 21-21 with 5:40 on the clock. During the next three minutes Shasta Vlasak made one free throw, and Abby Tacla scored on a drive from half court to retake the lead 24-21. The Rams finished the period with two field goals and two free throws. The Bear Cubs added five points on one free throw by Hailey Webb, Sydney Martin's 18-footer, and two free throws by Washington to go into halftime holding a slim 29-27 lead.
Caelan De Vera's field goal 67 seconds into the third quarter tied the game. Ten seconds later Kaia Eubanks sank a 4-footer off of Elle Picard's assist. Patriceia Walsh made a field goal, and on the Bear Cubs' next time on offense Jordan Washington dropped in a 2-footer on a baseline inbounds pass from Picard. Alexis Cornejo sank a basket, and Elle Picard drained a 3-pointer. Walsh scored again, and Washington drew a shooting foul and made both free throws. Eubanks banked in a 1-footer off of Abby Tacla's assist, and then June Lumumba banked in a putback at the 5:44 mark. Hailey Webb's two free throws 22 seconds later made their lead 42-37. The Rams tied the game again on Taryn Nasol's 3-pointer and Lumumba's 2-footer. Eubanks tossed in an over the shoulder shot from two feet below the middle of the key. Alessandra Nelson's one free throw was followed by Walsh's steal and layup with 3:12 on the clock, putting the Rams up by one. Washington scored on a drive, and the next time down banked in a 1-footer on a baseline inbounds pass from Picard with 2:10 left. She drew a foul six seconds later and made just the first free throw for a 49-45 lead. Walsh scored again on a layup after a steal. Washington added two more points on a pair of free throws, putting the Bear Cubs ahead 51-47 by the end of the quarter.
Abby Tacla scored the first basket of the fourth quarter on a drive from the left wing. The Rams then scored nine unanswered points, including two layups in a row off of Bear Cub turnovers, to go in front 56-53 at the 7:25 mark. Seventeen seconds later Tacla drew a shooting foul and made just the first free throw. Stephanie Salazar scored inside, and Alexis Cornejo hit a 3-pointer. Caitlin Baldwin swished a 3-pointer, Cornejo also made one from beyond the arc, then Elle Picard did the same, and Baldwin drained another 3-pointer, cutting the Rams' lead to 64-63 with 3:01 on the clock. Kaia Eubanks' putback 30 seconds after that put the Bear Cubs in front. June Lumumba's putback gave the Rams back the lead. Patriceia Walsh's banked 3-pointer increased the Rams' advantage to 69-65 with 35 seconds remaining. Jordan Washington missed her next shot, but followed it up with a putback as she was falling to the floor with 11 seconds left. The Bear Cubs were forced to foul. Cornejo went to the free throw line with five seconds on the clock and made just the first. While the second free throw was bouncing off the rim, Eubanks was fouled. Following a timeout called by the Rams, she went to the free throw line to shoot two with her team trailing 67-70. She missed the first and tried to miss the second on purpose, but the Rams rebounded and called a timeout. The Rams inbounded and the Bear Cubs fouled. Cornejo missed the first but made the second. The Bear Cubs called their last timeout and advanced the ball with three seconds to go. They inbounded and Baldwin got off an off-balance 3-pointer that went through the net as the buzzer sounded, leaving the Bear Cubs behind by a single point, 70-71.
This game was a tough battle for both teams. The Bear Cubs hurt themselves with 34 turnovers, seven of them leading directly to baskets by their opponents. Although the Bear Cubs made 47% of their shots (25 out of 53), they only made 14 out of 21 (67%) from the free throw line. Three Rams reached double figures in scoring: Alexis Cornejo and Patriceia Walsh with 17 each and Alessandra Nelson with 10.
The Bear Cubs also had three players in double figures: Jordan Washington with 23, Kaia Eubanks 14, and Elle Picard 11. Caitlin Baldwin added 9 points, Abby Tacla 5, Sydney Martin 4, Hailey Webb 3, and Shasta Vlasak 1. Jordan Washington led in rebounding with 8. Elle Picard led in assists with 5. Jordan Washington made 4 steals and blocked 5 shots.