Giants women's basketball opens Gilcrest with win over state No. 14 Ventura

By Nick Giannandrea

COS ATHLETICS

College of the Sequoias women's basketball team scored its most impactful victory of the young season to open the 46th annual Gilcrest Invitational.

Kyla Wandick, Anisa Torres and Lucia Ricci scored six points apiece in the fourth quarter to help the California Community College Women's Basketball Coaches Association state No. 19-ranked Giants pull away from No. 14 Ventura for a 62-51 victory Nov. 30 at Porter Field House.

It was Sequoias' first win over a state ranked team this season. Ventura, an eight-time champion of the Gilcrest Invitational, was off to a 6-0 start.

The Giants (7-3) advance to the semifinals where they will face state No. 2 Butte at 7 p.m. Dec. 1. The defending Gilcrest Invitational champion Roadrunners (8-1) reached the semifinals with a 62-56 defeat of No. 7 Moorpark (5-3). 

"That's gonna be tough, but that's what we wanted," Sequoias coach Doug White said. "The way this tournament is, we're going to play three ranked teams in a row, either way." 

The other semifinal pits state No. 2 Mt. San Antonio (4-1) against No. 5 San Joaquin Delta (7-0) at 5 p.m.. The championship game is scheduled for 4 p.m. Dec. 2.

Sequoias appeared poised to run Ventura out of the gym early on.

A Jacqueline Ruiz (Kingsburg High) jumper gave the Giants a 12-point lead (23-11) with 7 minutes and 22 seconds to play in the second quarter.

Sequoias, however, went 1 for 10 from the field the rest of the second quarter while forcing outside shots without working its offensive sets.

That allowed the Pirates to take a 26-25 lead at halftime.

The Giants remained cold in the third quarter, shooting 31.3 percent from the field (5 of 16) and 16.7 percent from 3-point range (1 of 6).

The lead changed hands 11 times in the second half and the score was tied at 46-46 when Ventura's Dani Henley sank a 3-pointer with 5:41 remaining.

But Wandick (Bakersfield High) responded with a 3-pointer on the next possession, giving Sequoias a 49-46 lead.

It kickstarted a game-closing 16-5 run for Sequoias, which did not trail again.

"We shot ourselves out of a (12)-point lead," White said. "That's something we tell them, we don't keep shooting. We go inside and try to get fouls, and then we can come back and shoot later. You can't keep shooting when you're not hitting the shots."

Wandick led all scorers with 16 points. She also had three assists, a rebound and a steal.

Ricci (Seattle, Wash.) added 12 points, seven rebounds, three steals and two assists.

Geizzle Jones (Bullard) delivered 11 points, five assists, three rebounds, three blocks and a steal, while Torres (Caruthers) had 10 points, nine rebounds and a steal.

The Giants also received eight points, 10 rebounds, four assists and a steal from Trinity Ferro (Corcoran); three points from Taylor Whitfield (Sierra Pacific-Hanford); two points and a rebound from Ruiz; four rebounds from Darleth Felix (Tulare Union); and a rebound from Maci Chavez (Kingsburg).

"It was gutsy. We were tiny compared to that team," White said. "But we played hard. I've got to give them credit."

In other tournament games, No. 3 Mt. San Antonio beat No. 11 Chabot 72-55, and No. 5 San Joaquin Delta edged Los Angeles Valley 68-64.

The consolation semifinals features Chabot (6-2) against L.A. Valley (2-3) at 1 p.m., and No. 7 Moorpark against Ventura at 3 p.m.