Orange Coast College

Women's Basketball: Pirates jump out early, top Cerritos

Monday, December 10, 2007

NORWALK -- The Orange Coast College women's basketball team needed about 10 minutes to grab control of Friday's game against Cerritos and that outburst led the Pirates to their eighth straight win, 76-61.

The Pirates (11-1) took the game to the host Falcons (7-4) right from the opening whistle as they jumped out to a double-digit lead in the game first four minutes.

Courtney Ford led the way with 28 points and 17 rebounds, while Casey Gomez knocked in three 3-pointers early on and finished with 12 points.

Katie Kissee used a solid second half and finished with 16 points, while Simone Ibbotson added nine points and five rebounds.

After falling behind big early, the Falcons managed to slowly chip into the deficit and got to within 11 on two occasions, but the Pirates managed just enough offense in the second half to maintain a double-digit lead throughout the entire second half.

Tiffany Wilson led the way for Cerritos with 20 points and seven rebounds, while Maltresa Neely added 18 points and grabbed nine rebounds.

The Pirates return to action on Friday when they host the 2007 Coast Christmas Classic. OCC will take on Cuesta in the opening game, beginning at 7:30 p.m.