Orange Coast College

Women's Basketball: BACK TO BACK: Pirates repeat as OEC champs!

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

MISSION VIEJO -- For the first time in school history, the Orange Coast College women's basketball team has won its conference title for the second straight season.

Led by 27 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists from Courtney Ford, the Pirates made it back-to-back Orange Empire Conference titles with a 70-65 win over rival Saddleback on Wednesday.

Erin Barney added 19 points off the bench for Coast (28-3, 12-1 in conference), while Brittany Taylor and Simone Ibbotson each added nine points and combined for 11 rebounds.

Reheshia Jones led Saddleback (23-7, 9-4) with 23 points and 12 rebounds, while Justine Chacon added 19 points. Returning standout Cassie Klockgether had 15 points, but was held to just one field goal in the second half, thanks in large part to the strong defensive play of point guard Rachael Maulit. In fact, in all three match-ups between the two schools, OCC's defense has held Klockgether under her 18.8 points-per-game average.

The Pirates will return to the Peterson Gym for their regular season finale against Santa Ana to celebrate Sophomore Night as well as Alumni Night, beginning at 5:30 p.m.

Just how impressive has this sophomore class been for the Pirates? In the 63 games played over the past two seasons, OCC has a 56-7 overall record, the best two-year record in school history. Also in that span is a school-best 26-1 record in the Orange Empire Conference.

In addition to honoring the sophomores, there will be over 25 alumni in attendance, covering the entire 19-year coaching career of OCC head coach Mike Thornton. A halftime ceremony will honor the Pirates of the past, with a postgame ceremony to honor this year's sophomore class.

Playoff seedings will be announced this weekend. Log on to the OCC Web site for the latest information regarding the Pirates' postseason schedule.