No. 1(N) Roadrunners Hand No. 2(S) Palomar First Loss to Advance to State Championship Game

Lemoore, Calif. - The No. 1(N) Butte women's basketball team outlasted No. 2(S) Palomar, 60-59, handing the Comets their first loss of the season to advance to the CCCAA Championship game on Saturday evening.

Reigning NorCal Player of the Year sophomore Meghan Weinrich led all scorers with 25 points and 12 rebounds with a couple of steals. Freshman Jordan Arreola had ice in her veins down the stretch, hitting a pair of late, clutch free throws to giving Butte the three-point edge with four seconds remaining. Overall, Arreola scored 15 points with a perfect 5-of-5 from the line.

Freshman Sarah Tait chipped in 18 points with four rebounds, knocking down three of the team's five three-pointers. Sophomore Sanaya Shrader added 10 boards.

After trailing by double-figures in the first half, the Roadrunners chipped away at the Comets' lead, falling behind by five going into the break. Both teams added 16 points in the third quarter with Butte turning on the jets in the final 10 minutes behind 55.6 percent shooting from the field with Arreola's seven and Weinrich's six points.

Butte held Palomar to just two buckets in the final quarter, despite having the opportunity to knot the game with just over one second remaining on a foul beyond the arc. The Comets counted the first two from the charity stripe, but the third came up short off the front of the rim with Tait pulling down the rebound to secure the win.

Butte (28-3) will face No. 1(S) Orange Coast for the title on Sunday, Mar. 12 at 3:30 p.m. Tickets are on sale now through the CCCAA Box Office, and the game will be livestreamed.