Women's Basketball 3C2A State Tourney could produce first-time champion

While defending state champion Orange Coast College is attempting to successfully repeat, the seven other participants at this year's 3C2A State Women's Basketball Championship are all looking for their first title beginning with the quarterfinals on Thursday, Mar. 14 at Mt. San Antonio College.

After the men's quarterfinals on Friday, the women's side returns with the semifinals on Saturday, Mar. 16, then the championship final at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Mar. 17.

The 8-team field features frontrunner and state #1-ranked Butte, leading the top four North seeds along with #2 San Joaquin Delta, #3 Folsom Lake, and #4 Laney. With Mt. SAC, the #2-rated team in the state, eliminated that leaves Moorpark as the top South seed at #1, followed by #2 Glendale, #3 Orange Coast and #4 Long Beach City.

Butte and OCC are returning teams from last year's state tournament as the Pirates captured the championship in defeating the Roadrunners in the final, 78-71. The two could meet again in this weekend's title matchup. Orange Coast is trying to become the first repeat champion since Mt. San Antonio won back-to-back titles in 2016 and 2017. 

With 16 Elite Eight appearances, Delta is counting on its postseason experience in advancing to the 2006, 2009, and 2022 state finals to help its cause. Perhaps the Mustangs best team was in 2019-20 when they were 29-1 and the North #1 seed, but they were one of eight teams who had to learn the 2020 state tourney was cancelled on the morning of the quarterfinals scheduled at West Hills LeMoore due to the scary start of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Ironically, Moorpark also was at the same event as the South #1 team that year at 27-1 and a potential Raiders-Mustangs never happened. But the two have returned to the big dance in 2024. Moorpark had previously made it to the 2019 state final.

Seven of the teams were conference champions with Folsom Lake only finishing behind Delta for the Big 8 title. Both the Falcons and Glendale have reached the state tourney for the first time in each school's history. Folsom Lake began its women's basketball program just seven years ago. 

Laney is making its first trip to state since 2010 while Long Beach hasn't been to the state tourney since 1992 when George H. W. Bush was President, a gallon of gas cost $1.13, and the nation's top women's basketball player was Virginia's Dawn Staley, a Naismith Hall of Famer and current coaching legend in directing two NCAA D1 championships at South Carolina. Laney was the original #6 North seed and upset #3 Fresno City in a regional final. 

An original #9 seed, LBCC was the only participant to make it through out of the opening round as it won three playoff contests, including its upset of top seed Mt. San Antonio, 59-57, in a regional final.

3C2A STATE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
Quarterfinals (Thu., March 14)
(3N) Folsom Lake (22-8) vs. (2S) Glendale (28-2), 1 p.m.
(4S) Long Beach City (20-9) vs. (1N) Butte (29-1), 3 p.m.
(3S) Orange Coast (27-3) vs. (2N) San Joaquin Delta (26-4), 5 p.m.
(4N) Laney (24-4) vs. (1S) Moorpark (27-3), 7 p.m.

Semifinals (Sat. March 16)
Folsom Lake /Glendale winner vs. LB City/Butte winner, 1 p.m.
Orange Coast/SJ Delta winner vs. Laney/Moorpark winner, 3 p.m.

Championship (Sun., March 17)
Semifinal winners, 1 p.m.

Here are team-by-team capsules going into the State Elite Eight Tourney:

NORTH #1 BUTTE (29-1)
Golden Valley Conference champions
Head Coach: Tyler Newton 
Road to State: defeated #16 Hartnell, #8 Cosumnes River
Top Players: All-State First Team, GVC MVP Morgan Trigueiro; *All-State Second Team Campbell Veig, Jocelyn Medina; All-GVC 1st Team Madalynn Bassett, Sarah Tait
Record v. State Tourney Teams: 6-0
Current Winning Streak: 26 

NORTH #2 SAN JOAQUIN DELTA (26-4) 
Big 8 Conference Champions
Head Coach: Gina Johnson
Road to State: defeated #15 San Mateo, #7 Sequoias
Top Players: All-State Second Team Maya Chelini; All-Big 8 1st Team Senia Moore, Serenity Santos
Record v. State Tourney Teams: 1-3
Current Winning Streak: 9

NORTH #3 FOLSOM LAKE (22-8) 
Big 8 Conference Second Place
Head Coach: Ali Mollet
Road to State: defeated #13 Siskiyous, #5 San Francisco
Top Players: All-State First Team, Big 8 MVP Corrie Harrison; All-State Third Team Alysa Lopez; Emily Ko
Record v. State Tourney Teams: 3-2
Current Winning Streak: 6

NORTH #4 LANEY (26-4) 
Bay Valley Co-Conference Champions
Head Coach: Ramaundo Vaughn 
Road to State: defeated #22 Taft, #3 Fresno City
Top Players: All-State North Region Player of the Year, BVC MVP Jada Hunter; All-BVC 1st Team Tali Fa'i, Leniyah Fulsome, Alayah Flucus
Record v. State Tourney Teams: 0-3
Current Winning Streak: 16

SOUTH #1 MOORPARK (27-3) 
Western State Conference North Division Champions
Head Coach: Kenny Plummer
Road to State: defeated #18 Allan Hancock, #10 Ventura
Top Players: All-State First Team, WSC North MVP Rebecca Saidoff; All-State Second Team Mika Jarrett; All-WSC North 1st Team Calista Arzaga, Fome Falcocchia, Success Prysock
Record v. State Tourney Teams: 3-2
Current Winning Streak: 22

SOUTH #2 GLENDALE (28-2) 
Western State Conference South Division Champions
Head Coach: Joel Weiss
Road to State: defeated #14 Pasadena City, #6 Palomar
Top Players: All-State First Team Malia Ulery; All-State Second Team Osanna Tirityan; All-WSC South 1st Team Paola Gorgeiz; WSC Top Defensive Player Evelyn Birau; WSC 6th Player Patil Yaacoubian 
Record v. State Tourney Teams: 1-1
Current Winning Streak: 23

SOUTH #3 ORANGE COAST (27-3) 
Orange Empire Conference Champions
Head Coach: Sammy Doucette
Road to State: defeated #13 East Los Angeles, #5 Mt. San Jacinto
Top Players: All-State First Team/OEC MVP Bridgette McIntyre; All-State First Team Ashari Cassell; All-OEC 2nd Team Jordan Arreola, Myia Collins, Sabrina Lopez
Record v. State Tourney Teams: 2-2
Current Winning Streak: 17

SOUTH #4 LONG BEACH CITY (20-9) 
South Coast Conference South Division Champions
Head Coach: Tay Adams
Road to State: defeated #24 Cuesta, #8 Victor Valley, #1 Mt. San Antonio
Top Players: All-State Second Team, SCC South MVP Brillana Boyd; All-SCC South 1st Team Kimberly Cruz-Martinez, Jezelle Moreno, Mikaela Robinson, Chioma Okenwa, 
Record v. State Tourney Teams: 0-4
Current Winning Streak: 12

*-All-State Players are also All-Conference First Team

Release by Robert Lewis, CCCWBCA Publicist