Giant start for Sequoias as State's #1-ranked women's basketball team
As advertised in the pre-season poll, College of the Sequoias has definitively established itself as women's basketball's premier 2024-25 team in receiving all 19 coaches' first-place votes in this week's CCCWBCA State Top 25 Poll.
With an 11-0 record, the Giants and #7-ranked Sierra (5-0) are the only undefeated teams left in California through games of Dec. 9.
Sequoias has already beaten the teams ranked Nos. 2-6 in the pre-season poll, including defending state champ Orange Coast, Moorpark, Mt. San Antonio (twice), San Joaquin Delta, and Glendale.
COS scored 475 points, followed by new #2 Mt. SAC (454), #3 Orange Coast (415), #4 Laney (395), #5 Moorpark (384), #6 Folsom Lake (361), #7 Sierra (357), #8 Delta (288), #9 Santa Rosa (270), and #10 San Diego Mesa (268).
Folsom Lake leads four Big 8 Conference teams in the top 10. Seven new teams join the rankings topped by San Diego Mesa.
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1. SEQUOIAS, Central Valley, 11-0: The Giants won their 47th Gilchrest Invitational Tournament in exciting fashion as Campbell Vieg hit a layup with 7.7 seconds left in the championship game to edge Mt. SAC, 77-76. It was the second time that Sequoias rallied to beat the Mounties as Jocelyn Medina hit a basket-and-one with 11 seconds remaining to down Mt. SAC, 69-68, at the Mt. SAC Tip-Off tourney on Nov. 3. It could very well be a preview of the 3C2A state championship final in March. Last Ranking: #1
4. MT. SAN ANTONIO, South Coast North, 8-2: The Mounties were oh so close in their two losses to Sequoias, but are off to solid start as the South Region's top hat behind wins over Moorpark, Orange Coast, Mesa, and Laney. Daisia Mitchell is averaging 15 points and 10 rebounds per contest. Mt. SAC climbs two spots. Last Ranking: #4
3. ORANGE COAST, Orange Empire, 8-2: With their only two defeats v. #1 Sequoias, 81-63, and #2 Mt. SAC, 61-53, the Pirates have nothing to hang their heads about. Their most impressive wins thus far are over #T16 Victor Valley, #5 Moorpark, #22 Citrus, #21 Mt. San Jacinto, and #12 Glendale, 63-59, on Dec. 7. A balanced offense feature five players averaging in double figures scoring is led by Myia Collins at 11.5 points plus a team-best 9.7 rebounds average. OCC slips a slot. Last Ranking: #2
4. LANEY, Bay Valley, 7-2: The Eagles started the season by winning the Delta Jocelyn Mancebo Classic, defeating the hosts in the finals, 76-71, then beat SJD again in the third place final at the Sequoias tourney, 80-70. Laney's losses are to Mt. SAC and #9 Santa Rosa. Leniyah Fulsome is the team's scoring leader at 15.4 points. Laney shoots up three spots. Last Ranking: #7
5. MOORPARK, Western State North, 7-3: After a rough 0-3 showing at the Mt. SAC Tip-Off--losses to the top 3 in COS, Mt. SAC, OCC--The Raiders have run off seven straight wins, including capturing their hosted Nov. 7-9 We Are MC Tournament title by beating #19 San Jose in the finals, 56-46. Moorpark followed that by winning the 42nd Cypress Classic Dec. 6-8, beating the host #11 Chargers, 59-45, in the finals. Mika Jarrett was MC tourney MVP and the 15-point-a-game scorer was tabbed again as MVP a Cypress. MC fell two positions. Last Ranking: #3
6. FOLSOM LAKE, Big 8, 8-1: The Falcons had an 8-game win streak snapped by #T16 Fresno, 72-71, on the final day of the Allan Hancock Toys For Tots round-robin tourney. FLC let a 13-point, third quarter lead slip away against the Rams. Gianna Darte leads the team at 11.9 points per game. Folsom Lake jets up five rankings. Last Ranking: #11
7. SIERRA, Big 8, 5-0: The Wolverines have wins over Cypress and Fresno. Sierra last played on Nov. 23 and won't play again until facing Reedley on Dec. 13. Donelli Allen was averaging 12.3 points. Sierra takes the elevator up five floors. Last Ranking: #12
8. SAN JOAQUIN DELTA, Big 8, 5-4: The Mustangs secured wins over #13 Cerro Coso, Fresno, and #15 San Francisco. Aailyah Youngblood scored 26 points in a loss to Laney. Delta descends three slots. Last Ranking: #5
9. SANTA ROSA JC, Big 8, 6-2: The Bear Cubs best win thus far was over Laney, 69-56, on Nov. 22. Ivy Gonzalez scored 34 points in an 74-69 OT win over Redwoods. SRJC takes a balloon ride up 12 spots. Last Ranking: #21
10. SAN DIEGO MESA, Pacific Coast Athletic, 8-1: The Olympians went from unranked to #10 thanks in part to a 3-0 mark at the Santa Ana Tourney Dec. 5-7. Mesa has wins over Cypress and Santa Ana and its only loss is to Mt. SAC. Alivia Gillespie is averaging 14.2 points. Last Ranking: NR
11. CYPRESS, Orange Empire, 7-3: The Chargers made it to their tourney finale, taking second behind Moorpark. They have wins over #14 Palomar, #24 Grossmont, and win over Fresno in OT. Christaesha Jackson averages a double-double at 10.8 points, 10.2 rebounds and was All-Cypress Tournament. The Chargers catapult up nine positions. Last Ranking: #20
12. GLENDALE, Western State South, 5-3: The Vaqueros' losses are v. the heavies in Sequoias, Orange Coast, and Moorpark while its best win is over Victor Valley. Malia Ulery is averaging 13.3 points. Glendale slides six pegs. Last Ranking: #6
13. CERRO COSO, Inland Empire Athletic, 9-2: The Coyotes lost their season opener to Delta, then exploded with seven straight wins before Mt. SAC ended it. Among their wins are San Mateo and Chabot, both who fell out of Top 25 this week. Shaniyah McCarthy is averaging 17.2 points and 11.2 rebounds. Last Ranking: NR
14. PALOMAR, Pacific Coast Athletic, 6-3: The Comets have a win over #21 Mt. San Jacinto and losses to #25 Antelope Valley, Cypress, and #22 Citrus. Kylie Trujillo was All-Cypress Tournament. The Comets lost view in the telescope six degrees. Last Ranking: #8
15. CC SAN FRANCISCO, Coast North, 5-2: The Rams have wins over #9 Santa Rosa and Fresno, but were edged by unranked Sacramento, 72-70. Madison Thomas leads Coast North players at 17.1 points per game. CCSF dives six lengths. Last Ranking: #9
T16. FRESNO CC, Central Valley, 7-4: The Rams best win was over Folsom Lake and they have losses to Delta, Cypress, San Francisco and Sierra. T'Yanna Armstrong averages 19.8 points. Fresno trips down a step. Last Ranking: #15
T16. VICTOR VALLEY, Inland Empire Athletic, 6-2: The Rams have losses to Orange Coast and Glendale and eeked out an 89-84 OT win over LA Trade-Tech and state scoring leader Serenity Johnson. Karoline Ellison scored 24 points with 10 rebounds v. Johnson's 28 points. VVC drops three places. Last Ranking: #13
18. SANTA ANA, Orange Empire, 8-2: The Dons have a win over #19 San Jose and Grossmont and losses to Cuesta and SD Mesa. SAC's Anaya Beard is averaing 16.9 points and 10.6 rebounds. Last Ranking: NR
19. SAN JOSE CC, Coast South, 7-2: The Jaguars used wins over Canyons and Riverside to reach the Moopark tourney finale before losing to the Raiders. San Jose's other loss is to Santa Ana. Tatiana Collazo is averaging 22.6 points. Last Ranking: #19
20. FULLERTON, Orange Empire, 8-1: The Hornets won their first five games, then were stopped by Glendale and have since won three in a row, including a triumph over 77-61 win over Citrus. Xochitl Hood is averaging 16.8 points. Last Ranking: NR
21. MT. SAN JACINTO, Inland Empire Athletic, 6-3: The Eagles won their first four, then ran into a buzzsaw in consecutive losses to Orange Coast, Mt. SAC and Palomar. They have a win over #25 Antelope Valley. Kohen Marshall averages 12.5 points. MSJC dropped from its top 10 perch 11 slots. Last Ranking: #10
22. CITRUS, Western State South, 7-3: The Owls have losses to Orange Coast, Fullerton and Moorpark, but downed #14 Palomar, 56-50, at the Cypress Classic. Jolleen Olia was All-Cypress Tournament. Citrus rises two ranks. Last Ranking: #24
23. SANTA BARBARA CC, Western State North, 7-2: The Vaqueros opened the season on a 6-game win streak, including a win over Cabrillo, before losing to Orange Coast, 66-60, on Nov. 23. They were then upended by Antelope Valley, 58-55. Isis Poteet is averaging 14.2 points. Last Ranking: NR
24. GROSSMONT, Pacific Coast Athletic, 8-2: The Griffins had 5-game win streak snapped by Cypress, 60-52, but then beat Reedley, 105-55. They also have loss v. #18 Santa Ana. Kyla Palpallatoc scored 32 points in that win. Last Ranking: NR
25. ANTELOPE VALLEY, Western State South, 5-3: The Marauders have wins over Palomar and SBCC and losses to Sequoia and Mt. SAC. Athieng Bol is averaging 20 points a game. Last Ranking: NR
DROPPED OUT OF RANKINGS: #14 Long Beach, #16 Irvine Valley, #17 Cosumnes River, #18 Chabot, #T22 Pasadena CC, #T22 Ventura, #25 San Mateo
ALSO RECEIVING VOTES: Butte (5-5), Cabrillo (6-3), Chabot (7-4), Chaffey (5-4), San Mateo (5-6), Copper Mountain (7-3), Cosumnes River (5-3), Cuesta (6-4), Hartnell (7-6), Imperial Valley (6-3), Long Beach CC (6-4), LA Valley (4-4), Saddleback (4-7), Shasta (7-5), Taft (8-3).
Release by Robert Lewis, CCCWBCA Publicist/Rankings tabulated by Greg Murphy through coaches votes