South #9, 13, 23 Seeds Sneak Through; North Top 8 Holds Home Court In Women's Basketball Round 2 Regionals
UPDATED BRACKETS: SOUTH | NORTH
Round 2 of the 3C2A Women's Basketball Regional Playoffs on Saturday featured three more lower seed upsets in the South while all eight North top seeds took care of business in advancing to its four region finals.
Fresh off its shocker over #10 Santa Barbara City College in Round 1 on Wednesday, the Cinderalla #23 Fullerton Hornets struck again by ousting #7 Mt. San Jacinto, 55-52. Also #13 Los Angeles Trade-Tech knocked off #4 Orange Coast while #9 Saddleback put an end to #8 Glendale's season. At #19, Bakersfield nearly toppled #3 Moorpark, holding a 5-point lead early in the fourth quarter before the Raiders fought back for a 55-53 win.
Also advancing from the South were #1 and defending state champion Mt. San Antonio, #2 Irvine Valley, #5 MiraCosta, and #6 Cypress.
The North saw #1 San Joaquin Delta, #2 Folsom Lake, #3 Laney, #4 Fresno City, #5 Santa Rosa JC, #6 Butte, #7 CC San Francisco, and #8 Sequoias, who happen to be the host of this year's 3C2A State Championship Tournament Mar. 12, 14-15, all advance.
Four teams from the 2025 state tourney were eliminated in last year's finalist Orange Coast, semifinalist Glendale, and quarterfinalists Palomar and Sierra. Only Mt. SAC, semifinalist COS, and quarterfinalists Delta and FLC remain from the the '25 field.
Four Orange Empire Conference teams advanced to the SoCal Regional Finals, but not OCC, a back-to-back, 3C2A state champion in 2023-2024.
SATURDAY, MARCH 7
SOUTH REGIONAL FINALS
1 Mt. San Antonio v. 9 Saddleback
2 Irvine Valley v. 23 Fullerton
3 Moorpark v. 6 Cypress
5 MiraCosta v. 13 LA Trade Tech
NORTH REGIONAL FINALS
1 San Joaquin Delta v. 8 Sequoias
2 Folsom Lake v. 7 CC San Francisco
3 Laney v. 6 Butte
4 Fresno City v. 5 Santa Rosa JC
NORTH REGIONALS RECAPS
1 San Joaquin Delta d. 17 Modesto JC, 71-40: The Pirates (15-15) had played the top-seed Mustangs (24-5) tough in their two Big 8 Conference matchups, including a 55-52 loss. In this one, Delta used superior defense, outscoring Modesto, 11-1 in the first quarter and upping it to 31-9 by halftime on its way to a 31-point rout. All-State First Team Aaliyah Youngblood led four Mustangs in double digit scoring on 14 points plus four steals while La Ne'Dunn also scored 14 with 11 rebounds. Kaia Foster bombed in four 3s as part of her 13 points off the bench and Isabelle Azzolino matched that with four treys for her 12 points. Delta made 17 steals in forcing Modesto into a slew of turnovers.
2 Folsom Lake d. 15 Los Medanos, 63-42: The Big 8 champion Falcons (27-2) won their ninth straight by limiting the Mustangs (21-9) with suffociating defense to lead 31-8 by halftime en route to the easy win. All-State First Team Jada Topou scored 14 points and Third Team Nyah Fortune 13, including a trio of 3s. LMC had a 7-game win streak snapped.
3 Laney d. 14 Sacramento City, 91-43: The Bay Valley champion Eagles (24-3) extend their win streak to 20 games in more than doubling the score on the Panthers (14-16). All-State Third Team Ashanti Dias performed a masterful double-double with 25 points and 10 assists, All-State First Team Sophia Askew-Goncalves poured in 23 points plus 10 rebounds, and Gianna Ghio notched 23 points (10-for-14 from the field) and eight boards.
4 Fresno City d. 20 Taft, 86-55: The Central Valley champion Rams (22-7) beat the Cougars (19-11) for the third time this season using a 33-18 second quarter to pull away. Sara Shein scored 21 points, CVC MVP Alyssa Kem 16 and six assists, and Jaelyn Bordeau 14 in reserve. Nine different players forced a combined 21 steals.
5 Santa Rosa JC d. 21 Hartnell, 60-48: The Bear Cubs (24-5) have relied all season on NorCal State Player of the Year Jordan Washington and she was fabulous in scoring a season-high 37 points and pulling down 22 rebounds to will SRJC over the Co-Coast South champion Panthers (18-11). Rallying from down 10 during the second quarter, Hartnell tied it at 41-41 on 3-pointer by Alana Hernandez late in the third. In the fourth, Washington hit two free throws and a layup and the Santa Rosa defense limited Hartnell to just one point for the period's first seven minutes, leading 48-42. In the bonus for the last 5:36 of the contest, SRJC made 14 of 20 free throws in the quarter overall and 25-for-45 overall at the stripe. Washington was 17-for-27 at the line. Kaia Eubanks was the next highest Bear Cub scorer with eight points plus seven boards as SRJC wins its sixth straight.
6 Butte d. 11 San Jose City: The Golden Valley champion Roadrunners (23-5) won for the second time v. the Co-Coast South champ Jaguars (22-7), stopping SJCC's 10-game win streak to advance. On a 5-game win string, Butte led 30-21 by halftime and maintained control throughout. Butte's All-State Second Team Marissa Elizadle was 11-for-16 from the field, netted 27 points (four treys) and dished out six assists. Brook Marr added 15 points and Mia Reyes 14 and eight boards. For San Jose, All-State Third Team Synise Byrd tallied 20 points and five steals while First Team state selection Hayley Johnson contributed 14 points.
7 CC San Francisco d. 23 San Mateo, 66-40: The Coast North champion Rams (23-5) made it three wins in a month's time over the underdog Bulldogs (15-15) to win their fifth consecutive contest. CCSF advances after rolling out to a 20-8, then 31-16 halftime lead, increasing the margin in every quarter of the playoff. Alexis Cornejo scored 16 points and made four of the team's 18 steals while All-State Second Team Patriceia Walsh added 10 points and seven rebounds. June Lumumba chipped in eight points and 10 boards.
8 College of the Sequoias d. 9 Sierra, 73-58: The Giants (18-11) built as much as a 18-point lead, had it dwindle to five after three quarters, but took over in the fourth to defeat the Wolverines (20-10). In stretching their win streak to nine, COS was led by Demi Boykin, who posted 18 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and four steals. Nyla Anderson added 15 points and six helpers, and Gabby Brooks 11 points. Sierra was paced by All-State Third Team Brooklynn Nordquist, who scored a game-high 21 points with five assists and Jesse Slade's double-double--11 points and 10 rebounds. Since a 4-game losing streak in December, Sequoias has won 12 of its last 14. On Dec. 19, the Giants were 6-9 and since have put together a run in efforts to make their second straight trip to the state tourney.
SOUTH REGIONAL RECAPS
1 Mt. San Antonio d. 16 Santa Ana, 77-60 : The Dons (16-14) got a monster performance by Anaya Beard and her 38 points, but the Mounties (28-1) controlled things for their 21st consecutive win as they began their postseason defense of last year's state crown. All-State First Team Elizabeth Udeze paced Mt. SAC on 24 points (10-for-12 FTs), nine rebounds and three steals while SoCal Player of the Year Taliyah McFerson collected 18 points and 10 rebounds. All-State Third Team Dylan Tse added 14 points, including three 3-point baskets. For SAC, Beard was 15-for-20 from the field and 8-for-9 at the line. Kiki Graham added 11 points. Mt. SAC dominated the boards with a 46-25 rebound edge.
2 Irvine Valley d. 15 Chaffey, 59-47: The Orange Empire champion Lasers (25-4) led just 31-30 by halftime and the Panthers (17-13) played them tight, down 46-43 going into the fourth quarter. At that point, the teams were in a defensive struggle until All-State Second Team Alexis Price scored three baskets in a 3-minute span. That allowed the Lasers to pull away for their sixth straight win. All-State First Team Symantha Barnett led IVC with 19 points, nine rebounds and three blocks while Neryah Lokeni scored 14 points and had four assists. Price added 13 points, eight boards, and four of the Lasers' 15 steals. Danielle Singley was Chaffey's lone double-digit scorer as she netted 17 points with seven rebounds and three steals. IVC defeated Chaffey for the second time this season.
3 Moorpark d. 19 Bakersfield, 55-53: The lower-seed Renegades (20-10), who upset Copper Mountain in Round 1, put a major scare into the Western State North champion Raiders, but MC (26-3) prevailed for its 15th win in a row. Bakersfield led early 24-15 before the Raiders rallied to take a 29-27 halftime lead. Danika Tolentino made a layup as Bakersfield was ahead again, 48-43, at the start of the fourth quarter. With 3:39 left, All-State Second Team Hannah Lising's basket put MC in front, 52-50. Bakersfield missed a last-second 3-pointer as the Raiders hung on to advance. Moorpark All-State Second Team Keilani Peralta sank 4 long-range baskets as part of her 18 points, First Team Maleyni Tolliver tallied 12, 10 rebounds and three blocks, and Lising also double-doubled on 10 points, 10 boards plus five steals and four assists. Leading Bakersfield were Jamie Neaderbaomer, 12 points and eight rebounds, Lailene Araniva 10 points and 10 boards, and Tolentino's 10 points.
13 LA Trade-Tech d. 4 Orange Coast, 52-48: The Beavers (21-9) and Pirates (20-9) had a back-and-forth war but in the end it was LATT ending OCC's run of three straight trips to the 3C2A championship game. LATT led 27-18 at halftime, but the Pirates roared back to outscore the Beavers, 21-4 in the third quarter for a 39-31 advantage. All-State Third Team Melaiah Joseph drained a 3-pointer and OCC appeared to be free sailing, up 12, but it was Trade-Tech's turn to rally, cutting it to 46-45 on a trey by Shahanna Chavez with three minutes to go. With one minute left, Erin Jackson's putback gave the Beavers a 49-48 lead. Niela Williams made two free throws to seal the upset. Williams led LATT with 19 points (9-for-10 at the line) and four assists, Athieng Bol scored 15 points and passed out six assists and four steals, and Jackson added 11 points and nine rebounds. Andrea Rico registered 12 points and 11 boards, Joseph 11 points and five steals, and Lexi Mercado had 10 points. OCC shot just 25.8 percent from the field, including only 6-for-35 from beyond the 3-point arc.
5 MiraCosta d. 12 Palomar, 87-63: Things happen for a reason, and the Spartans (28-1) found that out in a good way as they avenged the end of their undefeated, 27-game run at the hands of their Comets (21-8) in the regular season finale by routing Palomar in this rubber match of three contests between the Co-Pacific Coast Athletic Conference champions. A 14-0 run between the end of the first quarter and start of the second helped MiraCosta jump out to a 27-10 lead as it never was threatened. The Spartans' All-State Second Team Anayla Anderson just missed a triple-double on 15 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists while Faith Behrendt (22 points) and Kyla Palpallatoc (20 points) combined to make seven 3-pointers. Palomar had a 7-game win streak snapped despite a game-high 27 points and 13 rebounds by Kailani Flournoy and 19 points by ReeRee Davis, who was 12-for-13 on free throws.
6 Cypress d. 11 Long Beach City, 51-42: The Chargers (22-7) turned the tables on the Vikings (20-10) with a second-half comeback to end LBCC's 12-game win streak. Long Beach was up by 12 and led 28-19 by halftime. In the third quarter, Cypress outscored the Vikings, 19-5, including seven points by Marina Interiano to grab a 38-33 lead. Zoe Lamkin bombed a trey that cut it to 42-40, but Cypress scored the next nine points capped on a layup by All-State First Team Christaesha Jackson to seal it. Jackson totaled 16 points and 17 rebounds, Interiano tallied 12 points, and All-State Third Team Mariah Henderson scored 10. Long Beach was paced by All-State Third Team Mya Barnes, who posted 14 points and 13 boards, and Lamkin with 13 points. It was Cypress' second win this season over Long Beach, winning 66-57 in overtime back in November. The Vikings did well to make it to Round 2 after a rough 4-6 start to the '25-26 season.
23 Fullerton d. 7 Mt. San Jacinto, 55-52: The Hornets (15-15) continued their improbable run in the playoffs by shocking the Inland Empire champion Eagles (23-6), stopping that squad's 9-game win streak. Fullerton led 47-44 late in the third quarter and then upped it to five on a Hailey Lakey layup before the end of the period. Lakey and Erin Choi drilled back-to-back jumpers that gave the Hornets a 9-point lead, but All-State Third Team Kiara Williams' layup cut to three again. Neither team scored another point over the final 3:38. Choi scored 18 points and grabbed nine rebounds and Lakey (four assists) and Jaylene Perez each added 12 points. For Mt. San Jacinto, state scoring leader Karsen Marshall was the only Eagle player to score in double digits with 19 points to go with 10 rebounds. MSJC made its 19th straight trip to the postseason.
9 Saddleback d. 8 Glendale, 47-43: For the first time in 23 years, the Bobcats (22-8) advanced to the regional finals by rallying late to stop the Vaqueros (24-5) 18-game win streak. A 3-pointer by Sammy Velasquez lifted Glendale to a 38-30 lead early in the fourth quarter. Saddleback inched back in it and took a 44-43 lead with 1:15 left on a pair of free throws by Nina Saiki. All-State Third Team Kassidy Beach added two more FTs with eight seconds to go to clinch it. Beach was held to nine points, but grabbed 16 rebounds and blocked three shots. Also for the Bobcats, Makayla Rutledge and Kalynne Mendez tied for the team lead with 11 points each. Velasquez scored a game-high 17 points and All-State Second Team Shadel Ffrench scored 12 points, totaled 16 rebounds with four blocks and three steals.
Release by Robert Lewis, CCCWBCA SID