Women’s Basketball set a presence in the conference facing off against last year’s state champions the Orange Coast Pirates, winning 61-53 on Wednesday, Nov. 13.
SAC had a slow start with the Pirates taking the lead the first two quarters. The team didn’t take this lightly as you can see the tension build up as they tried to find their rhythm.
“We just didn’t play as hard as we needed to in the first half.” head coach Brian Crichlow said. “Second half we went to our bread and butter and that’s our defense.”
After half time SAC knew it was time to turn up the heat and you can see the energy pick up. Not only were they on top of their game defensively with 31 total defensive rebounds but also offensively. Shooting 42.2% from the field, 57.1% from three-point range, and 60% from the free-throw line SAC wasn’t playing around.
Sophomore guard/forward Daisia Mitchell (24) was a huge contributor to SAC’s offensive success as she came through with 21 points, 13 rebounds and four steals. She went 3-3 from beyond the three-point line showing dominance on the court.
“Oh I definitely took it personal because they won state on our court, especially losing to them last year, I took a lot of pride in beating them this year.” Mitchell (24) said about her mindset going into the game against the Pirates.
The tension between the teams led to 13 fouls throughout the game however this led to SAC’s advantage throughout the game.
“It makes the game more fun…everyone’s trying to get the ball and just putting their everything into it,” freshman guard Naomi Acuna (11) said.
SAC’s team is young with 7/10 of the players who played this game being freshmen. Crichlow is looking forward to the season seeing how the players will grow especially with sophomores such as Mitchell to help guide them in the right direction.
“When he told us we need to step up and play like we’re known for our defense we went out there and did that,” freshman guard Destiny King (3) said. “I think that’s how we really won was our defense.”
SAC’s next game is Friday, Nov. 22 against San Diego Mesa. They currently have a 4-1 record keeping their position as No. 4 in the state. Let’s see if they can keep up their positive momentum.
