WOMEN'S TEAM EXITS IN FIRST ROUND PLAY: Eventual champion Mt. San Antonio dashes Rams' hopes early

BY ANKIT GOYAL
Staff Writer

The Rams, led by NorCal Coach of the Year Jamie Wong, had their best finish in team history. FELIPE JUNQUEIRA / GUARDSMAN

The City College women’s basketball team’s quest for a championship was dashed in the quarterfinals of the Commission on Athletics state championship tournament in Fresno on March 9.

With a 23-7 regular season record and two playoff wins, the Rams entered the tournament as the No. 4 seed from Northern California. They lost 74-57 to the eventual state champions Mt. San Antonio Mounties, the No. 1 seed from Southern California.

The Rams played solidly for most of the first half, which saw seven ties and six lead changes. With over four minutes left in the first half the game was tied 27-27. Then, three-point fever struck the Mounties as they propelled to a 15-2 run, leading at the half 42-29.

“We were able to keep up with their pace and toughness for the first 15 minutes of the game,” Rams head coach Jamie Wong said. “A clutch three by their best shooter changed all that.”

Mounties guard Lasheree Crystal, who was an all-tournament team selection, went 3-for-4 from behind the arch in the first half and finished with 12 points in the contest.

Pressured by the strong Mounties defense, the Rams failed to find a comfortable rhythm through out the game. Numerous errors and forced shots resulted in an abysmal 0-for-7 shooting performance from the three-point line.
“It’s hard to win, especially if you’re playing the best team, by committing 31 turnovers,” Wong said.
The Rams were plagued by the Mounties’ ability to utilize their strong inside presence. Tournament most valuable player, Mounties center Lauren Ervin finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds. She also eluded double teams by kicking out to open perimeter shooters.
“We weren’t going to give them any easy shots in the paint,” Rams point guard Trisha Alaba said. “Unfortunately our strategy backfired as they drained outside shots.”
Despite affected by sickness through out the playoffs, Alaba played 36 minutes. But the full-court pressure by the Mounties started to wear her out as the game went on.
“It’s hard to move and find open teammates when all lanes are closed,” Alaba said. “It felt like there were four hands in my face at all times.”
The Rams were forced to rely on inside scoring, as 40 of their total 57 points came in the paint.
The Rams sole bright spot of the tournament was the play of Pernisha Battle, who was the game’s leading scorer with 22 points and grabbed eight rebounds.
Despite the loss, Wong commemorates her team’s strong
performance this season. She anticipates this game to motivate next year’s squad to return to the tournament.
“I’m proud of these girls. They gave everything they had each and every game,” she said. “We’re going to come back with vengeance next year.”

e-mail: agoyal@theguardsman.com

RAMS GO DOWN FIGHTING FOR STATE TITLE

BY MILES HARWELL
Editor

Justin Holmes and Maurice Purify engage in an on-court battle with an L.A. City player, but the Rams fell short in the next round. FELIPE JUNQUEIRA / GUARDSMAN

As one of only two schools to have both men’s and women’s teams survive the first two rounds of the 2006 postseason, City College’s basketball season ended with the men’s team in the semifinals and the women’s team in the quarterfinals of the Commission on Athletics state championship tournament.

A 12-game win streak for the men’s team ended with a 78-68 loss to the Northern California No. 1 seed West Valley Vikings on March 11.

In a season that saw the death of captain Terrell Anderson and the departure of the team’s leading scorer Dave McSwain, the Rams finished with a 30-4 overall record, improving from 19-10 in 2004-05.

“This year’s squad has made great strides,” head coach Justin Labagh said. “They have made vast improvements.”

The Vikings were the only team to beat the Rams twice this season. The Southern California No. 1 seed Fullerton Hornets defeated the Vikings 81-67 in the championship game to complete a 37-0 perfect season.

The Rams had a 42-27 lead early in the second half against the Vikings. But serious foul trouble took away the Rams’ aggressiveness and gave the Vikings ample opportunities to fuel a 30-14 second half rally.

The Rams committed 36 fouls and 33 turnovers. Four Rams fouled out of the game, including captain point guard Eric Turner and center Maurice Purify.

“Being aggressive got us here,” Labagh said. “When players are playing with four fouls it’s difficult to keep the same mindset.”

Viking guard Darrell Birton hit a three-point shot with 5:07 remaining in the game that gave the Vikings a 57-56 lead. Birton finished with a game-high 24 points.

In the first half, the Rams were able to capitalize on scoring opportunities to gain a 34-21 halftime lead, shooting 54.2 percent from the field and going 5-for-6 from the three-point line.

“We knew they had an aggressive defense, but our game plan was to attack it,” Labagh said.

Forward Justin Holmes led the Rams with 19 points and averaged a team-high 17.5 points during the tournament.

The Rams stunned Southern California’s No. 2 seed Cubs of Los Angeles City College with an 84-61 mauling in the quarterfinals on March 10.

“With two inner city squads, you can expect a great game,” Labagh said. “I knew it would be a dogfight, but we landed more punches.”

The 31-3 Cubs led by as many as six points in the first half, but forward Ron Manigault hit two free-throws with 6:07 remaining to ignite an 18-4 Rams run to give the Rams a 34-21 lead at halftime. Manigault finished with 14 points and game-highs of nine rebounds and four assists.

In the second half, the Rams continued to extend their lead and stifle the Cubs with smothering defense, as the Cubs shot a mere 32 percent from the field.

“They took us lightly,” Purify said, “but we went to the basket and were able to hit free-throws.”

Purify and Holmes led the Rams with 16 points apiece. Guard Marcio Lassiter added 14 points, going 4-for-5 from three-point range.

The 23-point margin was the largest recorded by a men’s team in the tournament.

e-mail: sports@theguardsman.com

TRACK AND FIELD TEAM POISED TO THREE-PEAT

BY MARLONG LUMANG
Contributing Writer

Donn Thompson finished second in the high jump competition at the 2006 Bay Area Blast Off. MELISSA MA / SPECIAL TO THE GUARDSMAN

This year, the Rams track and field team has a chance to do what no other team at City College has done before: win a third straight state title.

A coveted three-peat is rare, but the Rams are poised to achieve that lofty goal with an early season No. 1 ranking in Northern California.

“Our expectations are to compete hard at every competition and to always have a winning attitude and winning effort,” head coach Doug Owyang said. “If we continue to work and focus we have the chance to be as good as any team in the state.

“This year’s team is very talented and has a lot of depth,” he added.”

If their early performance is any indication as to where the Rams will place later on in the season, the path seems clear. The team currently sits atop the Coast Conference, and has won convincingly at several races.

The Rams dominated the Santa Rosa Junior College Rotational on Feb. 24, placing first and second in the long jump and second on the triple jump heat.

At the West Valley Rotational on Feb. 17, Rams sophomore Aaron Straiten placed first in the final heat of the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.88. Sophomore Jeremy Jones recorded a time of 22.18 in the 200-meter dash and 49.71 in 400-meter dash.

Straiten, a star receiver for the Rams during the football season, also leads the state in the 200-meter dash, with an average time of 21.44.

At the Beaver Relays on March 4, the Rams dominated in the 4x400-meter relay with team times of 3 minutes, 14.55 and 8:02.55 in the 4x800 relay. They placed second on the 4x100-meter relay and eighth place in the long jump.

Although the women’s team lacks depth, they made two spots in the 100-meter dash and three in the 200-meter dash at the Coast Conference Preview on Feb 10. At the West Valley Rotational, the Rams finished with two spots each in the 100 and 400-meter dashes. At the Beaver Relays, they recorded two spots in the 100-meter hurdles and two in the 400-meter hurdles.

Shawna Ellis, who is regarded by coaches as the Rams’ top female competitor, is being recruited by the University of Wyoming and Long Beach State University.

At the Santa Rosa Rotational in the women’s 100-meter dash, Ellis recorded a time of 12.61. B.J. Tripllet finished in second place with a running time of 13.01.

SCOREBOARD

Women's Tennis

The Rams continued their winning streak by taking three matches in a row and extend their record to 7-1. Against Mission College, the Rams posted an 8-1 victory, winning all three of their doubles matches and five out of six singles. Lindy Cobb and Sharyn Yee dominated their opponents by posting two bagel shutouts. The Rams came back to City College to beat Chabot 7-2 with Annika Viragh and Geina Gossette sailing through their singles matches. Cobb, Andrea Almario and the strong partnership of Viragh and Wong also came away with wins. Staying at home the Rams faced rival Foothill and took a 2-1 season series lead with an 8-1 victory. Cobb, Yee and Maureen Olivar easily beat their opponents and Melanie Bruner posted two 6-0 shutout sets.— Tommy Holmes

Baseball

The Rams were unable to build on their win against Coast Conference rival De Anza, losing 12-3 to Mission on March 8. The game was close going into the fifth inning, when Mission scored five runs to break the game open. Despite the lopsided score both teams had 14 hits. Nick Colvin, Anthony Portillo, Zac Lee and Eric Davidson all had two hits apiece. The Rams beat San Mateo 8-5 on March 11. The Game was tied 5-5 going into the eighth inning, when Rams outfielder Travis Gonzaga crushed a triple with the bases loaded that scored three runs. Pitcher Joey Munn pitched a complete game, allowing four earned runs and striking out six. The Rams lost their next game to Canada 9-6 on March 15 despite a three-run homerun by Gonzaga and five solid innings of relief from pitcher Justin Dagostino who allowed two earned runs. The Rams were leading 6-5 going into the eighth inning when Canada scored four runs to take the lead. The Rams have a 2-4 record in league play.— Brian Pekrul