High Scorers A Theme For SCC Women's Basketball
No South Coast Conference sport was affected more by the COVID-19 pandemic than basketball. It was the first sport that had its state tournament taken away just hours before it was about to begin back in March, 2020. Then a full season in 2020-2021 was cancelled. Even the return in this 2021-22 season has had its series of ups and downs, including numerous postponements coinciding with the surge in positive cases, a new variant in Omicron, and a December-January flu season to boot.
In women's basketball as conference-counting games began last week, one thing that has stood out is that a trio of SCC scorers occupy three of the top four list of state-leading scorers. Pasadena City College's Lupe Vazquez tops the state with an average of 28.6 points per game followed by LA Trade-Tech's Ja-Naiah Perkins Jackson, tied for second at 26.3 points, and LA Harbor's Jada Turner in fourth at a 24.3 points-per-game clip. Perkins Jackson was an All-State Second Team selection two years ago.
Team-wise, Mt. San Antonio, a South #2 seed as a state quarterfinalist in 2019-20, continues to be a perennial SoCal power. The Mounties (16-3) were ranked #2 in this week's South Region coaches poll as they opened the SCC North Division schedule with a 67-52 win over Pasadena on Jan. 19. Allyah Cartajena led Mt. SAC with 22 points and nine rebounds as the school ran its streak of home wins v. Lancers teams to 13 straight going back to 2009. Mt. SAC is 2-0 in conference play and upped its current win streak to nine games as Kamesha Moore came off the Mounties bench to total 24 points and 12 rebounds in a 77-57 win over Rio Hondo on Jan. 21. Mt. SAC is the defending SCC North champions from the '19-20 season.
SoCal #5 (tied)-ranked East Los Angeles (13-5) is keeping pace with Mt. SAC also at 2-0. The Huskies used 22 points and five assists by Naomi Winston-Ellis to defeat Rio Hondo, 72-50, then won a defensive battle over LA Trade-Tech, 56-46. Pasadena (7-7 overall), Trade Tech (9-10, SoCal #14-ranked) and Rio Hondo (7-12) all made the postseason in '19-20, but it will be a tougher hurdle to reach for these programs in '21-22.
In the South Division, defending '19-20 champ Long Beach City College (12-5) is ranked #7 in the region and figures to battle Cerritos (11-7) for this year's crown. Navi Huskey, an All-State First Team selection in '19-20, paces the Vikings at 14.2 points and 14.7 rebounds per game. In LBCC's conference opener last week, the Vikings trailed El Camino (6-9) by as much as 15 points in the first half, then rallied to finally take the lead at 62-61 on a rebound and basket by Aaliyah Carter with 68 seconds in a 64-61 triumph. Led by Ilani Avila with 15 points, 11 rebounds and a 9-for-10 shooting performance from the free throw line, Cerritos downed LA Harbor, 66-54, in the Falcons' division opener.
Harbor (7-10) and El Camino hope to continue to give the top two teams a challenge. Due to the postponements and other factors, Compton (3-8) hasn't played since Dec. 16 and short-handed LA Southwest (0-5) last played on Dec. 11.
Release by Robert Lewis, SCC SID