Round 7 Schedule, Tuesday
Oxnard 4, Ventura 3
Cuesta 16, Moorpark 1
Santa Barbara 13, at Hancock 3

Round 8 Schedule, Thursday
Ventura 13, Oxnard 12
Moorpark 8, Cuesta 3
Hancock 4, at Santa Barbara 3

Standings after Round 8, March 25
Conference Overall
Team W-L GB W-L
Oxnard 7-1 -- 15-6
Hancock 5-3 2.0 12-9
Santa Barbara 5-3 2.0 12-9
Cuesta 4-4 3.0 11-9
Ventura 2 6 5.0 7-10
Moorpark 1 7 6.0 6-13-1

Round 9 Schedule, Saturday, 1 p.m.
Oxnard at Hancock
Santa Barbara at Cuesta
Ventura at Moorpark

After a Thursday afternoon to remember in the spring sunshine, the Ventura College and Moorpark College softball teams may just be settling into a scorcher of a pennant race.

Vanessa Barretto pounded a bad-hop double through the infield to plate two runs with two outs in the top of the 13th inning as Ventura closed out Moorpark, 5-3, on the fourth attempt.

First-place Ventura (19-7, 8-1) remained atop the Western State Conference's Gold Division with its first win over its cross-county rivals since 2008.

Defending champion Moorpark (12-12, 6-2) dropped 1.5 games off the pace, despite prolonging the game by knotting the score in the bottom of the seventh, 10th and 11th innings.

For nine innings, Ventura's Crystal Bingham and Moorpark's Kelly Eder matched zeroes, combining to put up 16 over the first nine innings on the left-field scoreboard.

The Pirates took a 1-0 lead on Julie Cortez's bases-loaded single to left field with two outs in the fifth inning. The Raiders forced extra innings with Laura Perry's single through the left side of the infield with two outs in the seventh inning.

With the international tiebreaker in effect after nine innings, the two teams built a picket fence.

Sacrifice flies by Bingham and Barretto in the 10th and 11th innings, respectively, were matched by Brittany Alfino's RBI single and Cayla Nelson's sacrifice fly.

Nelson sacrificed more than an out. The sophomore centerfielder from Royal High hung on to the out which ended a threat in the eighth inning after colliding with left fielder Perry for the second time this season.

One batter prior, Moorpark shortstop Jamie Yaller threw out Bingham at the plate on Sabrina Gonzalez's double to the left-field wall.

Moorpark had three chances to win it in the 12th, but Ventura first baseman Shianne Sharp cut down Perry at the plate, Alfino's potential game-winning squeeze bunt rolled foul just as the Moorpark celebration began spilling onto the field and Ventura left fielder Brandi Seqovia robbed Taylor Neumann of a game-winning double with a lunging stab at the wall in left field.

The Ventura College baseball team used an 11-run seventh inning to climb out of a 11-run hole and halt rival Oxnard College's nine-game winning streak with a 13-12 win in 11 innings on a streak-snapping Thursday afternoon.

Down 12-1, Ventura (7-11, 2-6) was on its way to a sixth straight loss before piling up 11 of its 22 hits in knotting the score in the seventh inning.

Sophomore second baseman Derek Ring drew a bases loaded hit by pitch in the bottom of the 11th to win the game.

Ring was 3-6 with two RBIs. Allen Gwynn was 4 for 5 with two runs scored. Adam Barry had three hits and three runs.

Despite suffering its fourth walk-off loss of the season, Oxnard (15-6) still leads the WSC North by two games at 7-1.

The Condors soared to a 7-1 lead after J.C. Aguayo's three-run home run in the second inning followed Jonathan Erb's first-inning grand slam.

Aguayo was 4 for 5 with five RBIs and allowed one run through six innings. Jake Mahan was 4 for 5 with four runs scored.

Two days after being punished 16-1 in San Luis Obispo, the Moorpark College baseball team snapped its eight-game losing streak with an 8-3 win over visiting Cuesta.

Freshman pitcher Landon Hunt pitched a complete game and freshman outfielder Robert Toczynski cleared the loaded bases with a three-RBI double to give Moorpark a 5-1 lead through four innings.

Moorpark (6-13-1, 1-7) had dropped its first seven WSC North games. Cuesta is 11-9, 4-4.

Jonathan Erb sliced an outside fastball the other way into left field with two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth as the first-place Oxnard College baseball team extended its winning streak to nine games with a come-from-behind 4-3 win over visiting rival Ventura on Tuesday afternoon.

Oxnard (15-5), which maintained its two-game lead in the Western State Conference's North Division by improving to 7-0, had gone the first eight innings without a lead for the first time this season.

Sophomore Justin Bricker scattered seven hits and struck out six to improve to 3-1 with his second complete game.

Ventura wasted a nice start from sophomore Anthony Martinez, who didn't allow a hit until Erb led off the fifth inning by lining a single to right field

Yet Ventura (6-10, 1-6) suffered its fifth straight loss despite leading 2-0 after three innings and 3-1 in the eighth.

The Condors only entered the ninth even, 3-3, by the margin of a shoelace.

VC sophomore Derek Ring was 3 for 4 with a pair of RBI singles to push the Pirates ahead 3-1 entering the bottom of the eighth inning.

But Aguayo laced a leadoff triple down the right field line and Willson followed with an RBI single.

After a sacrifice bunt and a ground out moved Willson to third with two outs, second baseman Ring had a spike on his lead left cleat catch on the shoelace on his trailing right foot and cause a game-tying throwing error.

BOX SCORE

Oxnard 4, Ventura 3
WSC North
Ventura 002 000 100--3 7 2
Oxnard 000 010 021--4 11 3
Martinez, Hotchkiss (6), Pinto (6), Hong (8) and Lipman; Bricker and Lipman. W -- Bricker (1-0). L -- Hong (0-1). 3B -- Oxnard: Aguayo.
Team records -- Oxnard 15-5, 7-0; Ventura 6-10, 1-6.

Pitcher Kelly Eder scattered 17 singles in 14 innings, stranding 15 runners in allowing just one run, as the Moorpark College softball team swept host Cuesta, 3-1 and 1-0, in a Western State Conference doubleheader Tuesday afternoon in San Luis Obispo.

"We made the plays defensively," said Moorpark coach Will Thurston. "It went right down to the last out in the second game."

The sweep allowed the Raiders (12-11, 6-1) to jump Cuesta (11-14, 5-3) into second place in the WSC Gold and move a half game behind first-place Ventura, who the Raiders host Thursday.

Taylor Neumann had a double and a two-run homer in Game 1.

Brittany Alfino provided the winning margin in Game 2 by drawing a one-out walk in the third inning, stealing second and scoring on an error.

BOX SCORES

Moorpark 3, Cuesta 1
WSC Gold (Game 1)
Moorpark 000 012 0--3 6 2
Cuesta 000 001 0--1 10 2
Eder and Neumann; Thompson and Silzer. W -- Eder (8-8). L -- Thompson. 2B -- Moorpark: Neumann, Nelson. HR -- Moorpark: Neumann
Team records -- Moorpark 11-11, 5-1; Cuesta 11-13, 5-2.

Moorpark 1, Cuesta 0
WSC Gold (Game 2)
Moorpark 001 000 0--1 5 0
Cuesta 000 000 0--0 7 1
Eder and Neumann; Thompson and Donovan. W -- Eder (9-0). L -- Thompson.
Team records -- Moorpark 12-11, 6-1; Cuesta 11-14, 5-3.

Strong pitching helped key a two-game sweep for the Ventura College softball team over host Oxnard College on Tuesday.

Crystal Bingham allowed just four hits and one run to lead a 3-1 victory, and Janessa Pulido pitched a six-hit shutout in a 4-0 victory as the Pirates (18-7, 7-1) moved into sole possession of first place in the Western State Conference's Gold Division.

Down 1-0 with two outs and two strikes in the seventh inning, Alina Flowers tied the first game with an RBI triple to spur Ventura's game-winning three-run seventh inning after Janelle Garcia's RBI single gave Oxnard a 1-0 lead after six innings.

In the second game, Sabrina Gonzalez had two hits and two RBIs, and Vanesa Barretto and Shianne Sharpe each had two hits and an RBI.

Michelle Getman pitched well for Oxnard (13-12, 4-5), but absorbed a pair of losses.

BOX SCORES

Ventura 3, Oxnard 1
WSC Gold (Game 1)
Ventura 000 000 3--3 6 1
Oxnard 000 001 0--1 5 1
Bingham and Cortez; Getman and Tooley. W -- Bingham (8-1). L -- Getman. 2B -- Ventura: Flowers. 3B -- Ventura: Flowers.
Team records -- Ventura 17-7, 6-1 WSC Gold; Oxnard 13-11, 4-4.

Ventura 4, Oxnard 0
WSC Gold (Game 2)
Ventura 110 020 0--4 10 2
Oxnard 000 000 0--0 7 2
Pulido and Cortez; Getman, Garcia (3), Getman (5) and Tooley. W -- Pulido. L -- Getman.
Team records -- Ventura 18-7, 7-1 WSC Gold; Oxnard 13-12, 4-5.

On the verge of losing the core of its sixth state championship team to graduation, the Ventura College women's basketball team received a commitment over the weekend from a potential cornerstone for its next team.

Six-foot-2 Royal High center Destinee La Fountain, who averaged 13.8 points and 12.5 rebounds as a senior for the 20-9 Highlanders, made a verbal commitment to play for the Pirates over the weekend.

"I really liked the way they played," said La Fountain, who is also being recruited by several other two-year schools. "I've heard a lot about how much I can improve (at Ventura), how much I can learn."

Ventura's six outgoing sophomores represent 84 percent of the scoring and 61 percent of the rebounding from the team that finished 34-1 with a 59-47 win over Fullerton in the state final March 14 at Cal Lutheran.

"She's an important part of who we're going to be next year," said Ventura coach Ned Mircetic. "I think she has the opportunity to truly be a great player.

"With her athleticism, size and speed, she has the ability to play three different positions. I'm really looking forward to coaching her."

Seantrel Henderson, the 6-foot-8 offensive tackle from Cretin-Derham Hall High in St. Paul, Minn. who was USA Today Offensive Player of the Year, signed to play at USC today.

Click the jump for the press release from USC.

Standings after Round 6, March 20
Conference Overall
Team W-L GB W-L
Ventura 5-1 -- 16-7
Cuesta 5-1 -- 11-12
Moorpark 4-1 0.5 10-11
Oxnard 4-3 1.5 13-10
S. Barbara 2-3 2.5 11-7
Hancock 1-5 4.0 3-13
LA Pierce 0-7 6.0 0-17

The Oxnard College baseball team is 14-5, riding an eight-game winning streak and has built a two-game lead in the Western State Conference's North Division.

The Condors are making some noise regionally, moving up this week to No. 3 in the RPI index that shapes the postseason field.

And they will have a chance to climb even higher in the coming weeks as Oxnard hosts No. 1 Citrus (13-6) Wednesday, March 31 and No. 2 Santa Ana (13-5) Tuesday, April 6.

Round 4 Scores, March 16
Oxnard 9, Cuesta 1
Hancock 12, Ventura 7
Santa Barbara City 11, Moorpark 6

Round 5 Scores, March 18
Cuesta 3, Hancock 2
Oxnard 8, Moorpark 2
Santa Barbara City 19, Ventura 6

Round 6 Scores, March 20
Cuesta 15, at Hancock 3
Oxnard 10, at Moorpark 2
Santa Barbara 7, Ventura 1

Standings after Round 6, March 20
Conference Overall
Team W-L GB W-L
Oxnard 6-0 -- 13-5
Hancock 4-2 2.0 11-6
Santa Barbara 4-2 2.0 10-8
Cuesta 3-3 3.0 9-8
Ventura 1 5 5.0 6-8
Moorpark 0 6 6.0 5-11-1
3/21 18-18 54-46-1

Round 7 Schedule, Tuesday, 2:30 p.m.
Ventura at Oxnard
Moorpark at Cuesta
Santa Barbara at Hancock

Round 8 Schedule, Thursday, 2:30 p.m.
Oxnard at Ventura
Cuesta at Moorpark
Hancock at Santa Barbara

The Oxnard College baseball team (13-5, 6-0), which has won eight straight games to build a two-game lead in the WSC North, climbed nine spots to No. 8 in the Southern California coaches' poll dated last Thursday (March 18).

Coming off two-game sweeps of Santa Barbara, Cuesta and Moorpark, the Condors open a two-game series with county rival Ventura today at home. First pitch is 2:30 p.m.

Southern California
Poll 4: March 18
Rnk. Teams *Pts. (1st.) L.Wk. Conf. S.Rec,C.Rec.
1 Cypress 338 (15) 1 Orange Empire (13-6, 5-2)
2 Santa Ana 393 (1) 5 Orange Empire (11-5, 5-2)
3 LA Pierce 265 2 West. St. South (13-4, 3-2)
4 San Diego 247 11 Pacific Coast (12-3, 5-2)
5 LA Mission 245 7 West St. South (12-3, 5-2)
6 El Camino 228 3 South Coast (13-6, 4-3)
7 Hancock 199 16 West. St. North (11-5, 4-0)
8 Oxnard 190 17 West. St. North (12-5, 4-0)
9 Citrus 166 10 West. St. South (12-5, 3-2)
10 Southwestern 165 6 Pacific Coast (11-7, 4-3)
11 Desert 164 (1) 3 Foothill (10-7, 2-4)
12 Golden West 127 8 Orange Empire (11-7, 3-3)
13 Chaffey 99 N/R Foothill (9-7, 8-1)
14 Mt. San Jacinto 96 15 Foothill (9-4-1, 3-2-1)
15 Canyons 94 19 West. St. South (10-5, 4-1)
16 Bakersfield 86 13 West St. South (10-7, 2-3)
17 Orange Coast 85 9 Orange Empire (11-8, 3-4)
18 Riverside 83 20 Orange Empire (8-8, 5-2)
19 Cuesta 79 13 West. St. North (8-8, 1-3)
20 Saddleback 72 11 Orange Empire (10-8, 3-4)
Others: Rio Hondo (60); Palomar (48); Mt. San Antonio (40);
Glendale (34); San Diego Mesa (33); Fullerton (12); Ventura (9);
Santa Barbara (6); Cerritos (3); LA Harbor (1).

South Compiled by Kevin Hazlett, San Diego Mesa College
Note: 17 of 45 Southern California Coaches participating.

The Oxnard College baseball team completed a rare two-game sweep of Cuesta with a 9-1 win Tuesday afternoon.

Bryan Wilson, who pitched a complete game in Saturday's 4-3 win, slugged a three-run homer as the Condors batted around in the first inning.

Oxnard was joined in first place at 4-0 with Hancock, which beat visiting Ventura, 12-7, in Santa Maria.

Chanelle Brennan's 33-point performance in Sunday's 59-47 state championship win over Fullerton was a point shy of the Ventura College women's basketball team record for points in a state championship game.

Amirah Leonard, the school's all-time leading scorer, had 34 points in the 83-69 loss to San Jose in March 1998.

Here's the list of leading scorers in each of the school's eight state final appearances.

YEAR SCORE -- LEADING SCORER
1996 Ventura 69, Saddleback 62 -- Tori Anderson, 20
1997 Ventura 68, Canyons 59 -- Amirah Leonard, 19
1998 San Jose City 83, Ventura 69 -- Amirah Leonard, 34
1999 Sierra 62, Ventura 60 -- Jackie Rhetta, 17
2000 Ventura 71, Shasta 68 -- Renae Hofmann, 26
2001 Ventura 70, Contra Costa 66 -- Sarah Kolbeck, 20
2002 Ventura 63, Mount San Antonio 59 -- Monique Taylor and Monica Hang, 16
2010 Ventura 59, Fullerton 47 -- Chanelle Brennan 33

Even after five previous state championships, Maria Christine looked out at the celebration unfolding before her Sunday afternoon at Cal Lutheran's Gilbert Center and considered herself fortunate to be experiencing it.

That's because 10 days after the Ventura College women's basketball team was eliminated last season, the assistant coach was in a Santa Barbara hospital fighting for her life.

"I thought about it," said Christine. "When it was all said and done, I thought about how lucky I was."

Christine, who helped guide VC to its sixth state championship Sunday with a 59-47 win over Fullerton, suffered an aneurysm in her cavernous sinus March 24 and a series of complications.

"It was just luck it wasn't in my brain," said Christine. "I just put in good hands right from the start. I was very lucky."

She spent 21 days in Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, including 11 in intensive care.
Even though her case was different, Christine implores everyone with a family history of aneurysms to get checked out, as they can be hereditary.

Christine returned to the team on a limited basis beginning in December, less than a month after her last surgery.

Three months later, the 16-year veteran earned her sixth state championship ring.

"This is a good way to come back," said Christine. "I was glad that I was able to be there."

Ventura College sophomores Chanelle Brennan and Amanda Padilla were named WBCA honorable mention All-Americans today.

Both were All-Western State Conference and All-State first team selections.

Brennan, who averaged 19.4 points and 5.6 rebounds per game, had 33 points and five rebounds in Sunday's state championship win over Fullerton to earn tournament Most Valuable Player honors.

The Ventura High product was also named the Most Valuable Player of the Western State Conference's North Division.

Padilla, who averaged 13.0 points and 5.6 assists per game, had 24 points and seven assists in Thursday's state quarterfinal win over Laney.

The Buena High product finished in the Top 10 in the state in three offensive categories, assists per game, 3-point shooting (42.7 percent), and free throw shooting (81.6 percent).

Women's state final
Sunday, Cal Lutheran
No. 2-S Ventura 59, No. 1-S Fullerton 47
Ventura County Star: VC owns title again
Ventura County Star: Brennan takes her game to higher level
Ventura County Star: Mircetic recognized need to evolve
Ventura County Star: Video Highlights
Ventura County Star: Photo Gallery
The Student Voice: We are the champions... Of California

Men's state final
Sunday, Cal Lutheran
No. 4-S Saddleback 63, No. 2-N San Francisco 57
Ventura County Star: Saddleback takes the title this time
San Francisco Chronicle: CCSF falls short of state title
The Bakersfield Californian: Saddleback wins men's state basketball title

The bittersweet taste was written on Donielle Griggs' face.

One of the leaders of the 2008-09 Ventura College women's basketball team, which won its first 34 games before falling in the Final Four to Pasadena City, Griggs, now a player at Cal Lutheran, was of course on hand to root for her former teammates in Sunday's state championship game.

She was on the court taking photographs during the net-cutting ceremony.

"It was amazing," said Griggs, who had spoken to former point guard Michelle Santizo on the phone. Santizo and Julie Heurung followed the game during their end-of-season banquet at Cal State Monterey Bay.

But Sunday's experience as a fan had also reminded Griggs of what might have been.

"It brought back memories," said Griggs. "We were one step away."

Of course, several Pirates mentioned that the previous year's experience was a big contributing factor on this year's state championship run.

Members of the coaching staff harkened back to the successful recruiting of Royal High guard Jessi Selleh as the key event that enabled a program which lost three straight playoff games from 2004 to 2006 to return to its former glory.

Selleh, now a student at UCLA, having turned down the opportunity to play at Cornell because of financial considerations, was instrumental in the recruiting of fellow Royal High teammates Erika Ward and Kris King.

"I didn't know anything about Ventura College until Jessi Selleh told me about it," said Ward Sunday. "I wasn't even thinking about going here."

Assistant coach Maria Christine never waivered. Despite the eight-year title drought, she knew the Ventura College women's basketball team's chances for a sixth state title.

"Hell no, it's never gone," said Christine, in her 16th season at VC. "Opportunities are always around and when they come around, you have to take advantage of it.

"This team worked hard all year long and stayed focused."

The title was especially special for Christine, considering she survived a life-threatening healh scare last year.

"This is a good way to come back," said Christine.

After not playing a single minute of the regional final win over San Bernardino Valley March 6, freshman Ariel Hale played some of her best basketball of the Ventura College women's basketball season in the Great Eight.

The freshman from Canyon High had one of the highlight plays of the weekend.

Ventura trailed Laney by five points with less than 11 minutes in Thursday's state quarterfinal when Hale, falling out of bounds under the Pirates' basket, found Chanelle Brennan for a layup that helped spark a game-winning surge.

"It's a great feeling," said Hale during the net-cutting ceremony Sunday. "I respect a lot of the sophomores on this team and I'm glad I got to contribute."

Gabrielle Conn completed a rollercoaster freshman season with stirring finale.

The freshman from Saugus High struggled to live up to her second collegiate game, in which she pulled down 18 rebounds against Santa Ana College.

She spent much of the season fighting illness before having a tonsillectomy in January. Competiting for minutes with the resurgent Suzie Faanono, Jordan Clegg and Ariel Hale, Conn wasn't always happy with her playing time.

But she played a big part of the state championship weekend, pulling down a combined 21 rebounds in the semifinal and final wins over San Francisco and Fullerton.

"That's honestly what I wanted to do," said Conn. "I am a dominant rebounder and that's my role on this team.

"This feeling is amazing."

Former Ventura College women's basketball assistant coach Reggie Ellis, who spent the season as Long Beach City College's interim head coach, was sporting his Vikings gear while celebrating the Pirates' state championship during the net cutting ceremony.

But that doesn't mean he didn't have a rooting interest Sunday.

"Pirate for Life," said Ellis, who added called the scenes "wonderful."

Community college women's basketball

Ventura 59, Fullerton 47
State championship
Gilbert Center, Cal Lutheran
VENTURA (59) -- Brennan 33, King 8, Padilla 8, Ward 2, Faanono 6, Van Someren 2.
FULLERTON (47) -- Ekno 6, Huskey 7, Jackson 2, Hollis-Rudison 6, Hatch 6, Adams 6, McDonald 6, McClain 6.
Halftime -- Ventura 22, Fullerton 21.
Records -- Ventura 34-1, Fullerton 32-2.

Ventura College's Chanelle Brennan, the Most Valuable Player, was joined on the Great Eight All-Tournament team by Amanda Padilla, Taiyande Huskey and Danielle Ekno of Fullerton, Mone Peoples and Marlee Rice of San Francisco and Charlene Popoff of Santa Rosa.

Sophomore guard Perry Webster had 19 points and seven rebounds to earn tournament Most Valuable Player honors as the Saddleback College men's basketball team earned its second state championship in eight years with a 63-57 win over City College of San Francisco Sunday afternoon at Cal Lutheran's Gilbert Center.

Tyler McManaman added 12 points, including a game-clinching runner with 12 seconds to play, as the Gauchos (29-5) ended a season-long quest for redemption after falling in the state final in overtime last season to Orange Empire Conference rival Riverside.

"It's a monkey off your back," said Webster. "On the bus home last year, I looked at (fellow sophomore) T.J. (Lipold) and said, we've got to get back there."

Saddleback led 27-24 at the half and never trailed in the second half to become the second straight No. 4-South seed from the OEC to lift the trophy.

"Having the experience of being there with three of the guys here, we knew what to expect," said Saddleback coach Andy Ground. "The guys did a good job of executing the game plan."

Calvin Douglas had 16 points and Deend Parker had 13 points for San Francisco (28-5), which was searching for its first state title since 1962.

The Rams tied the game on Jonathan Williams' dunk with 2:49 to play, but could not take the lead.

Webster and McManaman were joined on the All-Tournament team by teammate Robert Curtis, Williams and Da'Ron Sims of San Francisco, Nate Roth of San Bernardino Valley and former Ventura College forward Randy Hunter, who played for Citrus.

Chanelle Brennan's 33 points and five rebounds leads Ventura to its sixth state title with a 59-47 win over Fullerton.

Kris King and Amanda Padilla had eight points apiece and Gabrielle Conn had 12 rebounds as the Pirates (34-1) earned their record sixth state title, eight years after its last banner.

"We put it back on the map," said Padilla. "Ventura College has another championship... and it's great to be a part of it."

Destainee Hollis-Rudison had eight points, Taiyande Huskey had seven points and five other players had six points for Fullerton (32-2), which undefeated against its schedule, save two losses to the PIrates.

A year after racing unbeaten to a Final Four loss to eventual champions Pasadena City, Ventura's sophomore class earned redemption.

"It's like a dream come true," said sophomore Erika Ward. "I can't express what it means to me.

"After losing last year in the Final Four, this state championship means the world to us."

Padilla's last-second 3-pointer bounced in to give the Pirates a 22-21 halftime lead.

Brennan had a game-high 10 points on 4 of 11 shooting. Gabrielle Conn had a game-high eight rebounds.

Ebony McClain led Fullerton with six points and five rebounds.

Fullerton leading 14-2 in bench points.

In-game coverage live on our Twitter account.

Longtime Ventura College fans Ron Roberts and Sal Vargas added to the championship game atmosphere Sunday afternoon at Cal Lutheran's Gilbert Center.

Roberts had some orange towels that matched the decor of his church, Bible Fellowship in Ventura.

"I thought, 'Hey, this would be a perfect rally towel,' " said Roberts.

Roberts brought a few to Saturday's semifinal win over City College of San Francisco and they were gone in seconds.

"We brought 96 today and they were gone in minutes," said Roberts. "I should have brought 200.

"I hope this gets us the one or two points we need to get over the top."

There may not be a tomorrow for either of these two teams, but there's always a next season for Ventura fans.

"I'm going to have to home and buy out Sam's Club," said Roberts, "so I'll be ready for next fall."

On the fourth day of basketball, fatigue usually sets in but not for the experienced crew working the scorer's table.

Cerritos Sports Information Director John Van Gaston in the media room during warmups, "Let's play four more."

Women's state final
Sunday, Cal Lutheran
1 p.m.: No. 1-South Fullerton (32-1) vs. No. 2-S Ventura (33-1)

Men's state final
Sunday, Cal Lutheran
3:30 p.m.: No. 2-North San Francisco (28-4) vs. No. 4-S Saddleback (28-5)

Women's state semifinals
Saturday, Cal Lutheran
No. 2-S Ventura 60, No. 1-N San Francisco 56
Ventura County Star: VC earns a final say
Ventura County Star: Ventura does better overcoming mistakes
Ventura County Star: Photo gallery
Ventura County Star: Highlight video
The Student Voice: Pirates defeat City College of San Francisco, advance to State Final
No. 1-South Fullerton 66. No. 2-North Santa Rosa 58
Ventura County Star: Woelke returns Fullerton to final

Men's state semifinals
Saturday, Cal Lutheran
No. 2-North San Francisco 72, No. 1-S San Bernardino Valley 68
Riverside Press-Enterprise: SBVC men bounced in semifinals
Ventura County Star: CCSF to play for Bay Area's first title in 48 years

No. 4-S Saddleback 55, No. 2-S Citrus 54
Ventura County Star: Citrus upended by Saddleback

In his 20th season as the Ventura College women's basketball head coach, Ned Mircetic will coach in his eight state championship game Sunday afternoon at Cal Lutheran.

We asked him for some thoughts as he prepared the game plan Saturday night:

"I just hope we play exceptionally well tomorrow, play our best game of the year.

"It's that time of year now when you just throw your whole playbook out there and don't hold anything back.... Whatever you think is going to work, you have to do it in this game."

(On the sensational play of Chanelle Brennan, who is averaging 21 points and 10.5 rebounds per game through the first two rounds of the state tournament)

"Hopefully, she has one more game left in her. I think she does. I think the best thing Chanelle does is compete. She's a fierce competitor. And she's a good sport, she gets hit pretty hard out there and she just gets up and does it again."

(General thoughts on Fullerton)

"Fullerton is a finesse, athletic team. Well-disciplined and well coached. Definitely the deepest team we've played all year.

"They don't really have any weaknesses that we can probe and try to take advantage of. We're going to have to play a complete game.

We're going to have to get back in transition and defend their break. We're going to have to deal with their pressure in a variety of ways. We're going to do have to deal with the way they play their motion offense, how they place people in the best position to be successful.

"They're not the physically opposing team that SF or Laney was, but they are the best team in the state. It's that depth of talent that they have."

(on handing Fullerton its only loss of the season in November)

"I know we beat them and all of that stuff early, but I don't understand how we did that, even though I watched it on tape four or five times now.

"We'll find out tomorrow."

Orange Coast College women's basketball coach Mike Thornton had to compete against Fullerton juggernaut in the Orange Empire Conference this season.

He's also had to face Ventura in the state tournament, having snapped the Pirates' streak of seven straight state final appearances with a semifinal win in 2003.

We asked him to break down the matchup ahead of Sunday's state final:

"They probably wouldn't admit this, but Fullerton was probably rooting for San Francisco today.

"I think that the defense that Ventura plays is the one that Fullerton has the most difficulty with. Shooting from the perimeter is not their strength, so they're going to need to make some shots.

"Fullerton is going to have to use its athleticism and get to the basket. Fullerton will probably try to speed the game up and get some transition going.

(Ventura point guard Amanda) Padilla is the key, if she can shoot it. No. 20 (Fullerton guard Ashley Jsames) is their top perimeter defender. If that's the matchup that occurs, then it's a key one."

The Ventura College women's basketball alumnaes were out in force on Semifinal Saturday.

Several members of the 10-year anniversary 38-0 state champions of 1999-2000 attended the semifinal win over San Francisco at Cal Lutheran, including Katie Stanulis, Julie Essary and Monica Hang.

"It was nice," said Hang. "I'm just hoping for one more (win)."

Two more members of that 2000 group attended Wednesday's banquet, when co-captain Valerie Wiggins inducted guard Renae Hofmann into the state coaches' Hall of Fame.

Stefanie Kawasaki and Kristin De Simone, who led a pair of state finalists in 1998 and 1999, were spotted behind the Ventura bench.

Sarah (Kolbeck) Angel, who was on the 2001 and 2002 state championship teams alongside Hang and Monique Taylor, who attended Thursday's quarterfinal win over Laney College.

For the first time in eight years, 11 more Pirates will join those Ventura products who have played in state championships Sunday afternoon.

The star of the 2007-08 team, Indira Kaljo, back on campus in New Orleans after helping Tulane University to the NCAA tournament with a Conference USA title, also watched the semifinal via the Internet.

Part of the reason why the City College of San Francisco women's basketball team was able to recover from an early 12-point deficit in the first half of Saturday's semifinal was because Ventura College star sophomore Erika Ward was forced out of the game with a groin injury.

Ward left the game at 9:55 of the first half after tweaking her leg muscle after attempting to save a loose ball under the San Francisco net.

"I slipped on a San Francisco pom pom," said Ward. "Not even a Ventura one.

"I did a split."

Ventura scored on the next possession to take a 17-5 lead as Ward left the playing area for treatment from Ventura trainer Mark Chaney.

The lead was seven points, 20-13, when Ward was able to reenter the game, but the Rams have found their feet, in the midst of a 11-2 run that cut the Ventura advantage to 22-20 with 3:56 left in the half.

After the game, Ward said she felt no ill effects from the slip.

"I'm good," said Ward.

Carlyle Carter, the executive director of the California Community College's Commission on Athletics, seems pretty pleased with Cal Lutheran as a venue for its basketball championships.

"It's everything we need to have," Carter said Saturday. "Everything that we want our student athletes to experience."

And Sunday's title game, with the legions of Ventura fans and Fullerton's pep band, promise to provide the "championship atmosphere" Carter was talking about last week.

"It will be just like the games you see on TV," said Carter.

"For that kind of event at the two-year level, we really can't ask for anything more."

The California Community College Women's Basketball Coaches Association voted Saturday to support future championships in the CLU-like, gymnasium environment, according to several coaches.

"That's what we've decided as a body," said Orange Coast coach Mike Thornton. "We just need a site like this and one like this in Northern California.

"This atmophere is so great. This is the type of experience that makes the players feel like they're playing for something."

Former Ventura College forward Randy Hunter had two game-winning chances bounce off during a furious final minute as the Citrus College men's basketball team led the whole way before being shocked, 55-54, by Saddleback.

Robert Curtis had 21 points and 13 rebounds, Perry Webster had 18 points and Kyle Wallace provided the winning margin with his only point of the game, a free throw with 14 seconds to play.

Saddleback, which trailed 43-33 with 13 minutes to play, will play in the state final for the second straight season today at 3:30 p.m.

Hunter had nine points and 11 rebounds.

The City College of San Francisco men's basketball team will play for the Bay Area's first men's basketball championship since 1962 after knocking out Southern California's top seed, San Bernardino Valley, 72-68, Saturday at Cal Lutheran.

"It would be (memorable)," said San Francisco coach Justin Labagh. "But for our school, a state championship is (always) the goal.

"Track just won three straight. Football has won a ton. You haven't done anything (at CCSF) if you haven't won a state title."

Jonathan Williams and Deend Parker had 13 points apiece and Da'Ron Sims added 12 points as the Rams improved to 28-4.

San Bernardino (31-3) was led by 24 points by point guard Nate Roth, the state co-Player of the Year, who shot the Wolverines back into contention after a CCSF had built a 14-point lead with 14:22 to play.

But the Rams held on to eliminate SBVC for the second straight season.

One year after racing unbeaten into a heartbreaking Final Four loss to Pasadena, the sophomores on the Ventura College women's basketball team could not contain their joy after edging City College of San Francisco, 60-56, in the state semifinals at Cal Lutheran

"I want to cry," said sophomore point guard Amanda Padilla. "

"I do want to cry," agreed Erika Ward.

"We redeemed ourselves," continued Padilla. "After coming so close last year, I know that all the sophomores really wanted this one. We were not going to lose.

"One more game."

Chanelle Brennan had 23 points, 10 rebounds and a key 3-point play in the final minute as the Ventura College women's basketball team advanced to the state championship game for the first time since 2002 with a 60-56 win over City College of San Francisco Saturday afternoon before a packed Gilbert Center at Cal Lutheran.

"I'm so excited," said Brennan. "Oh my goodness."

"I felt like we were on a rollercoaster... I was worried for a minute."

Erika Ward had 13 points and 10 rebounds, Amanda Padilla had nine points and six assists and Gabrielle Conn had five points and nine rebounds, as VC (33-1) shockingly won the battle of the boards, 50-47.

Brittney Allen had 25 points and Ciera Foster had 18 rebounds for San Francisco (28-4), the North's top seed, but the Rams were led down by a 14-for-30 performance at the free throw line.

The first California Community College women's basketball state champion will be playing for another Sunday afternoon.

Orange Empire Conference Player of the Year Taiyande Huskey had 21 points and five rebounds as the Fullerton College women's basketball team advanced to Sunday's state championship game with a 66-58 win over Santa Rosa in Saturday's first state semifinal.

With Debi Woelke playing guard, the Hornets won the 1978 state championship under Hall-of-Fame coach Colleen Riley. Thirty three years later, Woelke will coach Southern California's top seed in the title game Sunday against No. 2-S Ventura.

"I've waited for this moment," said Woelke.

Santa Rosa held an early 16-12 lead as both teams struggled offensively. Fullerton, the best free throw shooting team in the tournament, only made four of 10 from the stripe in the first half.

"I think both teams came out really nervous," said Woelke. "We even shot the ball poorly at the free throw line, and we never do that. Nerves got the better part of us."

But the Hornets made 18-of-21 free throws in the second half and outrebounded a Bearcats team featuring twin towers Charlene Popoff and Jeanette DeWitt by 13.

Popoff led Santa Rosa with 17 points and 12 rebounds.

"We knew that they were a really good rebounding team," said Fullerton forward Danielle Ekno. "Rebounding was key.

The deep Fullerton frontcourt of Ekno, Nicole Martin, Destainee Hollis-Rudison and Ashley Adams combined for 23 points and 24 rebounds.

To follow the Ventura College basketball teams in the state tournament, George Valenzuela has drive to San Jose and San Diego, to Stockton and Fresno.

"Don't tell me about Interstate 5," said Valenzuela, after he was one of the first fans to arrive at Semifinal Saturday at Cal Lutheran's Gilbert Center an hour before Fullerton-Santa Rosa and three hours before the Pirates tipped off.

"I've been following the team for 20 years."

Ventura College coach Ned Mircetic on his team's state semifinal against City College of San Francisco Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. at Cal Lutheran's Gilbert Center in Thousand Oaks:

(on the game plan)

"I'm not quite sure. We're going to try to do a couple different things with them and see which works, packing it in to expanding it way out and everything in between.

"This is the time of year when you show your whole playbook and you play your whole defense.

"If something's working we'll come back to it a little bit more."

(On CCSF)

"They play exceptionally hard and they're under control when they're playing hard.

"They have as good a backcourt as anyone in the state.

"They've played many good games. Just watching this game from earlier in the year now and they attack the offensive glass as well as any team has attacked it as any time. It kind of reminds me of the old Mount SAC teams that would just pound the boards.

"They run to the rim really well and they go there in bunches."

(keys to the game)

"How we rebound defensively... turnovers."

"It's amazing how the ball bounces to you when you hustle."

"It's like Thursday, if we handle the physicality, we'll be all right. If we don't... "

"We're just going to do the stuff we've been doing all year. When all the dust settles, we'll be who we are."

Women's state semifinals
Saturday, Cal Lutheran
1 p.m.: No. 1-South Fullerton (31-1) vs. No. 2-North Santa Rosa (26-6)
3 p.m.: No. 2-S Ventura (32-1) vs. No. 1-N San Francisco (28-3)

Men's state semifinals
Saturday, Cal Lutheran
5 p.m.: No. 2-North San Francisco (27-4) vs. No. 1-S San Bernardino Valley (30-2)
7 p.m.: No. 4-S Saddleback (27-5) vs. No. 2-S Citrus (29-2)

Former Ventura College star Indira Kaljo will play in the Big Dance.

Kaljo and the Tulane University women's basketball team earned a bid to the NCAA tournament by winning the Conference USA tournament Friday with a 62-54 win over UAB.

Kaljo was a key figure on the 2007-08 Ventura team which restored the program to the Great Eight after a three-year absence.

Ventura College sophomores Chanelle Brennan and Amanda Padilla have been named to the California Community College Women's Basketball Coaches Association All-State team.

Brennan, who averaged 18.9 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, had 19 points and 11 rebounds in Thursday's state quarterfinal over Laney. The Ventura High product was named the Most Valuable Player of the Western State Conference's North Division.

Padilla, who averaged 13.3 points and 5.7 assists per game, had 24 points and seven assists Thursday. The Buena High product finished in the Top 10 in the state in three offensive categories, assists per game, 3-point shooting, and free throw shooting.

Players of the Year: Ashley Wakefield, Canyons (South) and Sumiya Darden, Fresno (North)

First team
Brittney Allen, San Francisco
Chanelle Brennan, Ventura
Taiyande Huskey, Fullerton
Kenyanna Martin, Contra Costa
Molly Martin, Shasta
Tijera Mathews, Antelope Valley
Amanda Padilla, Ventura
Charlene Popoff, Santa Rosa
Jasmine Rubin, Ohlone
Danielle Smith, Mt. San Jacinto

Second team
Shonetta Crain-Williams, Laney
Francesca DeAngelis, Santa Barbara
Jeannette Dewitt, Santa Rosa
Erica Hayes, San Mateo
Jenny Kawakami, Diablo Valley
Brittney Lewis, Mt. San Antonio
Mone Peoples, San Francisco
Micaela Pickens, Cypress
Alley Reeves, Sequoias
Leticia Ridley, Grossmont
Tiffany Smith, Mt San Jacinto
Crystal Vazquez, Riverside

Third team
Ashley Adams, Mt. San Antonio
Samera Dorton, Riverside
Danielle Ekno, Fullerton
Blakely Goldberg, Fresno
Paige Haynes, San Bernardino Valley
Adria Jackson, Cerritos
Crystal Lee, Solano
Sylvanna Moore, San Joaquin Delta
Marlee Rice, San Francisco
Ganeaya Rogers, Ohlone
Brandi Stephens, Sierra
Kiara Stinson, Palomar

Thousand Oaks High product Bobby Macias gave Ventura County a presence on the All-State team.

Players of the Year: Reggie Jones, Ohlone (North) and Nate Roth , San Bernardino Valley (South)
Coaches of the Year: John Peterson, Ohlone (North) and Quincy Brewer, San Bernardino Valley (South)

All-State first team
Jamelle Barrett Cosumnes River G 5-11 180 So Rancho Cordova
Antonio Biglow Mt. San Antonio G 6-0 165 Fr Los Angeles
Tre Brewer San Bernardino Valley G 6-5 195 So Rancho Cucamonga
Anthony Cosentino Southwestern G 6-6 200 Fr Chula Vista
Bobby Fisher Bakersfield F 6-5 225 So Chicago, Ill.
Matt Fogarty Shasta F 6-7 So Palo Cedro
Roger Guardia Cuesta G 6-4 185 So Barcelona, Spain
Marcellus Jackson Cerritos F 6-6 200 So Independence
Isaiah James San Jose City F 6-8 207 So San Jose
Brandon Johnson Fresno G 6-0 190 So Fresno
Charles Joseph Southwestern C 6-9 290 Fr Brooklyn, N.Y.
Bobby Macias Foothill G 5-11 160 So Thousand Oaks
Mike McChristian Yuba G 6-3 Fr Vacaville
Kenny McGowen Sequoias G 6-0 So Dallas, Tex.
Tyree Murray Los Medanos G 6-0 0 So Antioch
Shaneel Narayan San Jose City G 5-11 170 So Hayward
Daniel Redmon Riverside G 6-2 180 So Rancho Cucamonga
Bennie Rhodes San Francisco G 6-6 185 So San Francisco
Jose Rivera Citrus G 6-3 185 So Brentwood, CA
Marseiiles Stewart Foothill G 6-3 225 So San Francisco
Perry Webster Saddleback G 6-2 195 So Mission Viejo
Donald Williams Antelope Valley G 6-5 Fr Baton Rouge, La.

The final score may not have been what he wanted, but Bobby Macias was content with the journey.

The point guard saw his Foothill College men's basketball career end Friday night with an 82-74 loss to the Foothill Conference behemoth, San Bernardino Valley, in the state quarterfinals at Cal Lutheran.

But it ended alongside teammates, friends and family in his hometown.

"It was a very cool setting for us to be in," said the Thousand Oaks High product, who was also named to the All-State team earlier in the day.

"Although we lost, it wasn't about the loss itself. It was about the camaraderie of all of us together."

That extended behind the Owls' bench to the 30 or so red-clad and chanting friends and family who had driven from as far as San Diego and San Luis Obispo to support Macias.

"It was like watching your son play," said Thousand Oaks High boys' basketball coach Rich Endres. "It was really exciting."

"We had a great time with the home crowd behind us," said Macias.

Sydney Hall had 17 points, Tre Brewer had 14 points and Curtis Wilkerson added 12 points and eight assists as the Wolverines (30-2), the South's top seed, advanced to a state semifinal matchup with No. 2-North San Francisco (27-4)

Foothill (22-7) was eliminated despite making 12 3-pointers, holding an eye-opening 35-34 halftime lead and being even, at 60-60, with 7:14 to play.

"We clearly could have won that game," said Macias.

Macias had 16 points and seven assists, despite being matched up against San Bernardino point guard Nate Roth, who had been unveiled as the state co-Player of the Year before the previous game.

"He's one of the best point guards in the state," said Macias, "so it was a lot of fun."

Foothill guard Matt Christman also made his mark with 23 points, including five 3-pointers.

Keith Thompson had 13 points and DeAndre Haskins added 10 points as the Citrus College men's basketball team, the South's No. 2 seed, opened up a 21-point halftime lead and cruised to a 74-53 over No. 3-North San Jose.

The Owls (29-2) advanced to their second state semifinal in three years.

Behind 17 offensive rebounds and a 49-33 advantage on the boards, Citrus produced 23 second-chance points.

Saddleback will face Citrus in the 7 p.m. semifinal Saturday.

San Francisco center Ciera Foster on the Rams' semifinal meeting with the Ventura College women's basketball team:

(on watching Thursday's Ventura-Laney game, knowing she would play the winner)

"It could have gone either way last night. We were trying to watch both teams. We respect all the teams up here for making it this far."

(on the key to the Rams' success this season)

"Everybody knows their roles on this team."

(on playing against Ventura and its big crowd)

"If you have so many fans cheering against us, we thrive on that... You can have all the fans in the world, but only five people can be on the floor at one time."

The City College of San Francisco women's basketball team practiced Friday morning at Moorpark College ahead of its state semifinal meeting with Ventura College Saturday.

The Rams then spent the early afternoon at Cal Lutheran, cheering on the school's men's team, which also advanced to Semifinal Saturday.

I was able to ask CCSF coach Jamie Hayes a few questions about Saturday's game:

(on her first impressions of Ventura from Thursday night)

"Those two shooters, (Padilla and Ward), they're really good.

"They've got four kids that averaged double digits. As a team, in generally, they're going to be tough to stop."

(On the Rams' potential advantage on the boards, after piling up 32 rebounds against Pasadena City, a team which dominated VC inside in its only loss of the season)

"We did well. Will we be able to do that again and again and again?

"I think we know what's at stake right now."

(on her relationship with Ventura coach Ned Mircetic, who Hayes got to know playing in a crossover tournaments at Oxnard and Canyons in 2005 and 2006)

"When I first started, Ventura had been the state champions and I said, 'I need to get my team down there.'

"I've always respected how he gets his teams to play so hard, year after year after year."

(on point guard Marlee Rice, who is just one of three All-State caliber guards in the CCSF backcourt)

"Marlee is a great spark for us. She does a great job at the point."

(on forward Shawnte Taylor, who had 18 rebounds in Thursday's win over Pasadena)

"What I liked about her was she came in at halftime and understood that we were focusing on creating possessions and really took it to heart."

Tyler McManaman and Robert Curtis scored 12 points apiece and the Gauchos (27-5) held the North's top seed to 30.8 percent shooting to advance its second straight Final Four with a 57-43 win.

Saddleback scored the first six points and built an early 10-1 lead.

Robert Curtis' putback and De'Andrew Myles' buzzer-beating 3-pointer gave Saddleback a 34-21 halftime lead.

The City College of San Francisco men's basketball team scored the first 12 points and used the early cushion for a 70-64 win over Irvine Valley in the first state quarterfinal at Cal Lutheran.

A 3-point play by Deend Parker and a 3-pointer by Bennie Rhodes paced the early Rams run over the first 2:13.

"We just wanted to come out really aggressive," said San Francisco coach Justin Labagh. "We want to be the most aggressive team in this tournament."

Da'ron Sims had 18 points and Jonathan Williams had 12 points and 11 rebounds as the Rams (27-4) joined the CCSF women's basketball team in the Semifinal Saturday field.

"It was a physical game and one of the things we concentrated on was getting the loose balls and the 50-50 balls," said Labagh. "Those things added up."

The Coast Conference's North Division, which has three of the North's four quarterfinalists, improved to 1-0 in the Great Eight.

Irvine Valley (26-5) trailed 38-23 at the half, but hung around behind four Lasers in double digits -- 15 points from forward Max Carrier and guard Joe Eberhard, 11 from forward Travis Fulton and 10 from guard Durrell Norman.

But Irvine Valley couldn't manage to pull inside double digits until Eberhard scored twice in four seconds with less than 30 seconds to play.

Antelope Valley College men's basketball head coach Dieter Horton, who guided the Marauders team to the state final in 2007, has resigned his position, according to the Antelope Valley press.

Horton also led Fullerton College to a perfect 37-0 state championship season in 2005-06.

Women's state quarterfinals
Thursday, Cal Lutheran
No. 1-North San Francisco 75, No. 4-South Pasadena City 58
Pasadena Star-News:PCC ousted in quarterfinals of state tournament
Ventura County Star: Powers fall in quarterfinals
No. 2-N Santa Rosa 68, No. 3-S Mount SAC 64
Santa Rosa Press Democrat: SRJC women advance in state tournament
San Gabriel Valley Tribune Mt. SAC's season comes crashing down in 68-64 defeat
Ventura County Star: Powers fall in quarterfinals
No. 1-S Fullerton 67, No. 4-N Chabot 48
Oakland Tribune Laney, Chabot women ousted from state
No. 2-S Ventura 70, No. 3-N Laney 62
Ventura County Star: VC back in semifinals
Oakland Tribune: Laney, Chabot women ousted from state

Women's Final Four
Saturday, Cal Lutheran
1 p.m.: No. 1-South Fullerton (31-1) vs. No. 2-North Santa Rosa (26-6)
3 p.m.: No. 2-S Ventura (32-1) vs. No. 1-N San Francisco (28-3)

Men's state quartefinals
Friday, Cal Lutheran
No. 3-South Irvine Valley (26-4) vs. No. 2-North San Francisco (26-4), 1 p.m.
No. 4-S Saddleback (26-5) vs. No. 1-N Ohlone (24-4), 3 p.m.
No. 1-S San Bernardino Valley (30-2) vs. No. 4-N Foothill (22-7), 5 p.m.
No. 2-S Citrus (28-2) vs. No. 3-N San Jose City (26-4), 7 p.m.
Tournament preview coverage
Ventura County Star: Macias' play has fueled Foothill's run
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin: Citrus opens Elite Eight play against San Jose City
San Bernardino Sun: SBVC has unfinished business
The Guardsman: Men's victory puts them back in familiar territory

It wasn't just the Ventura College women's basketball team which showed up tonight in the state quarterfinals.

It was the Ventura County basketball fan, which provided the "championship atmosphere" Carlyle Carter called for earler in the week.

"Big crowd out there, not a lot of seats available," wrote state SID Greg Murphy midway through the Ventura-Laney nightcap. "Most are in the upper corners. The main parking lot is full."

The box score says the attendance was 510, but I'd say there was probably minimum 1,500 in attendance.

Amanda Padilla had 24 points and seven assists, Chanelle Brennan had 19 points and 11 rebounds and Kris King had 10 points and 11 rebounds as the Ventura College women's basketball survived a shaky first half to reach its second straight state semifinal with a 70-62 win over Laney College Thursday night.

The Pirates (32-1) survived a powerhouse performance by Laney sophomore Shonetta Crain-Williams, who had 26 points and 12 rebounds.

Ventura will face City College of San Francisco in Saturday's 3 p.m. semifinal.

The Fullerton College women's basketball team, the top seed from Southern California, is working to make sure the host region has a semifinalist.

Eight different Hornets scored as 30-1 Fullerton lead Chabot, the lowest seeded quarterfinalist in six years, 36-20 at the half.

Ashleigh Adams had a game-high nine points as Fullerton had amassed a 22-0 advantage in bench scoring.

Mia Greco and Charlene Popoff had 16 points apiece as the Santa Rosa Junior College women's basketball team knocked off four-time state champion Mount San Antonio, 68-64, in the second state quarterfinal.

"That's huge," said Santa Rosa coach Lacey Campbell. "This team has worked so hard this year...

"We talked all week about not just being happy to be here."

A tight game that featured 14 ties and eight lead changes was decided by Greco's layup with 1:49 to play and the Bearcats' eight straight free throws to close the game.

Afternoon wins by San Francisco and Santa Rosa (26-6) eliminated the two South Coast Conference powers who combined to win five of the past six state championships, Pasadena City and Mount SAC.

A Northern California hasn't won a state title since 1999.

Santa Rosa twin towers Popoff and Jeanette Dewitt combined for 14 points and eight rebounds as the Bearcats stayed even, 31-31, at the half.

Ventura College assistant coach Robin Hester was scouting today's first quarterfinal closely, considering his team would face the winner Saturday afternoon should the Pirates get past Laney tonight.

Hester on the City College of San Francisco's state quarterfinal 75-58 win over defending state champion Pasadena City:

"San Francisco did a phenomenal job. They rebounded the heck out of the ball."

"That may be the best transition game I've seen all year. Their backcourt may be as good as there is in the state."

Guard Marlee Rice had 17 points and the frontcourt piled up 32 offensive rebounds as the City College of San Francisco women's basketball team knocked out defending state champion Pasadena City College in the opening game of the Great Eight Thursday afternoon at Cal Lutheran's Gilbert Center.

The Rams (28-3), the top seed from Northern California, gained a measure of revenge for the victory, having lost to the Lancers (25-5) in the same game in overtime a year ago.

San Francisco overcame spendthrift finishing, shooting just 31.6 percent from the field, by dominating the offensive glass.

The Rams' vaunted three-headed backcourt of Rice, Mone Peoples and Brittney Allen combined for 45 points and 10 assists, but it was the frontcourt tandem of Shawnte Taylor and Ciera Foster, who piled up for 28 rebounds, that made the difference.

"We talked about the importance of possessions and they took it to heart," said CCSF coach Jamie Hayes.

Pasadena 29-19 with 5:27 to play in the first half, but San Francisco scored 40 of the next 54 points to take a 18-point lead with nine minutes to play.

Foul trouble limited Pasadena star center Dominique Scott to 13 points and nine rebounds.

"They're definitely used to scoring," said Hayes.

San Francisco moves on to face the winner of tonight's Ventura-Laney game in Saturday's 3 p.m. semifinal.

"I'm excited to see Ventura because I haven't seen them yet," said Hayes.

Pasadena is the only team to beat Ventura over the past two seasons. The Pirates are 65-0 against the rest of the state.

Ventura College fans began filtering into the Gilbert Center shortly after the Pirates' completed their morning shootaround Thursday morning, eight hours before Ventura's state quarterfinal against Laney was due to tipoff at 7 p.m.

"I like to watch all the games," said Edwin Hawkins of Ventura. "I like to see who Ventura's going to play."

Some of the same familiar faces who show up to every game at the VC Athletic Event Center were present for the tipoff of the 1 p.m. quarterfinal between Pasadena City and San Francisco.

Ventura College sophomore forward Chanelle Brennan after the Pirates morning shootaround at Cal Lutheran's Gilbert Center ahead of today's state quarterfinals:

"I'm excited. I like the atmosphere. It seems like a good gym to play in."

(excited for the tournament?)

"I couldn't even sleep last night because I wanted to play."

Ventura College women's basketball coach Ned Mircetic after the Pirates morning shootaround at Cal Lutheran's Gilbert Center ahead of today's state quarterfinals:

"It was nice. Casual."

(on the facility)

"It's very nice. I have a soft spot for athletics, so when the athletic facilities are what they are here, I think it really adds to the campus."

Click here for my California Community College women's basketball championships preview.

Fullerton (30-1)
No. 1 South
Nickname: Hornets
Head coach: Debi Woelke (13th year)
How it got here: Seeded No. 1 in regional, def. No. 16 Santa Barbara City 82-64, def. No. 8 Grossmont 54-45.
Conference finish: Orange Empire, champion (12-0)
Winning streak (Last loss): 25 (Nov. 22 vs. Ventura, 64-47)
RPI: First
Vs. Great Eight: 3-1
Team offense: 12th, 70.5
Team defense: Seventh, 53.9
Leading scorers: G Taiyande Husky 13.2 ppg, G Jhakia McDonald 10.5
Leading rebounders: F Ashleigh Adams 5.4 rpg, F Danielle Ekno 4.5.
Great Eight history: Eighth appearance. State champs in 1978 and SoCal champs in 1980 and 1983.
Note: Ten different Hornets have scored in double figures.
Woelke says: "We're deep and we're doing the best job we can with what we've got. We'll see what happens."

Ventura (31-1)
No. 2 South
Nickname: Pirates
Head coach: Ned Mircetic (20th year)
How it got here: Seeded No. 2 in regional, def. No. 18 Cypress 83-63, def. No. 7 San Bernardino Valley 61-53.
Conference finish: Western State North, champion (12-0)
Winning streak (Last loss): 19 (Dec. 12 at Pasadena City, 81-72)
RPI: Third
Vs. Great Eight: 3-1
Team offense: 16th, 69.3
Team defense: First, 47.7
Leading scorers: F Chanelle Brennan 18.9 ppg, C Kris King 13.2.
Leading rebounders: F Gabrielle Conn 6.1 rpg, King 5.7.
Great Eight history: Record 14th appearance. Holds the record for state titles (five), finalists (seven), and Final Fours (10).
Note: Second in the state in field goal shooting at 47 percent.
Mircetic says: "This has been a very difficult team for me to understand. When we're good, we've very good, but we can't depend on raw talent. We are dependant on one another."

Mount San Antonio (24-6)
No. 3 South
Location: Walnut
Nickname: Mounties
Head coach: Laura Beeman (15th year)
How it got here: Seeded No. 3 in regional, def. No. 14 Mount San Jacinto 76-65, def. No. 6 Los Angeles Trade-Tech 60-47.
Conference finish: South Coast North, champion (7-1)
Winning streak (Last loss): 3 (Feb. 17 at Pasadena City, 64-62)
RPI: Second
Vs. Great Eight: 1-3
Team offense: 11th, 70.6
Team defense: 10th, 54.7
Leading scorers: G Brittney Lewis 11.7 ppg, F Ashley Adams 10.2.
Leading rebounders: Adams 6.6 rpg, F Kimiere Hawkins 5.5.
Great Eight history: Ninth appearance in 10 years. Four state titles in last six years,
Beeman says: "Our freshmen are starting to play a little bit better and sophomores have been there before."

Pasadena City (24-4)
No. 4 South
Nickname: Lancers
Head coach: Joe Peron (14th year)
How it got here: Seeded No. 4 in regional, def. No. 13 Irvine Valley 76-55, def. No. 5 Riverside 65-56.
Conference finish: South Coast North, runner-up (6-2)
Winning streak (Last loss): 4 (Feb. 10 vs. Los Angeles Trade-Tech, 80-73)
RPI: Fourth
Vs. Great Eight: 3-2
Team offense: Eighth, 72.4
Team defense: 20th, 57.2
Leading scorers: G Kim Smith 17.6 ppg, C Danielle Scott 14.8
Leading rebounders: Scott 11.0 rpg, C Cherisa Sellers 6.8.
Great Eight history: Seventh straight appearance. Defending state champion and finalists in '04, '05.
Note: Pasadena has handed Ventura its only two losses of the past two seasons.
Peron says: "I guess I have to defend it... I wasn't trying to defend it all year."

San Francisco (27-3)
No. 1 North
Nickname: Rams
Head coach: Jamie Wong (9th year)
How it got here: Seeded No. 1 in regional, def. No. 16 American River 87-55, def. No. 8 Ohlone 74-63.
Conference finish: Coast North champion (10-0)
Winning streak (Last loss): 13 (Dec. 30 vs. Solano, 64-57)
RPI: Sixth
Vs. Great Eight: 4-2
Team offense: Fifth, 74.2
Team defense: 16th, 56.6
Leading scorers: G Brittney Allen 15.0 ppg, Mone Peoples 14.9.
Leading rebounders: C Ciera Foster 10.0 rpg, F Shawnte Taylor 9.7.
Great Eight history: Third trip in five years.
Wong says: "It's a relatively new team... and they've been doing a really good job."

Santa Rosa (25-6)
No. 2 North
Nickname: Bearcats
Head coach: Lacey Campbell (4th year)
How it got here: Seeded No. 3 in regional, def. No. 14 Foothill 75-58, def. No. 6 Solano 70-60.
Conference finish: Big 8 champion (13-1)
Winning streak (Last loss): 11 (Jan. 19 at San Joaquin Delta, 71-53)
RPI: Ninth
Vs. Great Eight: 1-2
Team offense: 26th, 67.2
Team defense: 24th, 58.2
Leading scorers: C Charlene Popoff 13.7 ppg, F Jeanette DeWitt 13.0.
Leading rebounders: Popoff 8.5 rpg, DeWitt 7.5.
Great Eight history: Second trip in four years. NorCal champ in 1982 and state champion in 1988.
Note: Nine of the 13 players on the roster are sophomores.
Campbell says: "We have a great group of sophomores who have made this year a lot of fun. They really committed to each other."

Laney (25-6)
No. 3 North
Location: Oakland
Nickname: Eagles
Head coach: Ron Williams (2nd year)
How it got here: Seeded No. 4 in regional, def. No. 13 San Jose City 52-49, def. No. 5 San Joaquin Delta 56-54.
Conference finish: Bay Valley co-champion (15-1)
Winning streak (Last loss): 20 (Dec. 18 vs. Solano 66-56)
RPI: 17th
Vs. Great Eight: 1-2
Team offense: 24th, 67.5
Team defense: Eighth, 54.0
Leading scorers: F Shonetta Crain-Williams 14.4 ppg.
Leading rebounders: Williams 9.5 rpg
Great Eight history: First trip in just the program's second year.
Note: The school did not have a program two years ago.
Williams says: "My kids don't really have the sense enough to know where they're not supposed to be."

Chabot (17-11)
No. 4 North
Location: Hayward
Nickname: Gladiators
Head coach: Don Queyrel (13th year)
How it got here: Seeded No. 10 in regional, def. No. 7 Shasta 45-40, def. No. 18 Sierra 77-71.
Conference finish: Coast North, tied for third place (5-5)
Winning streak (Last loss): 3 (Feb. 17 at Foothill, 66-63)
RPI: 28th
Vs. Great Eight: 0-3
Team offense: 49th, 61.4
Team defense: 27th, 58.5
Leading scorers: G Monica Garcia 17.3 ppg, G Charney Bell 14.3.
Leading rebounders: F Jarita Riley 9.1 rpg, C Rebecca Taylor 8.3
Great Eight history: First trip.
Note: Chabot is the lowest seed to reach the state quarterfinals since No. 10 Cypress in 2004.

Former Buena High star Renae Hofmann became the second Ventura College women's basketball player inducted into the CCCWBCA Hall of Fame in a ceremony Wednesday night at the Westlake Hyatt Regency.

The occasion kicked off the pre-tournament "Banquet of Champions" in a stirring fashion.

Hofmann was introduced by Ventura assistant coach Robin Hester and former VC captain Valerie Wiggins.

Hester told the assembled crowd that Hofmann was on the short list of the greatest players in school history.

Wiggins, Hofmann's teammate on the Pirates' renowned 38-0 state championship team of 1999-2000, called Hofmann "my favorite athlete" because "Renae was committed to winning, but more importantly, she was committed to her teammates."

Hofmann thanked her parents, Buena High coach Joe Vaughan and Ventura College coach Ned Mircetic, who, Hofmann said, taught her that "intensity wasn't just at the end of a close game, but in every practice, every game."

"We played really hard every minute," said Hofmann. "If it wasn't for coach Vaughan and coach Mircetic, I wouldn't be standing here."

Former VC star Renae Hofmann gives her induction speech

Then Hofmann thanked her teammates, a few of which, Wiggins, Kristin De Simone and Monica Hang, were present.

"Throughout the 1999-2000 season, we had each other's backs," said Hofmann. "My teammates were the ones who made me a great player."

The large crowd in the banquet hall gasped when Hofmann's combined record of 178-11 at Buena and VC was read.

Hofmann then thanked all of the members of the local community who cheered her at Buena and VC, saying that part of what makes her memories special was "seeing all the fans and the members of the community."

If a state title wasn't enough, CCCWBCA president Flo Luppani, the Santa Ana coach, then affixed the carrot to the string, telling the assembled players readying themselves for this weekend's Great Eight that one of them just might be back for a similar ceremony "in 10 years or so."

Former VC women's basketball stars Monica Hang, Kristin De Simone and Valerie Wiggins pose with Hofmann (second from left).

The current Ventura College women's basketball team poses with former players, including Hofmann (front middle).

The Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) announced this week that Ventura College sophomores Chanelle Brennan and Amanda Padilla are finalists for the 2010 State Farm Coaches' All-America Team for Junior College/Community College.

"The 32 finalists, who are voted upon by WBCA member coaches in each of the nine WBCA geographical regions, are now in the running for selection to the 10-member State Farm Coaches' All-America Team."

The four finalists from Region 8 are Brennan, Padilla, Contra Costa's Kenyanna Martin and Pasadena's Kim Smith.

Ventura point guard Michelle Santizo, now playing for Cal State Monterey Bay, was a first-team All-American last season.

Perhaps the state championship favorite, the Fullerton College women's basketball team has won 25 straight games since losing to Ventura in the final of the Vaquero Invitational at Glendale College on Nov. 22.

The Hornets bring the state's longest active winning streak into this week's California Community College women's basketball championship at Cal Lutheran.

Longest active winning streaks
25: No. 1S Fullerton
20: No. 3N Laney
19: No. 2S Ventura
13: No. 1N San Francisco
11: No. 2N Santa Rosa
4: No. 4S Pasadena City
3: No. 4N Chabot, No. 3S Mount San Antonio

Two of the teams, Ventura (Dec. 12, 81-72) and Mount San Antonio (Feb. 17, 64-62), actually suffered their last losses at Pasadena City.

Another regional finalist, Solano, actually handed two of the Great Eight teams their last losses, beating Laney Dec. 18 (66-56) and San Francisco Dec. 30 (64-57). Solano fell at Santa Rosa Saturday, 70-60.

The eight teams in the California Community College women's basketball championships have met 16 times this season:

Nov. 15 Fullerton 82, San Francisco 76
Nov. 22 Ventura 64, Fullerton 47
Nov. 27 Ventura 75, Laney 60
Nov. 29 Ventura 66, Mount San Antonio 43
Dec. 3 Laney 78, Chabot 59
Dec. 4 Fullerton 62, Pasadena City 48
Dec. 5 San Francisco 70, Laney 56
Dec. 11 San Francisco 75, Santa Rosa 59
Dec. 12 Pasadena City 81, Ventura 72
Dec. 19 Santa Rosa 68, San Francisco 58
Dec. 29 Pasadena City 70, Santa Rosa 66
Dec. 29 Fullerton 74, Mount San Antonio 52
Jan. 13 San Francisco 72, Chabot 60
Jan. 27 Mount San Antonio 69, Pasadena City 46
Feb. 5 San Francisco 69, Chabot 48
Feb. 17 Pasadena City 64, Mount San Antonio 62

Fullerton and Ventura had the best record, both 3-1. Chabot had the worst record, losing its three games by an average of 20.6 points per game. San Francisco (4-2) and Pasadena City (3-2) played the most Great Eight matchups.

Here's my story to open Great Eight week in Thousand Oaks, which is on Cal Lutheran hosting the California Community College basketball championships.

While every men's and women's basketball player in the state has been focused on earning a trip to Thousand Oaks, Bobby Macias has just been working toward returning home.

Macias, who helped lead Thousand Oaks High to Marmonte League championships in 2006 and 2007, will guide the Foothill College men's basketball team against Southern California's top seed, San Bernardino Valley, in the state quarterfinals Friday at Cal Lutheran's Gilbert Center.

"Seriously, we've been talking about it since we found out it's going to be in Thousand Oaks," said Macias on Sunday. "And now we're doing it.

"It's pretty unbelievable."

Macias had 23 points Saturday night as No. 6 Foothill shocked No. 3 Consumnes River, 86-68, in the Northern California regional final.

According to the Sacramento Bee, the Owls (22-7) led 44-43 at the half when Macias opened the second half with consecutive 3-pointers to open up the game.

"When we won last night, I must have gotten 30 hugs from all our fans," said Macias. "I'm going to get a home-cooked meal (this) weekend."

Macias has been burning up the phone lines in an attempt to get his former Thousand Oaks High student section back together.

"I've already talked to all my friends," said Macias. "We're trying to get the 'Green Hole' reunited."

Macias, who helped guide Thousand Oaks to a CIF final in 2006 and semifinal in 2007, originally redshirted at Concordia (Calif.) University before joining former Lancers teammates Jake Poppen at the Los Altos Hills school.

Poppen left the Owls in January.

Macias, a 5-foot-11 point guard, leads the Owls in scoring (15.4 points per game) and assists (3.9 per game).

Home Field Sports has acquired the rights to broadcast the Great Eight.

The Ventura-based broadcasting network is planning to broadcast Internet video from Ventura College's Thursday quarterfinal, plus all four semifinals Saturday and both finals Sunday.

There is also the possibility of adding quarterfinals Thursday and Friday.

"Right now, we're guaranteed seven games and we might be adding more," said Danny Page, Home Field Sports' Director of Broadcasting. "The support for community college athletics here in the county is unlike other parts of the state.

"That strong base here has catapulted us to be able to do this, along with the quality of our coverage."

With the win Saturday, the Ventura College women's basketball team's sophomore class of Chanelle Brennan, Lacey Escamilla, Kris King, Amanda Padilla, Erika Ward and Brenda Van Someren completed its two-year run at the VC Athletic Event Center a perfect 34-0.

They were also 60-1 in regular-season play.

Should both teams win in Thursday's state quarterfinals, the Ventura College women's basketball team would face Pasadena City, which has handed the Pirates their only two losses of the past two seasons, in Saturday's 3 p.m. semifinal.

Both teams have rematches on their hands in the quarterfinals.

Pasadena knocked out its quarterfinal foe, San Francisco, with a 95-93 win in last year's quarterfinals. The teams' seeding and the 1 p.m. tipoff is a mirror image of a year ago.

Former Ventura College women's basketball center Julie Heurung attended Saturday's regional final win over San Bernardino Valley.

Asked if VC could have used the 6-foot-2 center against the Wolverines' rugged front line, Heurung complimented her former understudy, King.

"They had Kris holding it down," said Heurung. "What would they need me for?"

Heuruing averaged 8.3 points and 7.8 rebounds at Cal State Monterey Bay this season.

The Ventura College women's basketball team may be a sophomore-dominated team, but freshman Suzie Faanono has carved out an influential role for herself off the Pirates bench.

The 5-foot-8 guard played a key role in Saturday's win, chipping in seven points and eight rebounds.

"Suzie is a beast on the boards," said guard Erika Ward. "She comes out of nowhere and gets the rebound."

Mircetic even chose to keep Faanono on the floor when she picked up her fourth foul midway through the second half.

This week's Great Eight at Cal Lutheran isn't just the return of the California Community College basketball championships to Ventura County.

It will also represent an end to an era, as the Commission on Athletics Board has voted unanimously to cut back the eight-team tournament to four teams starting next season.

"We'll have a four-team championship rather than an eight-team championship in the future," said Carlyle Carter, the Executive Director of the California Community College Commission on Athletics.

Carter said the changes were because of the state's economic problems. The regional playoffs have been more economically viable than the state tournament.

"Our research, our data, shows that the regionals are good financially and the state championship is not," said Carter. "You hate to have it come down to gate, but we're in a different day. In an ideal world, we'd have a big CBS contract and be able reimburse all our teams.

"What we're trying to do... is to reduce the expenses and maximize the revenue so we can provide more a of a reimbursement to participating teams."

The changes will mean four rounds of regional play and two rounds of state competition, rather than this year's three-and-three system.

To save on leasing costs, future state championships may also return to on-campus venues.

"Some of our facilities are some of the nicest facilities in the state, so why not take advantage of them?" asked Carter.

In the 37 years since Ventura hosted the 1973 championships, the men's tournament has only been hosted by a community college once, by Cerritos in 1986. The women's tournament was last hosted on campus by Orange Coast in 1995.

"The basketball championships are a great experience," said Carter. "We want to try to keep that experience for both the men and the women. If that means cutting back and going to a smaller venue... then we're going to do that."

As released by the CCCAA this morning, here's the matchups for the state tournaments at Cal Lutheran.

Women's state quarterfinals
Thursday, Cal Lutheran
No. 4-South Pasadena City (24-4) vs. No. 1-North San Francisco (27-3), 1 p.m.
No. 3-S Mount SAC (24-6) vs. No. 2-N Santa Rosa (25-6), 3 p.m.
No. 1-S Fullerton (30-1) vs. No. 4-N Chabot (17-11), 5 p.m.
No. 2-S Ventura (31-1) vs. No. 3-N Laney (25-6), 7 p.m.

Men's state quartefinals
Friday, Cal Lutheran
No. 3-South Irvine Valley (26-4) vs. No. 2-North San Francisco (26-4), 1 p.m.
No. 4-S Saddleback (26-5) vs. No. 1-N Ohlone (24-4), 3 p.m.
No. 1-S San Bernardino Valley (30-2) vs. No. 4-N Foothill (22-7), 5 p.m.
No. 2-S Citrus (28-2) vs. No. 3-N San Jose City (26-4), 7 p.m.

It looks like the Ventura College women's basketball team will be ranked No. 2 from the South and face No. 3-North Laney College in Thursday's state quarterfinals at Cal Lutheran's Gilbert Center.

The Pirates (31-1), who edged San Bernardino Valley 61-53 in Saturday's regional final, beat Laney, 75-60, in the first round of the VC-Kiwanis Tournament of Champions Nov. 27.

But that was Laney's opening game of the season.

"They're much better now," said Ventura coach Ned Mircetic.

"They're as physical as San Bernardino. They press. They put a lot of pressure on you."

Chanelle Brennan had 19 points, Amanda Padilla had 18 points and Kris King had 17 points in that game. Forward Shonetta Crain-Williams led Laney with 16 points and 11 rebounds.

With all the scores in, here's the matchups for the state tournaments at Cal Lutheran.

Women's state quarterfinals
Thursday, Cal Lutheran
No. 1-South Fullerton (30-1) vs. No. 4-North Chabot (17-11)
No. 2-S Ventura (31-1) vs. No. 3-N Laney (25-6)
No. 3-S Mount SAC (24-6) vs. No. 2-N Santa Rosa (25-6)
No. 4-S Pasadena City (24-4) vs. No. 1-N San Francisco (27-3)
Times to be announced.

Men's state quartefinals
Friday, Cal Lutheran
No. 1-South San Bernardino Valley (30-2) vs. No. 4-North Foothill (22-7)
No. 2-S Citrus (28-2) vs. No. 3-N San Jose City (26-4)
No. 3-S Irvine Valley (26-4) vs. No. 2-N San Francisco (26-4)
No. 4-S Saddleback (26-5) vs. No. 1-N Ohlone (24-4)
Times to be announced.

One of the best nights of the local community college athletic year arrives tonight. It is regional final Saturday night, the gateway to Cal Lutheran and the Great Eight.

I'll be at the VCAEC for the No. 2-seeded Ventura College women's basketball team's meeting with No. 7 San Bernardino Valley. I'll be updating that score and scores from around the state on our Twitter page.

Click here for the game preview, headlined "San Bernardino Valley presents big problems for VC," which ran in today's paper.

Click here for the feature on point guard Amanda Padilla, headlined "Sure-handed player," which ran in Friday's editions.

You can listen live to HomefieldSports.com's coverage of the San Bernardino Valley at Ventura final here, or on KKZZ 1400 AM Fillmore, live from 7 p.m.

I will also have postgame final scores and reaction right here on the blog.

Women's regional finals
Southern California
Bracket I: No. 1 Fullerton 54, No. 8 Grossmont 45
Bracket II: No. 2 Ventura 61, No. 7 San Bernardino Valley 53
Bracket III: No. 3 Mount San Antonio 60, No. 6 Los Angeles Trade-Technical 47
Bracket IV: No. 4 Pasadena City 65, No. 5 Riverside 56
Northern California
Bracket I: No. 1 San Francisco 74, No. 8 Ohlone 63
Bracket II: No. 10 Chabot 77, No. 18 Sierra 71
Bracket III: No. 3 Santa Rosa 70, No. 6 Solano 60
Bracket IV: No. 4 Laney 56, No. 5 San Joaquin Delta 54

Men's regional finals
Southern California
Bracket I: No. 1 San Bernardino Valley 80, No. 9 Southwestern 77
Bracket II: No. 2 Citrus 82, No. 7 Cuesta 80
Bracket III: No. 6 Saddleback 73, No. 3 Riverside 69 (OT)
Bracket IV: No. 4 Irvine Valley 72, No. 5 Mt. San Antonio 71
Northern California
Bracket I: No. 1 Ohlone 75, No. 8 Yuba 65
Bracket II: No. 2 San Francisco 83, No. 7 Chabot 67
Bracket III: No. 6 Foothill 86, No. 3 Cosumnes River 68
Bracket IV: No. 4 San Jose City 89, No. 12 Fresno City 80

Winners advance to Great Eight at Cal Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks March 11-14.

Ventura College's Randi Hicks threw the javelin 52.11 meters Saturday afternoon at the Ben Brown Invitational at Cal State Fullerton.

The mark broke the meet, stadium, school and conference records.

Not a bad way to get her sophomore season going.

Community College women's basketball

No. 7 San Bernardino Valley (25-5) at No. 2 Ventura (30-1)
Southern California regional final, Bracket II
VC Athletic Event Center, 7 p.m.
Radio: KKZZ 1400 AM, Homefieldsports.com.
League Finish: San Bernardino, Foothill co-champion; Ventura, WSC North champion.
Regional semifinal: San Bernardino 58, No. 10 Palomar 55; Ventura 83, No. 18 Cypress 63.
Head to head: Ventura won 57-48 on Dec. 10 and 55-33 on Dec. 30.
Team Offense: SBCC 70.6 (13th), VC 69.6 (15th).
Team Defense: SBCC 53.3 (fifth); VC 47.5 (first).
Vs. Playoff teams: SBCC 9-5, VC 13-1.
RPI: SBCC, seventh; VC, second.
Leading scorer: SBCC, Paige Haynes, 10.3; VC, Chanelle Brennan, 18.8.
Leading rebounder: SBCC, Kimberly Kipp, 6.8; VC, Gabrielle Conn, 6.3.

Averaging more than 10 runs per game, the Oxnard College baseball team bringing to mind its powerhouse teams of the mid-1990s.

Freshmen Jonathan Erb, Blake Adame, and Jake Mahan join star returner J.C. Aguayo in the powerhouse lineup. Freshman Harper White, the grandson of Oxnard's first coach, Jerry White, is the lone starter without a home run.

"And he's 6-foot-5," said Oxnard coach Jon Larson. "We have a pretty physical lineup. We might be one of the better hitting teams we've ever had."

The Condors may only be 7-5 after Wednesday's 9-5 win over Glendale, but four of those losses are by one run.

"If we can keep our ERA in the 4s, we're going to be tough to beat," said Larson.

After starting the season 1-3 with the losses coming by a combined five runs, the Ventura College baseball team has warmed up, winning four of five games, including a significant 6-5 win at powerhouse Palomar Friday.

And this without defined horses at the front and back ends of its pitching staff.

"That's a new experience for us," said Ventura coach Don Adams.

In recent years, Ventura has had quality aces (Jake Renshaw, Justin DeFratus, Zach Thornton, Blair Walters) and closers (Philip Hann, Jeremy Berg, Nolan Rudman, Garrett Rau).

Although sophomore Anthony Martinez (3-0, 1.71 ERA) has won his first three starts, the Pirates' staff still is without define roles.

"There's no experience," said Adams. "But I think we can find the right mix."

With less than a week before the beginning of WSC North play, Santa Paula High product Allen Gwynn looks like the second starter, while sophomore Ryan Hotchkiss and Cal State Los Angeles transfer Erik Hong are competing for the third slot.

The Moorpark College baseball team is 5-6-1, but that start would look a lot better without three blowups by the pitching staff, in which the Raiders allowed 55 runs.

"We've lost some bad games," said Moorpark coach Mario Porto. "We've given up some runs... But we're right where I thought we'd be at this time."

Besides the three outliers, the young Raiders have played some good ball, featuring a lineup including six freshmen. The starting staff is anchored by sophomores Matt Montgomery, who is 2-0 with a 1.64 ERA, and Jimmy Auger.

The Ventura College men's swimming team isn't just treading water.

The Pirates have finished in the Top 3 at the state meet for five straight seasons, including a state championship in 2005 and state runners-up trophies in 2006, 2007 and 2008.

And with a deep and talented roster of 28 men, coach Larry Baratte thinks he may just have a group that can contend for another trophy come May 1.

"We've been dealing with some injuries and some illnesses," said Baratte. "Once we get together, I think we're going to be right in the hunt."

Ventura lapped the competition in the first Western State Conference meet of the season last week, winning every event. Freshman Erik Rennspiess took the 100-yard freestyle (48.55) and 200 intermediately medley (2:02.11).

"Talent wise, I think we're pretty solid," said Baratte. "We're just getting through the hardest training phase of the season. Some respond to it differently than others."

Ventura returns several key sophomores, including sprinter Daniel Colvin, middle-distance expert Michael Craft and breakstroker Rafael Ingannamonte, and picked up four-year transfers Evan Hedrick (UC San Diego), Jon Rye (Cal State Northridge) and David Hine (Cal Baptist).

But the freshman have been making a mark thus far, including Rennspiess and two of the county's top products last spring, Steven Edgar (Ventura High) and Colin Baratte (Oaks Christian), the coach's son.

"So far the freshmen have been really the ones who have stepped up and been noteworthy," said Baratte.

The Ventura College women's swimming team, which also opened its WSC campaign by impressively sweeping a quadmeet last week, is reliant on sophomores Christina Fung and Deanna Pickman for leadership.

Pickman won the 500 free (5:27.96) and 1,000 free (11:07.45) events last week.

Freshmen Shyla Motley and Kayleigh Jeffrey have also impressed early. Motley has already defeated last year's state champion in the breaststroke Feb. 27 at Mount San Antonio College.

"We swam that meet in a hailstorm," said coach Larry Baratte. "That was probably one of the better performances."

The women's team has also been boosted by several water polo players, including Emily Allen, Mary Dugan and Marrisa Herold.

"They are hard working girls who will be good point-getters at the conference meet," said Baratte. "They've been good additions."

When Renae Hofmann was inducted into the Ventura College Athletic Hall of Fame in 2007, the former state women's basketball Player of the Year, a recent graduate of the San Francisco police academy, was in the midst of her intense field training program and couldn't afford to take a moment's break.

Instead of the inductee, it is Hofmann's proud mother, Lisa McCombs, who is immortalized on the school's Web site, holding her daughter's commemorative plaque.

County basketball fans will get a rare second chance to celebrate the tough Buena High and Ventura College guard on March 10 when Hofmann will be inducted into the California Community College Women's Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. With the Great Eight at Cal Lutheran, the Hyatt Westlake Plaza will host the CCCWBCA's annual Banquet of Champions.

This time, Hofmann will be able to take a few days off from her patrol car in San Francisco's Mission District to allow others to celebrate her basketball career.

"It's weird," said Hofmann, humbly. "I just think that I was part of a great basketball team.

"When it all comes down to it, it's the great coaching that I had, the great teams that I had and my teammates. I've always thought that and as it comes closer, I'm trying to think of how to say that."

It's fitting Hofmann will be inducted a day short of the 10-year anniversary of guiding the Pirates to a perfect 38-0 season, the best record in the history of California community college basketball -- men or women.

"She really was a special and unique player," said VC coach Ned Mircetic. "She's one of the greatest players ever to play here. She played on maybe the best community college team ever. And she was the centerpiece of the team."

In the state final, Hofmann, the state and state tournament MVP, had 26 points, seven assists and six rebounds in the 71-68 win over Shasta.

Her Buena and VC teams were a combined 170-11.

"When you say 10 years, it seems like a long time ago," Hofmann said earlier this year. "Everyone has branched off and is living on their own. It seems so far away.

"But, at the same time, you still hold that undefeated season so close."

Fans interested in attending the banquet should RSVP to CCCWBCA assistant coaches representative Loriessa Randle via e-mail at lrandle@extendahandinc.com by Monday.

"The support of the community has been tremendous throughout my career and I thank them very much," said Hofmann.

Chalk has mostly prevailed in the Southern California regional playoffs. Seven of the top eight seeds will contest Saturday's men's regional finals in both the North and South and the entire Top 8 is still alive in the SoCal women's regional.

But one bracket has already been busted up North, where the No. 18-seeded Sierra women shocked No. 2 Fresno City, 96-86, despite 23 points and 19 rebounds from Northern California Player of the Year Sumiya Darden.

"I knew it was a trap game for us," Fresno coach Brian Tessler told the Fresno Bee. "I knew how big and aggressive they were."

No. 18 Sierra will visit No. 10 Chabot, which upset No. 7 Shasta 45-40 on Friday, for the right to play the South's top seed in next week's state quarterfinals at CLU. Barring another busted bracket, that would be No. 1-seeded Fullerton.

Meanwhile, the Fresno City men's basketball team, coached by Camarillo native and Rio Mesa High product Ed Madec, is the last double-digit seed still alive in the men's basketball tournament.

The No. 12 Rams, who upset No. 5 American River 86-83 last Friday, can bring their coach back home on business with a win Saturday at No. 5 San Jose City.

"We've got our hands full," said Madec.

I'll be Danny Page's guest tonight on Ventura County Sportsnight's first full two-hour show, beginning at 6 p.m. on HomefieldSports.com and KKZZ 1400 AM Fillmore.

Apparently, we'll be talking community college basketball playoffs, CIF basketball and soccer playoffs and Olympic hockey.

The San Bernardino Valley College women's basketball team prefers the Pirates it knows over the devils it may not.

Despite three losses to Ventura College over the past two seasons, including two this season and two at the VC Athletic Event Center, the Wolverines seem pleased with their Southern California regional final matchup Saturday.

"It's an opponent we know," SBVC coach Sue Crebbin told the San Bernardino Sun today. "We played in a tournament there so we're comfortable playing there. That will help. We have nothing to lose."

No. 7 San Bernardino Valley (25-5), which edged No. 10 Palomar 58-55 on Janelle Junior's 3-pointer with four seconds to play, will visit No. 2 Ventura (30-1) Saturday night with a berth in the Great Eight in Thousand Oaks hanging in the balance.

"I just looked at the clock and I knew I had to shoot it," Junior told the Riverside Press-Enterprise.

Junior had missed her previous seven shots before taking a late pass from Tanee Denson-Griffin, who led SBVC with 21 points.

"They're good," said Ventura coach Ned Mircetic Sunday. "I was just watching tape. They look good... big and athletic. They can rebound and defend."

Ventura brushed past No. 18 Cypress Saturday 83-63 behind Erika Ward's triple-double, which included 18 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.

The VC sophomore class is 33-0 at home over the past two seasons, including 79-58 and 55-33 wins over the Wolverines on Dec. 30 of the past two seasons, respectively.

VC also edged San Bernardino, 57-48, in the first round of the Rose City Classic Dec. 10.

We'll have live coverage of the game here on the blog and on the Twitter feed.

2010 Southern California regional men's basketball playoff brackets

Bracket I
Wednesday's quarterfinal:No. 16 Los Angeles Pierce 71, No. 17 Moorpark 60
Ventura County Star: Moorpark suffers an early elimination in SoCal regionals
Pierce Roundup: Brahmas win playoff game
JCHoops.com: Pierce 71, Moorpark 60
Friday's semifinal: No. 9 Southwestern 93, No. 8 Bakersfield 88
Bakersfield Californian: BC bows out in first round of state playoffs
JCHoops.com: Southwestern 93, Bakersfield 88
Saturday's semifinal: No. 1 San Bernardino Valley 77, No. 16 LA Pierce 64
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin: Defense leads Wolverines past L.A. Pierce
Riverside Press-Enterprise: RCC men, SBVC roll
Final matchup: No. 9 Southwestern (23-4) at No. 1 San Bernardino Valley (29-2)

Bracket II
Wednesday's quarterfinal: No. 18 Santa Ana 63, No. 15 Los Angeles Trade Tech 57
Friday's semifinal: No. 7 Cuesta 90, No. 10 Mount San Jacinto 73
San Luis Obispo Tribune: Cuesta advances in playoffs
Saturday's semifinal: No. 2 Citrus 81, No. 18 Santa Ana 65
San Gabriel Valley Tribune: Citrus wins, advances again
Final matchup: No. 7 Cuesta (26-5) at No. 2 Citrus (27-2)

Bracket III
Wednesday's quarterfinal: No. 14 Los Angeles Valley 74, No. 19 MiraCosta 55
Friday's semifinal: No. 6 Saddleback 66, No. 11 Chaffey 64
Saddleback Lariat: Gauchos' fortune outlasts Chaffey
Saturday's semifinal: No. 3 Riverside 94, No. 14 L.A. Valley 59
Riverside Press-Enterprise: RCC men, SBVC roll
Final matchup: No. 6 Saddleback (25-5) at No. 3 Riverside (23-6)

Bracket IV
Wednesday's quarterfinal: No. 13 Antelope Valley 74, No. 20 Miramar 66
Antelope Valley Press: Dedmon starts, Bennett closes deal vs. Miramar
Friday's semifinal: No. 5 Mount San Antonio 67, No. 12 Cerritos 65
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin: Mt. SAC men, women are both semi-tough
Saturday's semifinal: No. 4 Irvine Valley 72, No. 13 Antelope Valley 63
Antelope Valley Press: Mauraders make IVC work
JCHoops: Irvine Valley 72, Antelope Valley 63
Irvine Valley Lariat: Cruise control
Final matchup: No. 5 Mt. San Antonio (25-4) at No. 4 Irvine Valley (25-4)

2010 Northern California regional men's basketball playoff brackets

Bracket I
Wednesday's quarterfinal: No. 16 Shasta 64, No. 17 West Valley 50
Friday's semifinal: No. 8 Yuba 65, No. 9 Sequoias 62
Visalia Times-Delta: COS comes up short, knocked from postseason
Saturday's semifinal: No. 1 Ohlone 75, No. 16 Shasta 60
Final matchup: No. 8 Yuba (25-4) at No. 1 Ohlone (23-4)

Bracket II
Wednesday's quarterfinal: No. 18 Redwoods 67, No. 15 San Joaquin Delta 47
Eureka Times-Standard: Lopsided game? Maybe, but CR's Mendoza doesn't care
Friday's semifinal: No. 7 Chabot 58, No. 10 Santa Rosa 50
Saturday's semifinal: No. 2 San Francisco 66, No. 18 Redwoods 59
Eureka Times-Standard: Corsairs fall to No. 2 Rams
Final matchup: No. 7 Chabot (19-8) at No. 2 San Francisco (25-4)

Bracket III
Friday's semifinal: No. 6 Foothill 68, No. 11 Diablo Valley 66
Palo Alto Daily News: Playoff romp for Owls
Saturday's semifinal: No. 3 Cosumnes River 95, No. 14 Cabrillo 83
Final matchup: No. 6 Foothill (21-7) at No. 3 Cosumnes River (23-5)

Bracket IV
Friday's semifinal: No. 12 Fresno City 86, No. 5 American River 83
Saturday's semifinal: No. 4 San Jose City 78, No. 13 Los Medanos 72
Final matchup: No. 12 Fresno City (24-6) at No. 4 San Jose City (25-4)

Semifinal winners advance to bracket finals March 6. Regional final winners advance to Great Eight in Thousand Oaks March 12-14.

All contests are at 7:00 p.m. unless otherwise noted.