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Valentine’s Day sweet for Cougars
--posted 2/15/07 Hustle and hard work made for a sweet Valentine’s Day for the Taft College women’s basketball team Wednesday night.
The Cougars broke open a tight game with a 12-6 run over the last four and a half minutes to earn a 64-56 Central Valley Conference victory over visiting College of the Sequoias.
The win gave the Cougars two consecutive conference wins—the first time it’s happened—as the team winds down the season.
TC (6-20, 3-8 in the CVC) will travel to Merced Saturday night to close out the season.
But the team will savor this win.
The players felt they should have beaten COS (9-21, 4-8) in Visalia on Jan. 20, a 62-59 loss.
“The girls were really happy to win two games in a row,” said head coach Greg McCall. “I wanted to win it badly, but they wanted it more than I did. It was good to see that.”
For the second game in a row, the Cougars put together a balanced team effort with four players scoring in double figures.
They pulled together when their two best rebounders—Carolyn Stribling and Nikki Thompson—got into foul trouble.
McCall singled out the efforts of a pair of freshmen from Bakersfield—guard Ashley Anfield and forward Theresa Hubbard.
“They both had great games on both ends of the court,” McCall said. “You can really see their improvement.”
Hubbard and Lexi Garvey led the team with 12 points.
Anfield and Marvsharica Quinn both scored 10.
Stribling struggled after picking up three early fouls and then her fourth five minutes into the second half.
She scored just eight points but dominated the boards with 11 rebounds.
“Carolyn didn’t play well, but she always plays hard,” McCall said. “She contributes in so many ways.”
With the Cougars nurturing a five-point lead in the waning moments, Stribling hit two free throws with 1:42 left and then drove the lane for a basket that gave TC a nine-point cushion with a minute left.
Taft led almost the entire first half before the Giants closed with a flurry to tie it at 28 at the popcorn break.
COS went ahead at 32-30 early in the second half, but Stribling scored in close and Hubbard tossed in a short jumper.
The Cougars boosted the lead to nine (50-41) with a 5-0 run before the Giants went on a 9-2 run of their own to pull within two at 52-50.
Anfield and Hubbard answered and Stribling turned out the lights.
Thompson had 10 boards by the time she fouled out. She also had three steals and blocked two shots.
McCall wants his team to finish strong at Merced Saturday night. The Blue Devils won the first meeting, 56-46, in Taft on Jan. 24.
“Hopefully, we can come out and play hard, play aggressive.”
SEQUOIAS 56—Shuklian 1 0-0 2, Hunter 1 1-2 3, Barresi 6 1-5 13, Daye-Bryant 2
7-9 12, Richard 3 1-1 8, Taylor 6 0-1 12, Alexander 1 1-2 6. Totals: 21 11-20
56.
TAFT COLLEGE 64—Little 2 2-2 6, Anfield 5 0-0 10, Quinn 4 2-2 10, Hubbard 6 0-0
12, Garvey 2 8-12 12, Washington 2 0-0 4, Stribling 3 2-6 8, Thompson 1 0-2 2.
Totals: 25 14-24 64.
Halftime: Taft 28, COS 28
3-point goals: COS 3 (Daye-Bryant, Richard, Alexander). Rebounds: Taft 45 (Stribling
11, Thompson 10, Hubbard 8, Quinn 7). Steals: Taft 12 (Little, Quinn, Thompson 3
each). Total fouls: COS 16, Taft 18. Fouled out: Thompson, Richard.
Cougar team play earns 20-point victory
--posted 2/8/07 Taft College spread the wealth around Wednesday night as the Cougars used two surges to breeze past Porterville College, 69-49, in a Central Valley Conference women’s basketball game.
The Cougars went on a 15-0 run midway through the first half and began the second with a 12-2 spree that gave them a 24-point lead en route to their second conference victory.
More importantly for coach Greg McCall, the Cougars had a season-high 18 assists with point guard Sharde Little getting 10 with some pinpoint and, at times, fancy passing.
“I was really pleased with the way we shared the ball on the fast break,” McCall said. “I hope it continues with our next two games. That really impressed me.”
McCall wants his team to finish the season on a high note.
The Cougars host College of the Sequoias next Wednesday and then will finish the season on the road Feb. 17 at Merced College.
Lexi Garvey, who was nine-of-13 from the field, and Carolyn Stribling each scored 15 points to lead the way.
Marsharica Quinn scored 12, Theresa Hubbard had eight, Nerida Washington seven, and Little, Ashley Anfield and Nikki Thompson four each.
Stribling had eight rebounds and Thompson five.
Stribling also had five steals and Little four.
The game was even through the first 10 minutes with the Cougars leading by a point at 15-14.
That’s when Stribling and Quinn teamed up to score 10 straight points as the Cougars cruised out to a 30-16 halftime lead.
Thompson scored the first basket of the second half to ignite a 12-2 run that gave the Cougars a 44-20 cushion with 14:19 left.
With the win the Cougars improved to 2-8 in the conference and 5-20 overall while the Pirates remained winless in the conference and are now 3-21 on the season.
TAFT COLLEGE 69—Little 2 0-0 4, Anfield 2 0-04, Quinn 6 0-0 12, Hubbard 4
0-0 8, Garvey 7 0-0 15, Washington 3 0-0 7, Stribling 6 3-5 15, Thompson 1 2-4
4. Totals: 31 5-9 69.
PORTERVILLE COLLEGE 49—Guiterrez 3 0-2 8, Knox 10 0-0 21, Okereke 5 2-3 12,
Ezell 1 4-7 6, DeSoto 1 0-0 2, Cecil 0 0-2 0. Totals: 20 6-14 49.
Halftime: Taft 30, Porterville 16
3-;oint goals: Taft 2 (Garvey, Washington); PC 5 (Knox 3, Guiterrez 2). Total
fouls: Taft 16, Porterville 7. Fouled out: Washington. Turnovers: Taft 15,
Porterville 17.
Rams a tall order for Cougars
--posted 2/5/07 Fresno City College used a distinct height and depth advantage to earn a 78-58 Central Valley Conference women’s basketball victory over Taft College Saturday night in the Cougar Sports Center.
Freshman forward Carolyn Stribling tossed in a game-high 23 points to pace the Cougars. Seventeen of them came in the second half when the Cougars rebounded from a dismal shooting performance in the first half.
Taft scored just 18 points and trailed by 27—45-18.
The scrappy Cougars came back in the second half to outscore the Rams 40-33, but that huge halftime deficit was too much to overcome.
The taller Rams pounded the ball in the paint and dominated the boards.
Four Rams scored in double figures, led by Vanessa House who had 16. Quick 5-11 forward Tynisha Johnson scored 15, Ashley Stearns added 14, and 6-2 center Brinae Duren 13.
Fresno raced out to a 15-4 lead in the first five minutes of the game. At one point Johnson scored nine straight points.
Although the Rams had a size and bench advantage, the Cougars pressed and swarmed on defense.
Stribling had seven rebounds to go with her 23 points. She continually pounded the ball inside, and that earned her a few trips to the free-throw line where she canned 11 of 16.
Freshman guard Lexi Garvey scored 12 points for the Cougars, Nikki Thompson eight with five rebounds, Theresa Hubbard seven, and Ashley Anfield and Marsharica Quinn four.
The Cougars will try to win only their second conference game Wednesday when they travel to Porterville, TC’s only CVC victim. The Cougars beat the Pirates 72-46 on the home court Jan. 13.
FRESNO CITY COLLEGE-- 78—Patterson 4 1-6 9, House 5 6-7 16, Perez 0 0-2 0,
Camarillo 2 0-0 5, Olveda 2 0-0 4, Eggleston 0 2-2 2, Johnson 7 1-1 15, Stearns
6 0-0 14, Duren 5 3-3 13. Totals 31 13-21 78.
TAFT COLLEGE 58—Little 0 0-1 0, Anfield 2 0-0 4, Quinn 2 0-0 4, Hubbard 3 1-3 7,
Garvey 5 1-4 12, Stribling 6 10-11 23, Thompson 4 0-2 8. Totals: 22 13-26 58.
Halftime: Fresno 45, Taft 18
3-point goals: Fresno 3 (Stearns 2, Camarillo), Taft 1 (Garvey). Total fouls:
Fresno 20, Taft 35. Fouled out: Little, Thompson. Records: Fresno 18-9, 5-2 CVC;
Taft 4-20, 1-8 CVC.
Modesto overtakes Cougars, 76-68
--posted 2/1/07 Switching to a zone defense to slow down Taft College’s running game worked for Modesto J.C. as the Pirates claimed a 76-68 Central Valley Conference victory in Modesto.
Taft led 39-36 at the half, but Modesto went into a zone defense that kept the Cougars out of the paint.
The Pirates chipped away at the lead early and overtook the Cougars.
While the zone bothered the Cougars, a cold night at the free-throw line also did a lot of damage.
The Cougars sank half of their tries—19 of 38. They were 10 of 20 in the second half when Modesto fought back.
Freshman forward Carolyn Stribling led both teams with 22 points.
Marsharica Quinn added 14 and Lexi Garvey 12.
TC also lost Little and Washington to fouls down the stretch.
The loss dropped the Cougars to 1-6 in the conference and 4-18 overall.
They host Fresno City College (4-2, 16-9) Saturday at 5 p.m. in the Cougar Sports Center.
Modesto 76, Taft 68
TAFT COLLEGE 68—Little 7, Anfield 6, Quinn 14, Hubbard 4, Garvey 12,
Washington 2, Stribling 22, Thompson 1.
MODESTO JC 76—Russell 10, Saunts 4, E. Chavez 4, C. Chavez 3, D. Waites 2,
Borba 6, Ball 11, S. Waites 2, Brown 16, Cole 17 Dowsen 1.
Halftime: Taft 39, Modesto 36
3-point goals: Taft 5 (Quinn3, Garvey 2), Modesto 2 (Chavez, Borba). Fouls:
Taft 23, Modesto 25. Fouled out: Little, Washington.
Short-handed Cougars edged by COS
--posted 1/22/07 Two funerals and an illness hamstrung Taft College in its Central Valley Conference women’s basketball game Saturday in Visalia.
Head coach Greg McCall and forward Theresa Hubbard were each attending funerals, and forward Nikki Thompson was ill.
And with assistant coach Jason Gleed out of town on a recruiting trip, the Cougar bench was pretty sparse with assistant coach Debra Jackson and six players.
Without Hubbard and Thompson—both 5-9 and solid rebounders—the Cougars had a severely weakened presence in the paint.
That opened the door for 5-10 College of the Sequoias forward Ira Taylor to score 11 baskets in close and haul down a game-high 16 rebounds to lead her team to a 62-59 victory.
The Cougars fought hard in the first half to take a 28-25 lead into the popcorn break, and went up by five when leading scorer Carolyn Stribling scored quickly off the second half inbound pass.
But the Giants erupted with a 19-3 run led by five buckets from Taylor—all right under the basket.
TC’s only answer during the spree was a three-pointer from Lexi Garvey.
The Cougars scored the next seven points—five of them by Stribling—to get within four, but the Giants went on a 6-0 run to take a 10 point (50-40) lead with 7:55 left.
COS had a 12-point advantage with 4:31 left, but the Cougars kept working and scored the last nine points of the game.
Stribling had a three-point play with 34 seconds left to cut the margin to three.
Taft got the ball back with 14 seconds left when the defense forced a turnover.
Jackson called timeout to set up a play.
The pass went to Garvey—the team’s best three-point shooter—but she was double-teamed and forced to drive the baseline to the basket. The defense prevented her from getting off a good shot.
While Taylor gave the Cougars fits inside, quick Nicole Daye-Bryant captured game scoring honors with 24 points.
Two other Cougars scored in double figures.
Garvey finished with 14 points although she had a poor night outside the arc, making just two of 10.
Marcharica Quinn had 10 points.
Stribling and Quinn had 10 rebounds each, but for the game the Cougars were out-rebounded 60-33. The missing players could have been a factor.
The loss leaves the Cougars at 1-4 in the conference heading into Wednesday night’s home game against second-place Merced. Tipoff is at 6 p.m.
TAFT COLLEGE 59—Anfield 2 0-0 4, Quinn 5 0-0 10, Garvey 4 4-6 14,
Washington 1 0-0 2, Stribling 8 6-8 22, Little 3 0-0 7. Totals: 26 10-14 59.
COLLEGE OF SEQUOIAS 62—Daye-Bryant 9 1-4 24, Richard 2 3-7 7, Taylor 11
0-1 22, Alexander 1 0-0 2, Hunter 1 3-3 8, Cox 1 0-0 2. Totals: 26 11-18 62.
Halftime: Taft 28, COS 25
Three-point goals: Taft 3 (Garvey 2, Little), COS 1 (Daye-Bryant). Rebounds:
Taft 33 (Stribling 10, Quinn 10, Garvey 6), COS 60 (Taylor 16, Daye-Bryant 12,
Richard 11, Hunter 8). Total fouls: Taft 18, COS 14. Fouled out: none. Records:
Taft (4-16, 1-4 in CVC), COS 7-17 (2-4 in CVC).
Reedley’s depth overcomes Cougars
--posted 1/8/07 Taft College made 10th-ranked Reedley College work hard for a Central Valley Conference victory Saturday night.
Reedley was coming off a 72-point (109-37) win over Porterville three nights earlier, but found the scrappy Cougars a much bigger challenge.
The Tigers closed the first half and opened the second half with scoring flurries that proved too much for the Cougars to overcome. The final score was 78-57.
“I was really pleased with the way we hustled and played hard,” Cougar coach Greg McCall said. “This is a great bunch of girls to work with. They really try hard.”
Depth is a problem for the Cougars who have just eight players that see equally time on the court. Reedley had a dozen and coach Brian Tessler substituted frequently.
“This was a tough loss, but I think we still can do well in the conference,” McCall said after his team dropped to 0-2 (3-14 overall). “It was good because we had an opportunitdy to work against a good pressure team.”
Reedley (19-5, 2-0) employs a swarming full-court pressure that double-teams the point guards.
That pressure forced 24 turnovers and played a key role in allowing the Tigers to put a little distance after TC made the first half close.
Reedley led by just two (32-30) with 1:24 left in the half when the Tigers converted three of four free throws for a five-point lead.
But in the last 51 seconds the Tigers made three steals for three quick baskets that led to an 11-point halftime bulge.
Reedley opened the second half with a 13-3 run in the first five minutes and eventually built a 25-point lead before the Cougars slowed the Tigers with their own pressure.
“We didn’t give up, and that’s what I like about this team,” McCall said. “They just keep working hard the entire game.”
The only thing that bothered McCall was his team’s inability to make shots in close.
“We must have missed 20 layups tonight. That was the big difference.”
And free-throws.
The Cougars made 5-of-15 while the Tigers sank 18-of-36.
Lexi Garvey led the Cougars with 16 points. Ashley Anfield scored 10, and Sharde Little 9.
Marsharica Quinn and Carolyn Stribling scored 6 and 7 points and each pulled down eight rebounds.
TC will be on the road to play Fresno City College Wednesday and will host Porterville Saturday at 5 p.m.
Reedley (78)—Kaufmann 15, Cooley 6, Blate 10, Crosson 4, Amundsen 23,
Phanthamany 1, Hampton 9, Echevesste 1, Finney 3, Collins 4. Totals: 25,
18-36—78
Taft (57)—Little 9, Anfield 10, Quinn 6, Hubbard 4, Garvey 16, Washington 2,
Stribling 7, Thompson 3.
Halftime: Reedley 41, Taft 30
3-point goals: Reedley 8 (amundsen 5), Taft 6 (Gravey 3, Quinn 2, Little 1).
Total fouls: Reedley 16, Taft 25. Fouled out: Little, Garvey. Technicals:
McCall.
Stribling scores 25 in Cougar loss
--posted 1/4/07 Freshman forward Carolyn Stribling’s one-woman show was not nearly enough to offset Modesto’s balance and superior height and depth Wednesday night as Taft College dropped its Central Valley Conference opener, 69-49.
Stribling, who prepped at West High in Bakersfield, scored a game-high 25 points, pulled down 10 rebounds and had seven steals.
The Cougars will need better balance if they are to be competitive against highly ranked Reedley College when the 18-5 Tigers come to town Saturday for a 5 p.m. tipoff in the Cougar Sports Center.
A pesky defense allowed the Cougars to stay with the taller Pirates early, but another cold shooting night didn’t allow TC to stay in it for long.
Modesto led by two at 15-13 as TC’s pressure defense forced a series of early turnovers.
But the Pirates outscored the Cougars 18-2 over the last eight and a half minutes of the first half to lead 33-19 at the half.
Modesto opened the second half with a 14-5 run in the first seven and a half minutes to open a 23-point lead.
Stribling got her points on six of 13 field goals and 13 of 17 from the free-throw line by driving to the hoop. Virtually all her points came in the paint.
Meanwhile, Modesto’s 6-2 center Krystle Brown was working inside for 14 points while 5-8 guard Britney Borba was popping in five from behind the arc for a team-high 19 points.
Ten of Modesto’s 12 players scored. The Cougars have just eight players and seven scored. The only exception was Lexi Garvey who had an off night. She scored 59 points in the three Foothill tournament games last weekend.
The Cougars shot just 31 percent from the field and 64 percent from the free-throw line.
Nikki Thompson scored 6 points, Sharde Little 5, Marsharica Quinn 4, and Ashley Anfield and Nikki Thompson 2.
Thompson also pulled down seven rebounds.
Cougars take 4th in tournament
--posted 1/3/07 Freshman guard Lexi Garvey scored 59 points to lead the Taft College women’s basketball team to a fourth-place finish in the Foothill College Holiday Classic.
The Cougars opened the tournament by beating Sacramento City College 69-62 behind Gravey’s 24-point effort. That victory avenged a 55-44 loss to Sac City on Dec. 9 in a game played in Bakersfield’s Rabobank Arena.
This time out, the Cougars shot a lot better. They missed a lot of shots against the taller Panthers the first time around while playing solid defense. TC shot better in the rematch.
Garvey got half of her points on four three-point hoops. Sac City hit 10 from outside the arc.
Marsharica Quinn added 13 points, Carolyn Stribling 9 and Sharde Little 6.
The Cougars advanced to the winner’s bracket where they dropped a 68-54 decision to Contra Costa, a team ranked No. 3 in Northern California and No. 5 in the state.
It was the second time Contra Costa had beaten the Cougars. CC measured Taft 79-66 Nov. 24 in the Ventura tournament.
Garvey’s 15 paced the Cougars. Stribling added 13, Little 10, Quinn 8 and Theresa Hubbard 6.
The Cougars trailed by just two (27-25) at the half, but Contra Costa broke loose in the second half for 52 points.
In the third-place game, the Cougars were overpowered by Central Valley Conference foe Modesto JC, 67-48,
Garvey again led the Cougars with 20 points. She had three from outside the arc to give her eight for the tournament.
Little added 12 points and Quinn and Hubbard 6 apiece.
Modesto (10-8) led by six at the half—29-23—but pulled away in the second half.
The Cougars enter conference play this week with a 3-11 record and will have their work cut out for them.
Reedley is the favorite.
The Tigers are 17-5 and ranked fifth in NorCal and 10th in the state. Reedley has lost its last three games heading into conference play.
The Tigers will be in Taft Saturday to take on the Cougars at 5 p.m. in the Cougar Sports Center.
Fresno is 12-7 and ranked seventh in NorCal and 12th in the state, Modesto is 10-8, Merced 7-12, College of the Sequoias 5-11 and Porterville 3-11 and on a 10-game losing streak.
Cougars get elusive second victory
--posted 12/15/06 Taft College ended an eight-game losing streak at home Monday with a strong finish that earned a 59-49 victory over Los Angeles City College.
It was a battle of struggling teams. Both had identical 2-9 records when the game ended.
The win followed a 58-44 loss Saturday night to a taller Sacramento City College team in a game played at Bakersfield’s Rabobank Arena.
Freshman forward Carolyn Stribling scored 39 points and Ashley Anfield 31 in the two outings.
The LA City game was close until the Cougars went on a 10-0 run after the game was tied at 44 with 6:34 left.
Marsharica Quinn and Garvey ignited the spurt with back-to-back three-pointers.
Until then, the lead had changed hands 11 times and the game was tied six times.
A Stribling basket broke a 22-all tie and led a 6-2 Cougar edge that gave TC a 28-24 halftime lead.
The Cougars led by as much as seven (33-26) before the Lady Cubs regained the advantage 40-39 with 7:11 left in the game.
Garvey scored five points—including a three-pointer—that tied the game at 44.
Stribling gave the Cougars the lead and TC never looked back.
In addition to leading the scoring, Stribling pulled down a game-high 17 rebounds, Nikki Thompson had 13 and Quinn 11.
Garvey also had five steals.
In a preliminary game to the Bakersfield Jam NBA Development League game, Sacramento City College used a distinct height advantage to cruise out to a 12-5 lead and later went on a 17-2 run that put the Cougars down by 19 (at 31-12).
The Cougars scored the final five points of the half and played Sac City even through the first 11 minutes of the second half.
But the Panthers went on a 12-0 run fueled by three consecutive three-pointers that doubled the score on the Cougars at 56-28.
The Cougars kept scrapping, though.
TC outscored the Panthers 16-2 over the final 4:17 to cut the deficit in half by the final buzzer.
A cold-shooting first half doomed the Cougars.
"We are right there on defense," head coach Greg McCall said. "Our goal is to keep opponents under 60 (points). We just need to do a better job on offense."
He was pleased with the way his team shook off the big lead and finished strong.
"They really hang in there. They didn’t quit."
The Cougars head to the desert Saturday to play Barstow College, then take a couple of weeks off before playing in the Foothill Tournament in Los Altos.
Canyons spurt throttles Cougars early
--posted 12/7/06 Taft College managed to hang with tall and quick College of the Canyons for the first 10 minutes of their non-conference game Wednesday night in the Cougar Sports Center.
But Canyons went on a 16-0 run that mushroomed its lead to 20 points (32-12), and the visitors from Valencia never looked back.
The result was a 71-47 victory that was Taft’s eighth loss in a row. It was Canyons’ fifth win in six outings.
The Cougars will try to get back on the winning track Saturday when they play Sacramento City College in Bakersfield’s Rabobank Arena in a preliminary game to the Bakersfield Jam.
TC and Sac City will tip off at 4 p.m. The Jam—a new NBA development league team—will host the Tulsa 66ers at 7 p.m.
Cougar head coach Greg McCall is a volunteer assistant for the Jim Herrick-coached Jam.
Tickets—priced at $15 each—will get fans into both games.
The Cougars will host Los Angeles City College Monday at 6 p.m.
Canyons took a 41-21 lead into the halftime break and scored back-to-back three-pointers to open the second half with a 26-point lead.
The Cougars, however, switched from a man to a zone defense, continued to scrap offensively, and managed to trim a dozen points off the Canyons cushion.
TC, with its tallest players at 5-foot-9, couldn’t match Canyons’ inside strength.
Canyons also played a tough pressure defense, forcing the Cougars into turnovers. Taft finished with 24.
Lexi Garvey popped in a game-high three three-pointers to finish with 14 points—tops for the Cougars.
Carolyn Stribling scored eight of her 10 points in the second half.
Facion Edwards led Canyons with 15.
Despite its height disadvantage, the Cougars did well on the boards, pulling down 47 rebounds.
Theresa Hubbard led the way with 10, Stribling had eight and Nerida Washington and Nikki Thompson had seven each.
The Cougars shot 37 percent from the floor and 39 percent from the free-throw line.
College of the Canyons (71)—M. Wrighster 3 4-5 10, Jones 1 2-4 4, Ortiz 1 0-0 3, Dunlap 1 1-2 3, Bobic 4 0-0 9, Edwards 6 3-4 15, Moffert 1 2-3 5, A. Wrighster 5 1-2 13, Tachias 4 1-2 9. Totals: 26 14-22 71.
Taft College (47)—Little 1 0-2 2, Anfield 2 0-0 4, Quinn 2 0-0 4, Huggard 3 2-2 8, Garvey 4 3-8 14, Washington 1 0-0 3, Stribling 4 2-6 10, Thompson 1 0-0 2. Totals: 18 7-18 47.
Halftime: Canyons 41, Taft 21
Three-point goals: Canyons 4 (A. Wrighster 2, Ortiz, Bobic), Taft 4 (Garvey 3, Washington). Rebounds: Taft 47 (Hubbard 10, Stribling 8). Total fouls: Canyons 15, Taft 20. Fouled out: Thompson.
Cougars hope to turn it around
--posted 12/04/06 Taft College’s struggling women’s basketball team will try to end a seven-game losing streak this week with two home games—sort of.
The 1-7 Cougars will host College of the Canyons on Wednesday in the Cougar Sports Center in their first taste of home action. Tip-off is at 6 p.m.
TC was scheduled to host Los Angeles Southwest last Saturday afternoon, but the Southwest coach was unwilling to move the starting time a little later to accommodate the Cougars’ soccer playoff.
TC’s home game with Sacramento City College (7-5) this Saturday has been moved to Rabobank Arena in Bakersfield as a preliminary to the Bakersfield Jam NBA development league game. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m.
The Cougars, after winning their first game of the season, have lost seven in a row.
TC staged a second half comeback that fell short Friday night in a 60-50 loss at Long Beach City College.
The Vikings were cruising with a 35-18 halftime lead after the Cougars shot just 25 percent.
Long Beach was up by 22 points at 50-28 when the Cougars went on an 8-0 run that fueled a 22-4 spurt that cut the Viking lead to just four points (54-50) with 2:43 left.
But that’s as close as the Cougars could get.
Long Beach’s defense forced four turnovers and the Vikings converted four of six free throws down the stretch to seal the victory.
With the win, the Vikings improved to 5-3.
Lexi Garvey led the Cougars with 16 points while Carolyn Stribling scored nine and pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds.
Ashley Anfield, Marsharic Quinn, and Nikki Thompson all scored six. Quinn and Thompson both had eight rebounds.
LBCC’s returning all-state sophomore guard Amber Thomas led all scorers with 17 points.
The Cougars will be hard pressed to get back on a winning track.
Canyons is 4-1, including a 72-57 win over Long Beach.
Cougars to play prelim at Jam game
--posted 11/30/06 Taft College women’s basketball team will play a game in Rabobank Arena as a preliminary to a Bakersfield Jam NBA development league game.
Cougar coach Greg McCall said the Dec. 9 home game with Sacramento City College will be played at Rabobank with tipoff scheduled for 4 p.m.
“It’s a good opportunity for us,” he said. “It will be a fund-raiser for our team.”
TC will get a portion of the proceeds from tickets sold in Taft.
“We have 200 tickets,” McCall said. “Our players will be selling them and they can be purchased at the college.”
The Bakersfield Jam is a new development league team coached by former UCLA head coach Jim Harrick. The Jam lost its season opener Saturday before a crowd of 5,800 at Rabobank.
TC has struggled in non-conference games because of a lack of height. The tallest players are 5-foot-9.
“When other teams have more than one tall player, it really hurts us,” McCall said. “We get hurt on the boards if we don’t do a good job of boxing out.”
The Cougars dropped a 75-60 decision to Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria on Tuesday to dip their overall record to 1-6.
Freshman forward Carolyn Stribling led Taft with 19 points. Marvsharicka Quinn added 10 points, nine of them coming on three-pointers. Theresa Hubbard scored nine, Sharde Little eight, Ashly Anfield seven, Nerida Washington four and Nikki Thompson three.
The L.A. Southwest game is the first of four straight at home, counting the Sac City game at Rabobank.
TC hosts College of the Canyons next Wednesday at 6 p.m., then has the game in the Arena, and finishes off the home stand Dec. 11 with Los Angeles City College, also at 6 p.m.
The Central Valley Conference opener is Jan. 3 when Modesto J.C. comes to town.
Cougars fall to Ohlone
--posted 11/20/06 Ohlone College used a height advantage to muscle in for points in the paint and turn back Taft College 88-66 Saturday in Fremont.
The loss was the third straight for the Cougars after winning the season opener. Ohlone is 3-0 on the young season.
TC will continue to be road warriors, traveling to the coast Friday for the three-day Ventura College tournament, then single games at Allan Hancock in Santa Maria on Nov. 28 and Long Beach City College on Dec. 1.
TC will be at a height disadvantage most of the season after losing the team’s only center—6-foot-1 sophomore Kilioe Aliifua—who was suspended for violating team rules.
That leaves the Cougars with three forwards who are 5-9 and one who is 5-7.
Offensively against Ohlone the Cougars had to rely on outside shooting. They popped in seven three-pointers led by Lexi Garvey’s four. Carolyn Stribling had two and Nerida Washington one.
Garvey led Cougar scorers with 16, Stribling scored 14, Marvsharicka Quinn 12, Sharde Little 10, Washington nine and Theresa Hubbard five.
Taft College 66—Little 10, Quinn 12, Hubbard 5, Garvey 16, Washington 9,
Stribling 14.
Ohlone College 88—Wright 14, Fisher 15, Sands 3, Lyons 14, Wilson 12,
Johnson 25, Houston 5.
Halftime: Ohlone 44, Taft 32
3-pointd goals: Taft 7 (Garvey 4, Stribling 2, Washington 1); Ohlone 1 (Fisher).
Fouls—Taft 24, Ohlone 23. Technical fouls—Taft coach McCall.
Cougar women drop two in tournament
--posted 11/13/06 Ineffectiveness at the free-throw line proved costly for the Taft College women’s basketball team in the Pasadena Roundball Classic.
The Cougars made just nine out of 34 from the line (26 percent) in losing two close games.
On Friday, the Cougars sank just three of 16 free-throws in a 68-62 loss to College of the Desert.
On Saturday, the team improved a little—making six of 18—but, again, it wasn’t enough. This time, Chaffey College benefited, winning 75-68.
“Missing all those free-throws cost us in both games,” said head coach Greg McCall. “In both games if we make some free-throws we win both.”
The defense continues to play well, getting 22 steals, and McCall found some continuity in scoring when four players finished in double figures against Chaffey.
In both games the Cougars trailed throughout, but were unable to catch up due largely to the inability to score from the line.
Center Kili Aliifua led the team against Desert with 26 points on 9-of-12 from the field and 8-of-10 from the line. She was the only player with success from the charity stripe.
Carolyn Stribling scored 17 and pulled down eight rebounds.
Garvey also had eight boards and Aliifua six.
Against Chaffey, the scoring was more balanced.
Aliifua once again led with 15 points, followed by Stribling with 17, Gravey with 13, and Quinn with 11.
Stribling again led the Cougars with seven boards. She had three steals.
The Cougars are shooting well from the field.
They made 41 of 78 from two-point range for 53.5 percent.
Against Desert they made just three of 16 from three-point range, but improved against Chaffey with six of 18. Gravey had three.
The Cougars get most of the week off. They will head north to play Ohlone College on Sunday, a game McCall is trying to reschedule for Saturday.
Saturday’s scheduled game with College of Marin, also to be played at Ohlone College, was cancelled when Marin scuttled its season due to a lack of players.
“Since we won’t be playing Marin, I’m trying to get the Ohlone game rescheduled for Saturday.”
Cougars win hoop opener
--posted 11/11/06 Two statistics from Taft College’s 59-54 season opening women’s basketball victory Tuesday over Cuesta College in San Luis Obispo stand out.
The first is that the Cougars missed all 24 of their shots from three-point range. That’s right—oh for twenty-four.
But the defense swiped the ball 22 times.
And that, according to head coach Greg McCall, was the difference.
“The defense definitely won it for us,” he said. “I think our defense is going to win us a lot of games this year.”
The one bright spot on offense was the work of freshman forward Carolyn Stribling, who scored 24 points and grabbed eight rebounds.
“Carolyn played very well, but overall, we are going to struggle offensively.”
He was at a loss to explain the goose egg from outside the arc.
“We make them all the time in practice. It might have just been first-game jitters. At least, I hope so. It looked as though we were thinking too much about our shots instead of just stroking it.”
Free-throw shooting was another concern.
TC made just nine of 24.
The Cougars had a 30-17 halftime lead, but Cuesta chipped away in the second half and at one point pulled to within two points.
“But we held on,” McCall said, taking the blame for not blunting Cuesta’s surge earlier. “I didn’t make a defensive adjustment quickly enough in the second half.”
Lexi Garvey scored nine points and had five steals.
Nerida Washington led the team with six steals.
McCall said both teams tired in the second half.
“It was a hot day on the coast and their gym doesn’t have air conditioning. Both teams struggled, but I think it bothered their players more than us.”
The Cougars head south for the eight-team, double-elimination Pasadena Roundball Classic this weekend, drawing College of the Desert in the first round. Depending on the outcome, TC will play the winner or loser of the Chaffey-Contra Costa game in the semi-finals.
Taft College (59)—Little 2, Anfield 6, Quinn 4, Hubbard 2, Garvey 9, Washington 2, Stribling 24, Aliifua 6, Thompson 4.
Cuesta College (54)—Carr 8, Fackrell 8, Woeste 14, Smith 4, Dannendaum 2, Kirby 18.
Halftime: Taft 30, Cuesta 17
Cougar hoop team green
--posted 11/8/06 Although the school colors are black and gold, you can color the Taft College women’s basketball team green.
Only one returnee from last year plus a transfer from a community college wiped out by Hurricane Katrina leaves coach Greg McCall with a team that is woefully short on experience.
But, he’s OK with that.
Sure, he’d like more experience and a little more height, but he’s pleased with the work ethic, speed and quickness of his young team.
“We have only two players with any experience and we are fairly small, but very, very quick,” he said. “This is the best defensive team I’ve had since I have been here. They really get after it.”
He said the team is anxious to start the season.
“The girls are really excited. They’re tired of just practicing. This team is one of those that practice hard. I’ll tell them if they practice hard I’ll let them run the next two practices. They might even work harder when they run the practice themselves. I’m really impressed with their work ethic.”
The Cougars open the campaign by playing their first 10 games on the road—two tournaments that will account for six games and single games against Cuesta, Ohlone, Allan Hancock and Long Beach City.
They debut at home on Dec. 2 against Los Angeles Southwest. That will be the first of four consecutive home games.
“They’re going to have to be road warriors the first month of the season,” McCall said.
His only experienced players are returning center Kilioe Aliifua, who played behind the 6-4 Sherrisa Bayes, who graduated, and transfer Sharde Little.
At 6-feet, Aliifua is the tallest player on the team.
At 5-foot-3, Little is—well—the littlest player on the team. She was headed for an NAIA school when McCall saw her shooting baskets at a 24-Hour Fitness Center in Houston while attending a coaching clinic.
“We got to talking, and when she found out Taft would be a lot cheaper, she enrolled,” he said.
Little will play both point and shooting guard.
Three others from last year’s team did not return to school, including second team all-conference forward Anna Valdez who opted to go to work instead of taking more classes.
“Anna would have been a great asset,” McCall said.
He has three freshmen from an outstanding West High team—5-6 guard Ashley Anfield and 5-9 forwards Carolyn Stribling and Nikki Thompson.
Another 5-9 forward from Bakersfield is Theresa Hubbard, who prepped at Ridgeview.
The other freshmen are Lexi Garvey, a 5-7 guard from Juneau, Alaska; Marvsharicka Quinn, a 5-7 forward from McComb, Miss.; and Nerida Washington, a 5-3 guard from Waldorf, Md.
He lost freshman center Andrea Stigall to knee surgery early in the practice season.
“She is a great leaper and is capable of dunking the ball,” he said.
McCall said his team will be run-and-gun on offense while using “in your face” pressure on defense.
He looks to Quinn to be a rebound leader.
“She rebounds very well for her size because she has such good timing. She should get some offensive rebounds and put-backs because of her skills.”
Stribling will be a key to the Cougar offense.
“Right now she is our go-to player,” McCall said. “She is talented and is an excellent student. UC Santa Barbara is already interested in her.”
He said he expects all nine of his player to get playing time.
“We’re trying to teach them to play different spots so we can mix things up and create some opportunities.”