Jaguars, Comets lose close contests

East County Sports staff report

RANCHO CUCAMONGA (12-2-2018) – The rebuilding Southwestern College women’s basketball program got a late start to the season, facing many opponents which have already played a half-dozen games or more. Included was Saturday’s (Dec. 1) opponent, Mt. San Jacinto College, located just north of Hemet in Riverside County.

The Eagles knew the Jaguars were a young team so maybe took them for granted – until they faced a 23-12 deficit after the first quarter.

However, Mt. San Jacinto regrouped to eventually take a 68-62 decision at the Chaffey College Tournament in a pairing of Pacific Coast Athletic Conference ballclubs.

Alyssa Walton paced the Eagles (7-2) with 18 points, while Haylei Janssens added 17.

For Southwestern (1-4), sophomore guard Satera Bates (Mount Miguel) tallied six of her game-high 19 points in the first period, while freshman center Danielle Simmons (Helix) added 8 of her 14 points in the opening stanza. Simmons also posted 8 rebounds, while freshman guard Tara Clay (Eastlake) had 5 assists and 3 steals.

Elsewhere

El Camino 72, Palomar 70: The Comets had their second-poorest shooting effort of the season, leaving just enough room for the Warriors to score a mild upset at the Cypress Tournament on Don Johnson Court.

Palomar guard Sara Ahmadpour drilled a 3-point shot off a Mackenna Gentry pass to move within 71-70 with 51 seconds remaining, but El Camino survived by making just 1-of-4 foul shots in the closing moments after trailing 30-16 through the first quarter.

Warriors center Salihah Bey led the comeback with 31 points and 7 rebounds, including 11 points over the final nine minutes.

For the Comets (8-2), Gentry finished with a team-best 17 points, Sara Ahmadpour scored 12 from off the bench, while Clarissa Taite had 10 points. However, Palomar shot just 32.9 percent (24-for-73) from the floor, its poorest since the season opener.

Rio Hondo 85, MiraCosta 74: In a non-conference game in Oceanside, the visiting Roadrunners from Whittier handed the Spartans (4-5) their fifth loss in six contests.

Rio Hondo is now 6-2, yet only owns a tie for the fourth-best record out of the powerful North Division of the South Coast Conference.

Santa Monica 69, Grossmont 41: The Griffins were eliminated from the Lady Charger Classic at Cypress College in north Orange County after falling to the Corsairs.

Grossmont guard Chiara Mattern tallied 11 of her team-best 15 points in the opening quarter, as the Griffins (1-6) held a 15-14 lead through the first 10 minutes. However, Santa Monica (3-5) took the next two periods, 18-5 and 22-11  and 22-11, to win going away.

Santa Monica saw four players scored in double figures, as Nina Gazzo led the team in points (19) and rebounds (11).

Copper Mountain 55, Imperial Valley 44: At the Victor Valley Tournament in Victorville, the Fighting Cacti of Morongo topped the Lady Arabs in a consolation contest. CMC built a 17-point lead through three quarters.