On Scholarship

Griffins center Shatori Dearman (top) and forward Megan Ehmke earned NCAA Div. II scholarships for the 2008-09 season. Dearman is headed for Cal State-L.A., while Ehmke will play for UC San Diego. (Photos by Frank Gregorek)

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EL CAJON (4-2-08) -- Grossmont College women's basketball coach KAREN CAIRES announced that two members of the Griffins -- center SHATORI DEARMAN and forward MEGAN EHMKE -- will continue playing at the four-year level after accepting offers from a pair of NCAA Division II programs.

On Apr. 17, Dearman will sign with Cal State Los Angeles, while Emhke will go crosstown to UC San Diego. Both schools play in the California Collegiate Athletic Conference.

"I am so happy for both of our players," noted Caires. "They are excellent opportunities for both of them."

Dearman was named the most valuable player for the Griffins this past season. The freshman led the Pacific Coast Conference in blocked shots, gaining a first-team berth on the All-PCC team. She also led the team in scoring (13.9 average) and rebounding (8.5), and was second in shooting percentage (.476).

"Shatori had fewer options because she knows what she wants to major in -- criminal justice -- and not every college offers it," noted Caires. "But when Cal State L.A. showed interest, things fell together rather quickly."

Dearman, a 2006 graduate of Eastlake High, was a student at San Diego State while sitting out a year, then agreed to come to Grossmont College after missing the sport. Dearman carries a 4.00 grade-point average and is a finalist for the school's Student-Athlete of the Year Award.

"I think that allowing Shatori to leave Grossmont after one year shows that we really do have the athlete's best interests at heart," added Caires. "This was her chance and the coaching staff helped make it happen for her."

Ehmke was an All-PCC first-team honoree in 2007 for the Griffins, leading the team in scoring (11.6), rebounding (8.5) and blocked shots (1.3) before taking a secondary role behind Dearman this past season. But that didn't keep the scouts from noticing the 6-foot-1 talent out of West Hills High.

"Megan needs nine more units to meet NCAA standards, but she's well on her way to completing those classes this semester," Caires said of the former All-Grossmont North League selection. "She'll fit right in at UCSD. Megan's a great student, and like Shatori, she's very popular on the team."

Ehmke was an honorable mention selection on the All-PCC team this past season thanks to a big second half, which included games scoring 20 or more points, several double-double in scoring and rebounds, and even a contest where she displayed her versatility by registering eight assists.

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RANCHO SAN DIEGO (3-20-08) -- LORRI SULPIZIO, who guided San Diego Mesa College to a Pacific Coast Conference title with an undefeated record in 2002, has been named the new head women's basketball coach at Cuyamaca College.

Sulpizio coached the Olympians for nine seasons -- six as head coach -- before leaving prior to the 2007-08 season. Previously, she coached club ball for the San Luis Obispo Rage, which placed seventh in the state championship, then took over the Elite Club of San Diego from 1999-2001 before joining the staff at Mesa.

"It's a great honor to return to the conference and be able to put a program together," said Sulpuzio. "We have a great facility and new buildings opening at Cuyamaca. It will be great opportunity for all of our players to have success here."

She also is a fitness professional/personal trainer holding four national certifications in personal training. She received her bachelor's degree from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, her Master's degree in Physical Education at San Diego State, and is currently completing her Doctrate degree in leadership at USD.

Sulpizio's coaching staff will include CATHY BASS, a member of the Santana High girls basketball Hall of Fame, who later played for Cal Poly Pomona, and FRANCINE MORENO, who was her first assistant at Mesa for two seasons.

Bass has coached the Santana Storm club team, the San Diego Elite club team, and most recently spent 8 years as an assistant/director of operations for the SD Mesa Women's basketball program.

Bass is also a fitness professional and holds certifications in both aerobics and indoor cycling. She received her undergraduate degree in Psychology from Cal State San Marcos and her Masters Degree from Azusa Pacific University in Physical Education.

Moreno, who once guided Phoenix 's Mountain Point High to second in the state rankings, also owns college coaching experience at UC Irvine and Texas-San Antonio. She played for New Mexico State , where she helped to win a Big West Conference championship to gain a berth in the NCAA women's basketball championships.

"I know we're behind in recruiting, but we plan on putting together a winning program as soon as possible," added Sulpizio.

Sulpizio is the Coyotes' sixth coach over the past eight seasons.

Update (6-5-08) -- Southwestern College head coach Lori Morris, the 2006-07 San Diego County high school coach of the year at Montgomery High School, as resigned to take an assistant coach position at University of Louisiana-Lafayette -- now known as The University of Louisiana. The Ragin' Cajuns (8-22) were eliminated by South Alabama in the first round of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament.

The Usual Suspects

2007-08 Grossmont College Griffins (Photo by Lisa Craig) DOUBLE-CLICK TO ENLARGE

The Griffins' (l-r) Brionna Baker, Dalia Ghandour, Michelle Gonzalez and Alexis Bertelsen. (Photo by Frank Gregorek)

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EL CAJON (2-24-08) -- This was the way the coaching staff believed Grossmont College could've played all season. Overcoming a sluggish start, the last three weeks were picture-perfect for the Griffins, completing a 6-0 run to finish in second place in the Pacific Coast Conference following a 65-53 pasting of visiting Imperial Valley College.

On Sophomore Night, guard LA TASHA DOWELL registered a team-high 19 points, while forward LIZ RIEDEL scored 13 points on 6-for-8 shooting and grabbed 13 rebounds to pace the Griffins to a wire-to-wire victory over the 3-time defending conference champions.

"This was the best way possible to end the season," said Griffins coach KAREN CAIRES. "After we lost to Palomar, we knew we couldn't win the conference anymore, but to win six straight to finish in second place is very satisfying."

Included in the streak were revenge triumphs over San Diego Mesa and Saturday's (Feb. 23) decision over the Arabs.

Dowell opened the quick start with a driving layin and a 3-point goal for a 7-3 lead. Forward MEGAN EHMKE followed with a pair of jumpers from the high post to push the margin to 16-8, then she passed to ALEXIS BERTELSEN for a short jumper while being fouled for a 19-8 advantage just 8:07 into the contest.

Meanwhile, the Grossmont defense allowed just a single IVC basket over a stretch of 13 minutes, as Arabs scoring ace Angelica Lopez was limited to just 6 points (4 on foul shots) in the first half.

Lopez stormed back with 21 of her game-high 27 points in the second half, but Imperial Valley could trim the deficit to single digits only once, but it was answered seconds later by a Dowell 3-point goal. DALIA GHANDOUR then fed Bertelsen for another triple, as Grossmont took advantage of its superior height for a series of scoring passes over and around the Arabs.

Feeling you

Long-time Imperial Valley College coach and administrator Jeff Deyo, one of the Pacific Coast Conference's good guys, "copes" with some of the referees' calls during the Arabs' 65-53 setback to Grossmont. (Photos by Lisa Craig)

Grossmont also controlled the boards by equaling a season high by placing three players -- Dowell (13), Riedel (13) and Ehmke (11) – in double figures.

The Griffins finish with a 19-12 overall record, the school's second-best mark under Caires. The triumph was the school's first over IVC in seven seasons.

Despite finishing in second place for the third time in four seasons, prospects for a CCCAA playoff berth seem slim even after going 9-8 in non-conference ballgames. The PCC's poor power index -- four schools (Cuyamaca, Southwestern, San Diego City and MiraCosta) registered 20 or more losses -- also hinders Grossmont's prospects.

The postseason pairings will be announced Monday.

Added Monday -- Grossmont College sophomore guard LA TASHA DOWELL was named among the Pacific Coast Conference athletes oif the week.

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EL CAJON (2-21-08) -- In a huge look-ahead to Saturday's regular-season finale against Imperial Valley, the offense for Grossmont College came out flat yet scored when it needed to down the stretch, staving off visiting MiraCosta College, 56-50, in Pacific Coast Conference action Wednesday (Feb. 20).

It was the Spartans' first visit to Grossmont in 15 seasons after resurrecting their program over the summer.

The Griffins seem to be running on cruise control after mounting an early 14-6 lead, pushing the advantage to 35-26 when MiraCosta forward Brooke Marlin fouled out with 10:40 remaining, leaving the Spartans with just five players.

However, Tiffany Hunter, another product of Fallbrook High, scored 11 of her game-high 21 points in the second half, catching Grossmont at 41-all with 6:20 left.

So the Grossmont offense jumped back into gear.

LA TASHA DOWELL took a nice pass from BRIONNA BAKER to drain a 3-ball to reclaim the lead with 5:55 to go, then MORGAN CRAIG followed with a pair of scoring plays. The freshman beat the MiraCosta defense on the dribble for a driving layin, then hit a foul shot on the next possession for six straight Grossmont points, as the Griffins closed the contest on a 15-9 run.

MiraCosta guard Sage LeBlanc (11 points) added a 3-point goal at the buzzer to make the score look artificially close.

In the most balanced scoring attack of the season, frontliners SHATORI DEARMAN and MEGAN EHMKE paced Grossmont (18-12, 9-4 PCC) with 11 points each, while Dowell, Craig and Baker each chipped in with 9 points.

In addition, MICHELLE GONZALEZ posted 4 points, but more importantly added 4 assists, 3 steals and took-a-charge. Craig and Dowell also forced offensive fouls by taking charges, as the G-House defense forced 28 turnovers.

Grossmont can clinch at least a share of second place when they host Imperial Valley in Saturday's (Feb. 23) 5 p.m. regular-season finale. The two teams, plus San Diego Mesa, are dead-locked at 9-4 in a 3-way tie entering the weekend. Mesa closes by entertaining Southwestern.

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EL CAJON (2-17-08) -- In a homecoming game of sorts, Grossmont College center SHATORI DEARMAN showed two of her former high school teammates how the other half lives, scoring 16 points and grabbing 9 rebounds in the Griffins' easy 80-39 triumph over visiting Southwestern.

Dearman connected on 7-of-9 shots from the floor, helping Grossmont connect on a resounding 61 percent of its first-half field goals, while shutting out the Jaguars over the final 4:34 of the first half to race to a 44-21 advantage before clearing the bench.

The victory placed Grossmont (17-12, 8-4 PCC) into prime position to challenge for second place in the Pacific Coast Conference standings and a probable wild-card berth into the CCCAA playoffs.

Much like the Grossmont women's soccer team, which at one stretch played eight consecutive conference road games -- just who is creating the PCC slate? The Griffins opened with a ton of road contests, too, so the goal was to stay close then win at home, with Saturday's (Feb. 16) victory being the first of three home games to close the regular season.

The calendar concludes with MiraCosta at 7 p.m. Wednesday, then the big battle with second-place Imperial Valley at 5 p.m. next Saturday.

Southwestern (4-21, 3-8 PCC) showed improvement with its rebounding -- Grossmont only held a 46-42 edge -- as Jaguars forward Marina Bustamante led the team with 10 points and 9 boards.

However, six different Griffins scored 8 points or more, including 15 from LA TASHA DOWELL and 10 more from BRIONNA BAKER.

Interestingly, every member of the Griffins grabbed at least one offensive rebound except their tallest player, forward MEGAN EHMKE, who contributed in different fashions with a game-best 5 assists, two steals and a blocked shot. Ehmke also scored 8 points, including a perfect 4-for-4 from the foul line, to match the 8 from MORGAN CRAIG.

Palomar 97, Cuyamaca 25 -- The Coyotes (2-24, 0-12 PCC) fell to the first-place Comets at the Palomar Dome for their 15th straight sertback.

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SAN DIEGO (2-14-08) -- Freshman center SHATORI DEARMAN and sophomore forward MEGAN EHMKE each posted double-doubles Wednesday (Feb. 13), powering Grossmont College to an easy 69-54 triumph over host San Diego City College at Harry West Gym.

The victory kept the Griffins in a third-place deadlock with San Diego Mesa in the Pacific Coast Conference standings, one full game behind Imperial Valley.

Dearman scored 20 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, while Ehmke tallied 16 points and 13 boards, as the revitalized offense overcame an early 8-2 deficit to quickly build a 22-point lead before Grossmont cleared the bench. Guard LA TASHA DOWELL added 10 points, as the Griffins shot 77 percent (10-for-13) from the foul line.

Grossmont concludes the regular season with three straight home games, facing Southwestern and MiraCosta before capping the season against Imperial Valley in the battle for second place.

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EL CAJON (2-10-08) -- San Diego County ’s oldest and most exciting rivalry saw Grossmont College turn back the clock to take down longtime nemesis San Diego Mesa College.

Mimicking the offense Mesa ran in the 1980s, the Griffins altered their offense by running the ball through the high post, where sophomore forward MEGAN EHMKE blossomed with her best outing of the season.

The victory allowed both ballclubs to re-join Imperial Valley in the race for second place.

Meanwhile, Grossmont gained court balance as BRIONNA BAKER poured home 19 points, and LA TASHA DOWELL added 13, helping the Griffins post a 16-point lead.

Mesa guard JOY EDWARDS (Granite Hills) led the comeback charge with 17 of her team-best 22 points in the second half, sinking a jumper to forge a brief 50-49 lead with 4:56 remaining. However, Grossmont answered by scoring 11 consecutive points, capped by a Baker steal for a layin while being fouled for a 3-point play and a 60-50 lead with 1:47 left.

Edwards also got into brief foul difficulties with three offensive fouls, as Griffins guard MICHELLE GONZALEZ took the charge three times to force turnovers.

With four games remaining in the regular season, if the Griffins skate past three second-division teams, they will end the season against Imperial Valley in a battle to determine the PCC runners-up to Palomar.

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RANCHO SAN DIEGO (2-7-08) -- Sophomores LA TASHA DOWELL and MEGAN EHMKE each registered season-high totals in points, helping Grossmont College put the hurt on intra-district rival Cuyamaca College, 93-40, in Wednesday's (Feb. 6) Pacific Coast Conference contest at Cuyamaca.

Dowell was a perfect 3-for-3 on 3-point shots in scoring a team-high 21 points. Included were four straight outside jumpers to start the contest, posting the Griffins (14-12 overall, 5-4 PCC) to an early 23-6 lead.

Meanwhile, Ehmke drained seven straight shots during one stretch -- mostly in jumpers from the high post, including her first five in the second half -- to score her season-high with 20 points. The forward's career best is 28 points, also against Cuyamaca.

In addition, guard DALIA GHANDOUR reached a season-best from off the bench, getting 9 points on 4-for-6 shooting. Center SHATORI DEARMAN also posted 9 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, helping Grossmont to a 57-40 advantage on the boards.

For Cuyamaca, Castle Park High product ALLISON MERCER totaled a game-high 26 points. The guard finished with a double-double by also grabbing 10 rebounds, while also registering 6 steals for the lone highlight among the Coyotes (2-21, 0-9 PCC).

The 53-point margin was the second-largest suffered by Cuyamaca this season. Two weeks ago, PCC leading Palomar posted a 54-point win over the Coyotes, 104-50.

The contest completed a season-long, 5-game road trip for Grossmont, which returns home Saturday (Feb. 9) to meet San Diego Mesa in a battle for second place. Tipoff is at 7 p.m.

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SAN MARCOS (2-3-08) -- It wasn't much of a moral victory for a team with higher expectations.

On Saturday (Feb. 2), Grossmont College made only six baskets in the first half, falling to Pacific Coast Conference leading Palomar College, 87-54, at Palomar Dome. Although the margin was 33 points, it was better than anyone else has done recently against the Comets, who won their previous two games by an average margin off 56 points.

Palomar's NIKKI BOONE, who was ejected in the teams' first meeting, was limited to just a pair of buckets and just 8 points, putting a dent in her conference player of the year bid. In fact, 7 of her points came in the second half long after the decision had been determined.

However, Sabrina Gonzalez picked up the slack with a game-best 19 points.

For Grossmont (13-12 overall, 4-4 PCC), BRIONNA BAKER was the lead scorer with 11 (all in the second half), while MORGAN CRAIG registered half of the Griffins baskets in the first half for her 9 points.

The Griffins next play on Wednesday (Feb. 6), driving across town to meet district rival Cuyamaca College at 7 p.m. The Coyotes (2-20, 0-8), who recently lost point guard VALLI BURKS for the season to a knee injury, enter on a 10-game losing streak, including Saturday's 64-46 drubbing from Imperial Valley.

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IMPERIAL (1-31-08) -- Imperial Valley College reigned over Grossmont College by sending a rain of 3-point shots over the Griffins. Among the Arabs' 18 baskets, an incredible 15 of them were from beyond the arc, racing to Wednesday's (Jan. 30) 62-47 victory.

The decision dropped Grossmont out of a three-way tie for second place in the Pacific Coast Conference, leaving IVC and San Diego Mesa even at 5-2 as the first round of conference play comes to a conclusion with Thursday's make-up game between San Diego City and Southwestern.

Imperial Valley jumped on the G-House quickly, nailing four straight treys to open the game for a 12-0 lead just 2:26 into the contest. The Griffins cut the margin down to four points after shutting out the Arabs over a 4:10 span late in the half, but the hosts quickly hit 4 additional treys to start the second half to prevent the comeback.

For the contest, IVC's Angelica Lopez nailed 6-of-12 triples among her 20 points, while Brandi Webb and Melissa Hernandez also hit from long range for 16 points each.

Grossmont center SHATORI DEARMAN scored 16 points and grabbed 16 rebounds, BRIONNA BAKER scored 11, while MICHELLE GONZALEZ posted 7 assists. However, 31 turnovers doomed the Griffins in a drop to fourth place heading into Saturday's road game at PCC leading Palomar.

BRIONNA BAKER added 13 points, while MEGAN EHMKE had 11. helping the Griffins outscore MiraCosta, 37-20, in the second half.

Only one player fromthe Spartans was able to connect on a field goal in the first half, as Tiffany Hunter hit 6 shots for 14 of her 21 points just to keep MiraCosta close early in the one-sided contest.

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CHULA VISTA (1-24-08) -- Over the past week, signs of a developing offense has kept Grossmont College in the first-division of the Pacific Coast Conference standings. On Wednesday (Jan. 23), the Griffins' defense displayed signs of improvement, too.

Yielding just one field goal over the opening 10 1/2 minutes, Grossmont raced to a 14-2 lead to quickly dispose of host Southwestern, 62-36.

The Jaguars missed their first 13 shots from the floor before finally connecting. The streak reached 1-for-18 before they scored again, as the Griffins (12-10, 3-2 PCC) built a 31-11 halftime advantage.

Freshman center SHATORI DEARMAN, finding ways to score other than posting-up, paced Grossmont with 18 points. Meanwhile, BRIONNA BAKER added 13 points and 12 rebounds for her first career double-double, and MORGAN CRAIG posted 9 points, 7 boards and 5 steals. In addition, MEGAN EHMKE grabbed 10 boards.

The lone bright spot for Southwestern was its offensive rebounding, but when four separate putbacks from under the basket failed to draw iron, it was just another indication of the long season suffered by the last-place Jags (1-17, 0-4).

Meanwhile, San Diego Mesa was upset by MiraCosta, 48-47, lifting Grossmont into a 3rd-place deadlock with the Olympians.

Palomar 104, Cuyamaca 50 -- The Comets' Nikki Boone, fresh off a 1-game suspension after collecting a pair of technical fouls against Grossmont last week, came back to pour home a game-high 30 points to paste the host Coyotes (2-17, 0-5). It was the most points allowed by Cuyamaca this year.

No other details reported.

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EL CAJON (1-20-08) -- Coaches always seem to prefer a balanced scoring effort, but how about a balanced passing effort?

The Grossmont Griffins achieved such success Saturday (Jan. 19) when nine different players collected assists to whip deflated San Diego City, 84-53, in Pacific Coast Conference action at Grossmont.

Indeed, all of the Griffins were not just on the same page of their playbook, they were matching each paragraph and sentence.

"Our success was dependent on everyone -- it truly was a team effort," said guard DALIA GHANDOUR, who gained a rare start with her improved play of late. "There was communication and full contributions by everyone which allowed us to come out with a victory."

It wasn't just a single pass here or there. Seven of the Griffins registered two or more assists, accounting for 23 helpers, including a game-high six by point guard MICHELLE GONZALEZ.

The recipients included center SHATORI DEARMAN, who registered a game-high 17 points, while BRIONNA BAKER and ALEXIS BERTELSEN added 13 points each.

"It's what we've wanted to reach all season," added Ghandour. "Now we need to do it on a consistent basis."

While Grossmont (11-10 overall, 2-2 PCC) came out flying in building a quick 16-4 lead, the Knights (4-11, 2-1) came out flat following a disheartening week.

On Tuesday, SDCC learned that head coach Tonya Alleyne, who once was a standout point guard for Seton Hall, will leave the program at the end of the season to take a job with the WNBA expansion franchise in Atlanta. Then Wednesday's game was cancelled due to miscommunication on the scheduled start time; the game with Southwestern has been re-scheduled for Jan. 31.

With the victory, Grossmont moves to within a half-game of the second-place Knights, with City still needing to play PCC favorites Palomar and Imperial Valley to close the opening round of conference action.

Dearman registered Grossmont's first six points to ignite the fast start, then MEGAN EHMKE and Bertlesen took turns playing at point forward. First, Bertlesen fed Ehmke for a pair of jumpers from the high post, then Ehmke found an open Bertlesen for a 3-point basket and a 25-8 advantage.

Dearman also grabbed 10 rebounds to complete her double-double.

For City, Melissa Gaines came off the bench to score a team-high 11 points, while forward Darlene Nwagbuo posted 13 boards.

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KEARNY MESA (1-17-08) -- The hottest team in the Pacific Coast Conference finally registered a breakthrough victory Wednesday (Jan. 16) when San Diego Mesa College raced to a 19-5 lead before holding off visiting Grossmont College, 74-62.

A pair of former East County high school products led the Olympians (5-13 overall, 2-1 PCC) to the victory, as KELSEY ASH (Santana) recorded a game-high 22 points, while JOY EDWARDS (Granite Hills) tallied all 11 of her points in the first half to build a 38-31 lead.

“Our guards needed to stand up to Grossmont’s forwards,” said Mesa coach Michael Hootner. “And they did a great job.”

Even with the Griffins guards successfully passing the ball to the low post, the front line found difficulty putting the ball into the basket. The forwards combined to make just 1 of their first 12 shots from the paint to dig a quick hole.

Grossmont rallied twice, cutting the gap to 36-31 just prior to halftime, when BRIONNA BAKER scored 10 of her team-best 17 points, while DALIA GHANDOUR nailed a pair of 3-point buckets.

A triple by LA TASHA DOWELL trimmed the lead to 38-36, but Mesa answered on 4 quick points by Shannen Crawford, then Ash hit a series of three straight treys (two on assists by Edwards) to open a 51-36 advantage.

Edwards, who went 0-for-10 from the field in the second half, overcame her shooting difficulties with 7 assists before fouling out.

LIZ RIEDEL (9 points) and MEGAN EHMKE (6 points, 2 blocks) keyed one last Grossmont rally before they were forced to foul in the final minutes, as Ash drained 7 straight foul shots to move Mesa past the Griffins into a tie for second place in the PCC standings.

Mesa’s hot streak started at the Grossmont Tournament, when the Olympians took state-ranked Saddleback into overtime. The Olys then played PCC leading Palomar into overtime last week before finally breaking into the win column against Grossmont, the only other ballclub in the circuit with a non-losing record.

In other conference action, Imperial Valley College came out flat yet still dropped host Cuyamaca College, 75-65.

Note -- Grossmont’s Brionna Baker was among the honorable mention for Pacific Coast Conference athletes of the week.

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EL CAJON (1-13-08) -- In what was supposed to be a night for the Grossmont College reserves to get extensive playing time, the Griffins instead made it a record-breaking night.

Grabbing a school-record 42 offensive rebounds as part of a near-record total of 76 boards, the Griffins vanquished intra-district rival Cuyamaca College, 70-38, in Saturday's (Jan. 12) Pacific Coast Conference ballgame.

Even with the starting unit sitting on the bench -- including two for the entire first half -- an early Coyotes lead was quickly eliminated when Grossmont shutout the visitors over a 7:49 span of the first half, turning a 9-4 deficit into a 19-9 lead with 15 consecutive points.

And the night continued its downward spiral for Cuyamaca (2-14, 0-2 PCC).

With their 13-person roster now down to 8 players, one Coyote was lost for the balance of the contest with a twisted ankle. And when four other Coyotes fouled out, it left the team with just four players on the court for the final 2:53 of the second half.

But the game was decided early in the second half when Grossmont's first unit made its first appearance.

Grossmont center SHATORI DEARMAN, who sat-out the first half, finished with 12 points and a game-high 16 rebounds -- a game-high 9 on the offensive glass.

LA TASHA DOWELL, who also missed the first 20 minutes to give the reserves a chance to play, then sparked the defense by taking a charge over three straight possessions midway through the second half, leaving Cuyamaca unhappy with the officials and a 6th foul via a technical on one of its starters.

"I thought (reserve guard) KEYANNIE WARD did a nice job handling the ball -- her game has opened up -- and we did a good job keeping our turnovers down," said Grossmont coach KAREN CAIRES. "It was a good chance for everyone to play."

BRIONNA BAKER took advantage of the start, sinking 7-of-12 shots for a game-best 20 points. She also grabbed 12 rebounds and stole the ball three times.

LIZ RIEDEL finished with a double-double with 11 points and 15 boards (8 offensive), while Ward and MICHELLE GONZALEZ recorded 5 steals each.

Cuyamaca received a team-high 8 points from guard KESIA WILLIAMS, but she contributed 10 of the Coyotes' 31 turnovers while the team shot a mere 19 percent (11-of-58) from the floor.

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EL CAJON (1-10-08) -- The only teams in the Pacific Coast Conference with winning preseason records met in Wednesday's (Jan. 9) conference opener. And the win-loss records proved accurate.

Palomar forward Nikki Boone paced the Comets with 16 points and 10 rebounds, yet was ejected in the second half with her second technical foul. However, forward Kelli Brull made up for the difference with a game-high 17 points.

Grossmont (9-9, 0-1 PCC) quickly trailed by 11 points, but bounced back with a solid 8 minute run to close to within 38-32 at the half, as center SHATORI DEARMAN scored all of her 16 points in the opening 20 minutes. However, 22 second-half turnovers doomed the Griffins, who were unable to get the basketball to Dearman in the second half.

Palomar guard Jade Simmons led the defense with 7 steals, while Sabrina Gonzalez overcame a poor 4-for-20 shooting effort by 4 steals and blocking 4 shots.

SDCC 71, Cuyamaca 63
Courtesy, San Diego City College
SAN DIEGO (1-10-08) -- The San Diego City College women's basketball team began Pacific Coast Conference play on Wednesday with a 71-63 victory over Cuyamaca.

Leading by one point with five minutes to play in the first half, the Knights turned up the defensive pressure on Cuyamaca and closed out the half with a 13-6 run that gave them a 44-36 lead. SDCC extended their lead to 13 in the second half, but Cuyamaca responded with a 10-2 run that cut the Knights' lead to 61-56 with 3:32 to play.

SDCC ended the Coyotes momentum, however, with a Nicole Stahnke lay-up and a blocked shot by Darlene Nwagbuo on the defensive end.

Stahnke led the way for City with 18 points and nine rebounds. Nwagbuo was a strong presence in the paint on both ends of the floor as she collected 17 rebounds, eight of them offensive, to go along with three blocks. Caroline Soria had a well-rounded game with 13 points, six rebounds, and five assists. Sarah Fernandez scored 16 points and Melissa Gaines put in 14.

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EL CAJON (12-30-07) -- For the Grossmont College women's basketball team, the idea was to get redemption and demonstrate they can be a contender when the Pacific Coast Conference schedule starts in two weeks.

And the task proved even more difficult when the desired opponent -- 15th-ranked Mt. San Jacinto College -- opened the 20th annual Grossmont College Holiday Tournament with a victory over 8th-ranked Saddleback.

Limiting MSJC to just three field goals in the first half, Grossmont saw a 15-point lead trimmed to a single point, yet never gave up the lead in Saturday's (Dec. 29) emotional 46-36 victory over the Eagles in the tournament's third-place game.

Citrus College took the championship by opening a 20-point halftime lead to cruise past Compton, 58-38, while Saddleback downed Orange Empire Conference rival Golden West, 65-49, in the consolation final.

Grossmont guard LA TASHA DOWELL scored a game-high 14 points, including a 3-point goal to cap a13-0 run and lift the Griffins to a 24-9 lead with 4:14 left in the first half.

The Eagles chipped away to move within 36-35 with 6:29 remaining, but Grossmont stood fast to close the game with a 10-1 run, ignited on a pair of inside baskets by center SHATORI DEARMAN (12 points) on passes by Dowell and MICHELLE GONZALEZ.

Meanwhile, Grossmont defenders kept a hand in the face of Mt. San Jacinto shooters all contest, with five different players contributing to 10 total blocks. And forward MEGAN EHMKE earned an all-tournament berth with her strong rebounding during the 3-day event, including 10 against the Eagles.

The G-House defense also limited Eagles scoring leader Michelle Simmons (14.7 average) to just 7 points, while forward Thalia Benjamin (11.9 average) was contested toughly throughout, finishing 0-for-8 from the floor.

Grossmont, which built the second-best record among all PCC ballclubs, opens conference play against the team with the best mark, hosting Palomar (11-5) on Jan. 9, starting at 7 p.m.

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (12-29-07) -- Grossmont College was hoping for a shot at Mt. San Jacinto College, the highest ranked team participating in this week's 20th annual Grossmont Holiday Tournament. The Griffins needed just one upset to occur in Friday's (Nov. 28) semifinals to get the match-up they embraced.

The good news -- Grossmont received its desired match-up with the Eagles and a shot at avenging an 18-point loss in the second week of the season.

The bad news -- It was the Eagles who were upset, leaving Grossmont to play for third place rather than Saturday's championship contest.

While Grossmont was falling to Citrus, Compton, which is listed immediately following the Griffins in the latest Southern California RPI ratings (see chart), saw four different leads disappear before upsetting Mt. San Jacinto, 59-56.

Down by as many as 14 points, the Eagles got even several times, but never took the lead until Eagles guard Kelly Johnson hit a 3-point basket for a 56-55 lead with 15.6 seconds remaining.

However, Compton forward Antonitta Veto scored on a putback with 11.6 seconds to go, then LaTara Buck, who scored a game-high 23 points, added a pair of foul shots to clinch a berth in the tournament finale.

In the other semifinal, Grossmont's shooters never did find the range, hitting at a 22 percent clip throughout its loss to the Owls. Four different players scored in double figures for the Owls (12-6), including a game-high 14 by guard Adrienne Domingo.

In the consolation, a pair of exciting overtime affairs saw Saddleback avoid an upset bid by San Diego Mesa, 59-52, while Golden West let a 12-point advantage slip away yet still downed Bakersfield, 84-73.

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (12-28-07) -- In the best 12-minute run in the KAREN CAIRES era, the Grossmont College women's basketball team busted open a close contest by opening the second half with a massive 35-5 run, as the Griffins calf-roped Golden West, 71-42, in Thursday's (Dec. 27) featured first-round contest of the 20th annual Grossmont Holiday Tournament.

Grossmont (8-7) will meet Citrus in Friday's 7 p.m. semifinals, as the Owls whipped Bakersfield , 83-57. On the other side of the bracket, a pair of nail-biters saw Mt. San Jacinto stave off Saddleback, 52-51, while Compton blew a 32-14 lead yet propeled San Diego Mesa, 55-54.

In a close first half, Grossmont held a 26-24 lead scoring the final four points of the half. The Griffins proved almost unstoppable upon returning from the locker room, hitting 6 of their first 7 shots.

Most of the scoring came on drives to the basket, including two for layins by LA TASHA DOWELL. The others came on putbacks, including two by MEGAN EHMKE, who paced Grossmont with game-highs of 14 points and 17 rebounds. The forward also shot 6-of-8 shots from the floor, lifting the Griffins to a solid 47 percent effort (30-of-74) for the contest.

Dowell scored 8 of her 12 points during the 35-5 run, while MICHELLE GONZALEZ netted 7 of her 9 points, building a 65-28 advantage with 8 minutes remaining. In addition, ALEXIS BERTELSEN came off the bench to register 10 points, while DALIA GHANDOUR was noted by the coaching staff for a strong effort in relief with 5 points and 8 rebounds, as Grossmont held a mammoth 63-30 advantage on the boards.

For Golden West (5-8) guard Monica Chavez recorded a team-best 13 points, but the Rustlers shot just 23 percent (14-for-61) from the floor, including a mere 5-for-30 (17 percent) in their forgettable second-half performance.

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (12-20-07) -- Trailing 14-5 out of the blocks, Grossmont College stormed back with solid defense to upend visiting College of the Desert, 60-51, in Wednesday's (Dec.19) non-conference game at the G-House.

Freshman center SHATORI DEARMAN paced the Griffins with 19 points and blocking four shots, while the team limited the Roadrunners to just four baskets in the entire second half to win by almost an identical score as in the teams' first meeting. On Dec. 6, Grossmont secured a 62-52 victory in the opening round of the Irvine Valley Tournament.

"The part I'm most proud of is we only committed 18 turnovers -- we did a much better job handling the ball," said Grossmont head coach KAREN CAIRES. "Sure we have things to work on, but that one statistic alone will keep us in a lot of games the rest of the season."

MICHELLE GONZALEZ and LA TASHA DOWELL led the ball-handlers with five assists each, although the numbers could have been higher due to an array of missed inside shots. At one point, Grossmont missed eight straight shots from inside the paint before getting situated, but the defense forced Desert (3-10) to shoot even poorer.

The Roadrunners were just 4-for-26 (15 percent) from the floor in the second half, including five rejections by the defense. Meanwhile, the Griffins' offense utilized a 23-6 scoring run to forge a 47-37 lead.

A Dearman layin while bring fouled game Grossmont a 38-37b lead 3:30 into the half, then the lead went to as high as 13 points when Dowell passed to MORGAN CRAIG for a 3-point basket when COD had two starters on the bench with four fouls each.

Seven different Griffins scored 4 points or more, while Gonzalez, the point guard, amazingly led the team with 13 rebounds.

Grossmont celebrates the 20th anniversary of its annual holiday tournament next week, host a 3-day event starting on Thursday (Dec. 27). The Griffins will meet Golden West in the 5 p.m. feature contest.

© East County Sports.com
WOODLAND HILLS (12-16-07) -- It was a long day for East County community college women's basketball teams, as Grossmont fell on the road to L.A. Pierce College, 66-38, while Cuyamaca suffered a home loss to East Los Angeles, 68-51.

Grossmont (6-7) committed 18 first-half turnovers to trail the Brahmas, 41-17, at the half. DALIA GHANDOUR led the Griffins with seven points, while ALEXIS BERTELSEN added six.

However, the Griffins did establish a positive school record by blocking 17 shots by the Brahmas. Included were seven rejections by Bertelsen, a reserve forward, The other blocks were registered by SHATORI DEARMAN (5), MEGAN EHMKE (4) and point guard MICHELLE GONZALEZ (1).

Cuyamaca (1-11) has now lost eight in a row, as the bottom five ballclubs in the Pacific Coast Conference own a composite 7-42 (.143) mark. No other information was made available by the Coyotes coaching staff.

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (12-13-07) -- In the best 15 minutes of basketball played this season, Grossmont College raced to a massive 28-7 lead en route to a 68-44 pasting of visiting Los Angeles City College in Wednesday's (Dec. 12) non-conference game.

Griffins center SHATORI DEARMAN, who earlier in the day was named Pacific Coast Conference female athlete of the week, paced the attack with a team-high 18 points and 8 rebounds.

The early start was keyed by guard MICHELLE GONZALEZ. The freshman guard from Grossmont High hit the first two shots of the contest, then made two quick passes to Dearman for baskets in the paint for two assists and an 8-0 lead.

By the time the Lady Cubs (4-8) made their second basket, the Griffins (7-7) mounted a 24-7 advantage en route to snapping a mild 2-game losing streak.

Gonzalez finished with 12 points and 7 assists, while LA TASHA DOWELL added 10 points and 5 assists, including a steal for a breakaway layin while being fouled for a 3-point play to push the early cushion to 22-5.

For the contest, Grossmont shot an even 50 percent (27-for-54) from the floor. On defense, eight different Griffins recorded at least two steals among LACC's 30 turnovers. In addition, Dearman blocked 3 shots, while LIZ REIDEL rejected two shots.

Cubs forward Latrice Klyce was the game leader with 26 points, 9 boards and 6 steals, but also committed 9 turnovers.

© East County Sports.com
IRVINE (12-9-07) -- Rio Hondo College of Whittier again demonstrated its 3-point shooting ability, draining 17-of-49 shots from beyond the arc to down Grossmont College, 87-73, in Saturday's (Dec. 8) third place contest of the Irvine Valley College Tournament.

"We kept pace with them the entire second half by trading baskets," said Griffins assistant coach LENNY SCHLEIN. "But they kept making 3s and we were only making 2s."

TORI DEARMAN once again paced Grossmont in scoring, recording 22 points plus 8 rebounds. LIZ REIDEL added 20 points and 10 boards, while MEGAN EHMKE had 8 points and 9 boards.

The Roadrunners, winners of three of their last four, improve to 7-4.

Grossmont (5-6) returns home for a Wednesday (Dec. 12) showdown with Los Angeles City College. Tip-off is at 5 p.m.

© East County Sports.com
IRVINE (12-8-07) -- The last time Grossmont College played a state-ranked team, the result wasn't pretty. But at least the Griffins know they are making major strides before finally falling to host Irvine Valley, 76-57, in Friday's (Dec. 7) semifinals of the Irvine Valley Invitational.

Grossmont (5-5) will take on Rio Hondo in Saturday's third-place contest at 2 p.m.

Freshman center TORI DEARMAN paced the Griffins with 18 points, but she only grabbed a pair of rebounds, as the Lasers held the advantage on the boards to pull away for the victory.

MICHELLE GONZALEZ added 12 points and five assists for Grossmont, while MEGAN EHMKE added 12 points and seven boards.

Cuyamaca College
PASADENA -- Cuyamaca College (1-8) was eliminated from the Rose City Classic at Pasadena City College, falling to L.A. Pierce, 80-50, in Friday's (Dec. 7) consolation contest.

© East County Sports.com
IRVINE (12-7-07) -- Grossmont College center TORI DEARMAN paced a balanced attack with a team-high 14 points, leading the Griffins past College of the Desert, 62-52, in Thursday's (Dec. 6) opening round of the Irvine Valley Tournament.

LIZ RIEDEL and MICHELLE GONZALEZ added 13 points each, while MEGAN EHMKE had 8 points and 13 rebounds, most coming in the second half when the Griffins overcame a Roadrunners lead.

"We just kept turning the ball over in the first half," said head coach KAREN CAIRES. "But we started hitting the boards and got a lot of second-chance baskets, with Tori and Megan a big part of getting us the ball."

The victory extended the team's winning streak to three straight, moving over .500 for the first time all season. Grossmont (5-4) will meet the tournament host Lasers in Friday's (Dec. 7) 8 p.m. semifinals.

Cuyamaca College -- Meanwhile, at the Rose City Classic hosted by Pasadena City College, Cuyamaca College fell to Glendale in a first-round contest at historic Hutto-Patterson Gymnasium.

The Coyotes will meet L.A. Pierce in the consolation round. The Brahmas fell to the host Lancers.

© East County Sports.com
CYPRESS (12-3-07) -- Grossmont College guard MICHELLE GONZALEZ helped turn around a seriously poor first-half shooting effort, rallying the Griffins from 11 points down at intermission to slide past Sacramento's American River College, 66-63, in Sunday's (Dec.2) consolation title game at the Cypress Tournament.

After Grossmont shot a paltry 18 percent from the floor to trail, 32-21, Gonzalez entered and sank 5-of-7 shots from beyond the arc, finishing with a game-high 16 points. She also registered 5 rebounds and 3 steals, while center TORI DEARMAN added 14 points and 11 rebounds.

Meanwhile, forward LIZ REIDEL displayed consistency throughout the event, finishing with 9 points and 12 boards to gain an all-tournament selection. Reidel was aided by MEGAN EHMKE (11 points, 7 boards) and ALEXIS BERTLESEN (8 points).

The Griffins (4-4) next play at the Irvine Valley Tournament, meeting College of the Desert in Thursday's 8 p.m. nightcap.

© East County Sports.com
CYPRESS (12-2-07) -- Sophomore center MEGAN EHMKE registered game highs of 15 points and 10 rebounds, leading Grossmont College past the West Los Angeles Oilers, 75-44, in the consolation semifinals of the Cypress Tournament.

The Griffins (3-4) will meet American River College in Sunday's noon consolation final. The Beavers, from Sacramento, advanced by downing East Los Angeles.

LIZ RIEDEL added 13 points for Grossmont, while ALEXIS BERTLESEN added 12.

© East County Sports.com
FULLERTON (11-28-07) -- Grossmont College found the wrong night to play up-and-down Fullerton College.

The Hornets have lost every odd-numbered game this season, but bounce back to win an even-number game. For Fullerton (4-4), Tuesday's (Nov. 27) home opener was game No. 8, which meant a victory -- and a 62-42 decision over the Griffins (2-3).

For Grossmont, freshman center SHATORI DEARMAN led the visitors with 17 points and 11 rebounds. The G-House also forced 29 turnovers on the Hornets, but couldn't score on the transition.

Meanwhile, Fullerton , which was coming off a 52-36 setback at Palomar, out-rebounded the Griffins 48-40 and managed to score 26 points off of turnovers to maintain its lead throughout.

Erin Eskey came off the bench to lead the Hornets with 17 points on 7-for- 10 shooting from the floor.

The Griffins return to Orange County for the Cypress College Tournament, meeting El Camino in Friday's (Nov. 30) 4 p.m. opener.

In addition, San Diego City did not report results from its own tournament. The two local teams are a combined 0-7 this season.

Grossmont's La Tasha Dowell (23) skies for the rebound against East Los Angeles. (Photo by Lisa Craig)

Iloff was a thorn to Grossmont all night Friday (Nov. 21), scoring 10 points in the second half or passing to her Huskies teammates for open looks down the stretch, erasing a 43-29 deficit to take a 57-56 lead.

Grossmont's MORGAN CRAIG connected on a trey off a MICHELLE GONZALEZ pass to reclaim the lead, but Iloff drained a short jumper to tie the game at 59-all with 47.6 seconds left. However, on the scoring play, East L.A. was called for a foul underneath, allowing Griffins center TORI DEARMAN to sink the tie-breaking foul shots, as Grossmont hit 5-of-6 free throws to seal the victory.

Grossmont's Morgan Craig (35) drives baseline around a Huskies defender. (Photo by Lisa Craig)

"It wasn't our best performance, but I like learning by winning," said head coach KAREN CAIRES, who wasn't pleased with 38 turnovers, yet was encouraged by a 54-48 rebounding advantage.

Dearman led the Griffins with 20 points and 8 boards, while ALEXIS BERTLESEN added 15 points, many off passes by Gonzalez, who came off the bench to garner 8 assists and make a bid for a starting berth.

Grossmont opens a 7-game road trip against Fullerton on Tuesday. Then it's on to tournaments at Cypress and Irvine Valley before returning home against Los Angeles City on Dec. 12.

Grossmont's Megan Ehmke (middle) powers inside against Moorpark. (Photo by Lisa Craig)

Cuyamaca -- The Coyotes much-delayed season opener resulted in a 79-42 pasting by host L.A. Pierce in Woodland Hills. No informsation was reported by the Coyotes.

© East County Sports.com
SAN JACINTO (11-15-07) -- In an unimpressive outing, Grossmont College shot just 30 percent from the field and 33 percent from the foul line, falling to host Mt. San Jacinto College, 61-43, in Wednesday's (Nov. 14) non-conference game at Eagles Gymnasium.

Neither team shot well early, as Mt. San Jacinto lead by a mere 10-9 midway through the first half. The hosts then pushed the lead to 8 with a series of 3-point baskets until finally pulling away in the final minutes.

For Grosmsont, sophomore LIZ RIEDEL scored 10 points to lead the team, while TORI DEARMAN, LA TASHA DOWELL and MORGAN CRAIG added 8 each.

The Griffins make their home debut Friday afternoon (Nov. 16) against Moorpark at 3 p.m. It's Kids Day, with everyone 15 and under admitted free to the contest.

Cuyamaca -- The Coyotes' home opener against Saddleback was canceled when the new coaching regime realized the previous staff overbooked its schedule by one ballgame.

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (2-19-07/REVISED 3-16-07) -- Pacific Coast Conference women's basketball coaches were split in their voting, selecting Palomar College forward Sabrina Gonzalez and Southwestern College center Karla Medina as co-players of the year.

Meanwhile, Grossmont placed center Megan Ehmke and forward Gabby Passentino on the first team, while Cuyamaca was represented by PCC scoring champion Brittany Daniel,who averaged 18.4 points per game entering the final week of the season.

Ehmke was the Griffins' leading scorer at 13.6 in PCC play, while Passentino was the team's top defender and rated among the rebounding leaders.

In addition, PCC champion Imperial Valley had no players voted to the all-conference team. No reasons were given for the omission.

UPDATE (3-16-07) -- On Wednesday (Mar. 14), PCC athletic directors voted to include three players from Impertial Valley College to the all-conference team. They are now included in the revised listing below.