Corsairs Women Could Get a Shot at No.1

The Santa Monica College women’s basketball team, having won the Metropolitan Conference crown and ranked second in the state by the J. C. Athletic Bureau, will start into the Southern California Regionals on Wednesday at Long Beach, where the Corsairs should meet Los Angeles Trade Tech, ranked No. 1 in the state.

Twelve teams will compete. The top four finishers will play in the state championships at Cerritos on March 14-16.

Though some league standings are not final, the regionals teams should be Santa Monica and Long Beach (Metro), Fullerton and Orange Coast (South Coast), Ventura, ranked third in the state, and Taft (Western State), Trade Tech and Antelope Valley (Mountain Valley), Palomar and San Diego-Mesa (Pacific Coast) and College of the Desert and Riverside (Inland Valley).

Seeding at the regionals will be decided today by the competing teams’ coaches.

The Corsairs (23-3, 11-1) lost to Trade Tech (23-1, 9-0) in pre-conference play, 65-57.

Tech Shooting 50%

The Techsters (hitting 50% of their shots from the floor and 59% from the line) are averaging 83 points a game and holding opponents to 54. The team is led by forward Shamona Moseley (averaging 25.6 points, 10 rebounds, 2.4 assists), followed by guard Tammy Richard (16.1 points, 8.2 assists), guard Connie Farrow (12.3 points) and Kimberly Wilton (11.6 points, 10.1 rebounds).

The Corsairs’ top players are guard Gibran Bowden (20 points, 7.8 rebounds, 4.8 steals and 3.5 assists), guard Valerie Vermeer (18 points, 9.9 rebounds, 4.1 steals and 5 assists), forward Gisselle Bowden, Gibran’s sister (13.4 points, 8.9 rebounds, 4.3 steals, 3.1 assists), Tracey Lucas (11.6 points, 5.8 steals) and Yvonne Tate (10.8 points).

The Corsairs (scoring 44.7% from the floor and 51% from the line) are averaging 79.8 points and giving up 57.9.

As league play ended last week, the Corsairs, beating Long Beach, 77-57, and Bakersfield, 71-63, won the crown for the second consecutive year. Long Beach (19-8, 9-3) and Bakersfield (15-12, 9-3) tied for second. Pasadena (15-10, 7-5) took fourth, followed by El Camino (8-18, 4-8), Los Angeles City (3-15, 2-10) and Pierce (0-23, 0-12).