STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL : Jackson and Sirchia Lead Golden West’s Title-Winning Rally

VISALIA — Claudette Jackson scored 25 points in the second half Saturday night and Golden West College rallied to win its first state women’s basketball championship.

The top-ranked Rustlers defeated College of the Sequoias, 72-61, at College of the Sequoias as all-state players Jackson and Bits Sirchia took control after halftime.

Sirchia, who had 19 points and was named to the all-tournament team, hit a three-point basket at the first-half buzzer and made another three-point basket with 1:04 left in the game to give Golden West a 66-61 lead.

During one stretch in the second half, Jackson, the tournament’s most valuable player and Southern California player of the year, scored 18 of Golden West’s 21 points. Jackson finished with 33 points, and she and Sirchia scored the Rustlers’ last 30 points of the game.

Debra Davis, the Northern California player of the year, finished with 18 points for Sequoias.

“I don’t think there’s any doubt who the best player in the state is,” Golden West co-Coach Dave Stricklin said. “It came down to crunch time and she (Jackson) did it.”

Golden West (37-1) fell behind by as many as 10 points in the first half against the state’s top-ranked defense, but came back to defeat second-ranked Sequoias (34-4) for the third time this season.

“We’ve known from Day 1 this has been the most driven team, the most determined team, we’ve ever had,” Stricklin said. “We told them at halftime we were going to find out who the No. 1 team in the state is.”

Sirchia made five three-point baskets, and Jackson had a game-high 14 rebounds. Stacee Johnson added 13 rebounds as Golden West held a 47-38 advantage on the boards.