State Title Within Reach of Talent-Laden Valley : Women: A blend of experienced players and strong newcomers could enable Lady Monarchs to win a championship.

With three consecutive berths in the state final four, the Valley College women’s basketball team might finish off a fourth by cutting down the nets on a state championship.

Sound sweet? That would be Valley’s version of a string quartet.

Doug Michelson has combined the area’s best recruiting class with several returning players from a state semifinalist last season. He has built a team that leaves other coaches quaking.

“They’re just going to be awesome,” Pierce Coach Rob Dimuro said. “They’ve got to be a pretty good bet to win the whole thing.”

Point guard Sylvia Castaneda (5-foot-9), who averaged 4.3 assists a game, and forwards Ericka Miller (5-9) and Claudia Rocha (5-11) played extensively last season. Sophomore guard Tisa Rush (5-6), a former All-City Section player at Kennedy High, returns after sitting out a season.

“Those four are really high-quality sophomores,” said Michelson, who has led Valley to the final four in each of his three seasons.

Top freshmen include Falicia Stanley (5-5) of Kennedy and Stacie Toon (6-0) of Van Nuys, a pair of first-team Times All-Valley selections. Second-team All-Valley selection Katina Mines (5-9) of Sylmar also joins a Valley team that was eliminated from the state semifinals last season in a double-overtime loss to College of the Sequoias.

Mines is out with a hernia until Nov. 20, but Valley recently defeated Biola, a four-year NAIA team, by 10 points in a scrimmage. Valley (30-6 overall and Western State Conference champion at 13-2 last season) will open Friday at home against MiraCosta.

“We’ve got 10 quality players,” Michelson said. “We’re going to go at a pace where they can’t play 40 minutes.”

Valley likely will set the pace for teams in the region, but Canyons, Moorpark, Ventura, Antelope Valley and Pierce should contend for state tournament berths.

* Canyons (25-8, 11-4 in the WSC) has three starters back from the team that made the state final eight last season. Sophomore guards Keira Irwin (seven assists a game) and Dee Dee Hinson (10 points a game) will be joined by Shannon Solway, a transfer from Eastern Montana and a teammate of Irwin’s at Simi Valley High. The trio gives Canyons a deadly perimeter game.

“We’re going to be tough to zone,” Coach Jeff Dunlap said.

Kim Posey (6-0) returns inside but Dawn Coleman, second in the conference in rebounding as a freshman, did not return. Canyons will play its first game, in the Golden West tournament, next Thursday.

* Moorpark has a 44-8 WSC record in Coach Gary Abraham’s four years. Starting forward Angie Long (10 points, 9.5 rebounds per game) returns, and Amy Chandler (5-5), who played for Cal Lutheran last season, will start at point guard.

Moorpark (22-9, 10-3 and the WSC Northern Division champion) will open Friday with a road game against defending state champion Golden West.

“I think we’ve got probably more talent than we did last year,” Abraham said. “We’re going to find out how bad or good we are from the start.”

* Ventura (23-9, 10-4 in the WSC) qualified for the state tournament last season. Marli Mactal, a 5-4 point guard who averaged 3.4 assists a game, is the only returning starter.

Ventura will play its first game under new Coach Ned Mircetic on Saturday on the road against Hancock.

* Antelope Valley (17-11, 11-1), for the first time, won a share of the Foothill Conference championship with a late-season surge before losing in the first round of the state tournament to Golden West.

First-year Coach Jackie Lott has two players, Anna Quiles (8.1 ppg) and Belen Ocegeura (6 ppg), who played last season, and freshman Lu Lu Vasquez averaged 19 points a game for Rosamond High. Antelope Valley will tip off Friday with an away game against Riverside.

* Pierce (11-17, 3-12 in the WSC) adds Valley transfer Lisa Little (6-1) to three returning starters.

“We’re going to be real tough,” Dimuro said. “We think we’re going to be one of the top teams in the state.”

Pierce’s first game is Friday against Cypress.

* Glendale’s new coach, Kathy Pudelko, takes over a team that struggled to a 3-20 record and a 1-14 WSC mark last season. Glendale will open at home against Golden West on Nov. 21.

* Oxnard is attempting to bounce back from a 2-14 WSC conference season, 7-21 overall. Oxnard will open against Rancho Santiago on Friday at Santa Clara High.