SPORTSCOPE : Pomona Women Try for Another CCAA Title

After struggling through its nonconference season, the Cal Poly Pomona women’s basketball team has won its first six California Collegiate Athletic Assn. games.

The Broncos can clinch at least a share of their 10th consecutive CCAA title with a victory over Chapman at 8 p.m. Friday at Kellogg Gym in Pomona. The team also plays at Cal State Dominguez Hills at 5:45 p.m. Saturday.

Pomona, ranked No. 13 in Division II with a 15-7 record, has never finished with less than a share of the title since the conference added women’s basketball in 1981. Cal State Los Angeles is second in the league race at 4-3.

The Broncos have been sparked by senior forward Stephanie Coons, who leads the CCAA in scoring at 16.6 points a game and averages a team-leading 7.4 rebounds. Coons turned in one of her best performances of the season in Pomona’s 79-65 victory over UC Riverside last week, scoring 23 points to earn Conference Player of the Week honors.

After Coons, junior forward Tami Chick is second in scoring with a 9.6 average.

Chapman (10-13 overall, 2-5 in league play) has one of the top offensive players in the conference in forward Jackie Saunders. She averages 16.4 points and 11 rebounds.

Dominguez Hills (15-8, 2-5) has four players with scoring averages in double figures, including forward/guard Denise Slater and forward Cheri Bullet. Slater averages 11.5 points and Bullet 11.4 points and 9.2 rebounds.

Hoping to stay alive in its quest for its first berth in the CCAA postseason tournament, the Cal Poly Pomona men’s basketball team will play two crucial games against Chapman and Cal State Dominguez Hills this week.

The Broncos (12-11, 4-4) are in fourth place in the CCAA. They play host to Chapman at 5:45 p.m. Friday at Kellogg Gym and play at Dominguez Hills at 8 p.m. Saturday.

Dominguez Hills is tied with Cal State Los Angeles for fifth in the league race at 4-5 and Chapman is last at 2-7. The top four teams qualify for the CCAA tournament.

The Broncos have lost three games in a row. Pomona suffered back-to-back setbacks to UC Riverside two weeks ago and to conference-leading Cal State Bakersfield, 85-77, last week.

The loss to Bakersfield overshadowed another strong performance from senior forward Terry Ross, who scored 28 points to improve his CCAA-leading average to 24 a game. He also leads Pomona in rebounding at 9.1.

With 28 points against Bakersfield, Ross also moved into third place on the school’s career-scoring list with 1,026 points. He needs 15 points to surpass Paul Scranton for the No. 2 spot.

Chapman is led by all-conference forward Roger Middleton, who averages 20.4 points and 8.2 rebounds.

Skip Miller, golf and tennis coach at Chino High for the past 17 years, has been named women’s tennis coach at Mt. San Antonio College.

Miller, a resident of Claremont, coached the Chino golf team to a Baseline League title in 1987.