Orange Coast Women Looking to Make It 12 Victories in Row

Orange Coast’s flashy women’s basketball team will be in action locally this weekend. The Pirates (11-0) start play Friday in the Coast Christmas Classic on the OCC campus.

The eleven consecutive victories are a team record and the Pirates are seeking No. 12 at 6 p.m. Friday against Los Angeles Trade Tech.

The tournament opens with Fullerton playing Grossmont at 2 p.m., followed by El Camino vs. Chaffey at 4 p.m. After OCC’s game, San Diego Mesa meets Los Angeles Valley at 8 p.m.

Play continues Saturday and the title game is 4 p.m. Sunday.

OCC Coach Mike Thornton said he is impressed with how well the Pirates have played defense this season, but they have also dominated on offense.

The Pirates are averaging 86 points and all five starters are in double figures. Opponents are averaging 53 points.

Colleen Hatch, a sophomore forward who was a preseason all-state pick, leads in scoring, with a 17-point average, and rebounding with nine.

Ricarda Kuypers, from Germany, averages 14 points and eight assists. Heather Brannan, another guard, averages 12 points and center LeAnn Kazmer averages 11. Jane Davis, who joins Hatch at forward, is averaging 10.

Dana and Don: Dana Pagett and Don Frank, who worked together for eight years building the Rancho Santiago men’s basketball program, oppose each other on the court for the first time Friday.

Pagett is in his 11th season as coach at Rancho Santiago. Frank worked as his assistant from 1982-90, stepping down after the Dons won the State title.

Frank sat out the 1990-91 season, then took over at Rio Hondo last season. Rio Hondo and Rancho Santiago play at 6 p.m. Friday in the opening round of the Pasadena tournament.

Cypress is the place to see a number of local men’s teams this week as the Bill Taormina Classic starts Thursday.

Golden West takes on College of the Canyons in the 2 p.m. opener and Victor Valley plays Oxnard at 4 p.m.

Irvine Valley meets Long Beach at 6 p.m. and Cypress goes against Biola JV at 8 p.m. to complete the first round.

The tournament continues Friday and the title game is 8 p.m. Saturday.

Wrestling: Rancho Santiago’s Brian Tomazic was the only champion from Orange County at the State tournament Saturday at Cerritos College.

Palomar won the team title with 116 points, Cerritos (86 3/4) was second and Fresno (82) third. Rancho Santiago was seventh with 57 points.

Tomazic beat Ricardo Garcia of West Valley, 5-2, in the 190-pound title match. Two other locals made it to the finals but lost.

Rancho Santiago’s David Niedringhaus lost to Jeff Hobert of Mt. San Antonio, 7-3, at 126 pounds. Mike Carolan of Diablo Valley pinned Golden West’s Mike Boster at 6 minutes 48 seconds of the heavyweight match.

Scoring mania: Irvine Valley’s Chris Kostoff scored 45 points, including 11 three-pointers, Saturday as Irvine Valley beat Mt. San Jacinto, 114-110, for third place in the Riverside Holiday tournament.

His three-pointers are an Orange County single-game record. Cypress’ Mike Varos (1989) and Saddleback’s Charles Lockard (1990) each had eight in a game for the previous mark. Kostoff, from Capistrano Valley High, was 11 of 23 from three-point range and 14 of 28 from the field overall.

His 45 points also put him in the upper crust of the county’s single-game scoring marks. Walt Simon, who is the father of Mater Dei standout Miles Simon, had 51 for Fullerton in 1965. Simon is currently an assistant at Fullerton.

Golden West had two players--Chris Thompson (1969) and Taras Young (1973)--score 50 points in a game. Orange Coast’s Don Carter (1953) had 48 and Rancho Santiago’s Edgar Wickliffe had 47 in 1978.

Kostoff’s 45 ties Kevin Magee who had 45 for Saddleback in 1980. Magee’s mark came while playing for Bill Mulligan, who is the coach at Irvine Valley.

Community College Notes

Mauricio Claure, co-coach of the Orange Coast men’s soccer team, has been selected the 1992 Western Regional Community College Coach of the Year by the National Soccer Coaches Assn. of America. Claure was co-coach of the program with Barry Wallace from 1979-86 and with Laird Hayes from 1987 to the present. OCC has won two State titles and seven conference titles since 1980. Claure will receive the award Jan. 15 in Baltimore. . . . Mark Moneypenny, a sophomore forward from Orange Coast, has signed to play at Southern Utah State, OCC Coach Tim O’Brien said. Moneypenny averaged seven points and four rebounds last season.