Unbeaten Saddleback Rolls Past Irvine Valley

Saddleback, ranked second in the state, dominated fifth-ranked Irvine Valley, 65-49, in the Orange Empire Conference women’s basketball opener Wednesday in Mission Viejo.

Saddleback (14-0, 1-0), which is off to its best start in the history of the program, had an easy time despite getting limited playing time from forward Cha-Ron Walker, who has signed with Arizona.

Walker, who had two quick fouls to start each half, finished with seven points.

LaShieka Henderson picked up the scoring void, getting 17 points. She scored 11 in the first half as the Gauchos opened a 33-23 lead.

Forward Nekeda Allen came off the bench to score 10 points. She also had nine rebounds and blocked four shots.

Saddleback’s Shanna Renken, who was selected most valuable player of the Grossmont tournament last week, continued to play well. She had 13 points and five rebounds.

“It was a real team effort tonight,” said Saddleback Coach Jack Single.

Saddleback started to pull away early in the second half when sophomore guard Maureen Skehan stole two consecutive inbound passes and got assisted on baskets. The second layup gave Saddleback a 39-25 lead with 17 minutes eight seconds left to play.

Skehan, the college’s all-time steal leader, had 10 points and eight steals.

“You can’t put a price on what she does for us,” Single said. “She’s everywhere, and whoever she guarded usually didn’t score.”

Saddleback’s defensive pressure was most effective on Irvine Valley’s Jennifer Nakanishi. She started the game averaging 18 points and shooting 44% on three-point attempts. Wednesday night, she scored 12 points, including seven free throws, but made only two of 20 shots from the field. She was one of nine on three-pointers.

Heather Robinson had 20 points for Irvine Valley (15-3, 0-1).