When the Clock Strikes 12, Moorpark Bows Out, 70-51,

Midnight came early for Cinderella this time.

Moorpark College, unranked and unexpected to contend, was overmatched by Merced, 70-51, on Thursday night in a quarterfinal game of the women’s basketball Junior College State Championships at De Anza College.

“[We] were nervous, very nervous,” said Sherry Ruter, Moorpark coach. “We knew Merced was a very aggressive team.”

The Raiders (20-12) advanced the the final eight with two improbable victories in the Southern California Regional.

Moorpark upset Harbor, 83-67, in the second round of the Southern California Regional, and then surprised Mt. San Antonio, 87-86, in overtime in the third round.

Against Merced (31-5), ranked third in the state, the Raiders came up short on the scoreboard and in trying to match up with 6-foot-2 twins Cristine and Marina Sanchez.

Marina scored 21 points, and Cristine had 10 points for the Blue Devils.

Moorpark never recovered after trailing, 39-27, at halftime.

The Raiders fell behind, 48-29, with 18:06 left to play and never threatened again.

Sophomore guard Trisha Palmquist, who recently came back from a broken leg, scored 16 points for Moorpark.

Freshman center Mellisa Shoden added 14 points for the Raiders and sophomore guard Carrie Billone finished with 11 points.

“We got nothing to hang our heads about,” Ruter said. “The girls played hard . . . we were just so proud to be in here.”