Fullerton’s High Rise Surprises Even Coach

When Debi Woelke took over as the women’s basketball coach at Fullerton last summer, she had the good fortune of inheriting an experienced team.

Woelke knew that with returning guards Angie Baca, Paola Flores, Heather Floyd and Lauren Murphy, her team would be able to compete for the Orange Empire Conference title.

But she didn’t dare envision the kind of the success the postseason has brought to the Hornets.

Fullerton shared the conference title with Orange Coast and also joins the Pirates in the state tournament Thursday at Concordia. Fullerton (27-8) opens against San Jose (31-2) at 6 p.m.

The Hornets advanced by upsetting host Pasadena, 77-71, Saturday. The victory ended Pasadena’s 13-game winning streak.

“I didn’t think we’d get this far,” said Woelke, who came to Fullerton after six seasons as the head coach at UC Riverside. “We have a group that has a tremendous sense of pride in what they do. They really enjoy each other.”

The starting unit also complements each other very well.

Baca fills the role as the leading scorer. She is averaging 17 points and is the college’s all-time leader with 1,102 points. She also has a team-high 98 steals. She also has 134 career three-pointers including 84 this season. Both are Fullerton records.

Flores is the do-everything player. She is averaging 15 points and can play inside and out. She is second on the team in rebounds, averaging eight. Flores also takes over in the middle on defense when center Aimee Copp is in foul trouble.

Murphy has the top free-throw percentage on the team at 80% (53 of 66). She also is averaging nine points and had the fewest turnovers among the starters. She has had at least two three-pointers in seven of the last eight games.

Floyd is the true point guard in the group. She has a team-high 217 assists this season and holds the Fullerton career record with 400. She needs four more assists to set the Fullerton single-season record.

Copp, a sophomore, completes the starting five and is the top inside threat, averaging 16.6 points and 9.5 rebounds.