AREA COLLEGE NOTEBOOK
College of the Canyons and Ventura are within one victory of reaching the women’s basketball state championships March 8-10 in Stockton.
It would be the eighth appearance in the Final Eight tournament for Ventura in Coach Ned Mircetic’s 11 seasons with the Pirates.
The Pirates (29-4), top-seeded in the Southern California playoffs, host No. 8 Southwest (24-8) on Friday at 7 p.m., with the winner advancing to Stockton.
Ventura won the state title last season with a 38-0 record. The Pirates were state champions in 1995-96 and 1996-97, and placed second in 1997-98 and 1998-99.
Canyons (26-6), in its ninth season under Coach Greg Herrick, is aiming for a second consecutive trip to the Final Eight. The Cougars lost in the quarterfinals at Stockton last season.
The Cougars, seeded No. 3, host No. 6 Cerritos (27-5) on Friday, with the winner advancing to the state championships.
Canyons lost to Ventura, 68-59, in the state final in 1997 at San Jose State. The Cougars defeated Ventura, 69-61, in a Western State Conference interdivisional game on Dec. 22 at Valencia.
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