Women’s Basketball: 2015 Conference Preview

The 2015 Western State Conference North and South Division Women's Basketball races officially begin tonight. In the North, it looks like it will be a two horse race with defending State Champs, Ventura College looking to win their 24th straight conference crown, with Cuesta College looking to be their biggest threat. In the South, Bakersfield College has ran roughshod through its pre-conference schedule, but three other schools are over .500, with a fourth sitting right at .500, and a fifth, the defending conference champs, just one game back.

There's a reason why Ventura (13-5) is considered the favorite, and it has as much to do with their history as it does with their pre-conference performance. With that in mind, the Pirates are peaking at the right time, having won six straight, including winning their home hosted tournament over the Holidays. Sophomore Micaela Pericone-Kapp leads a balanced and young team, averaging 11.8 points and 5.1 rebounds a game. The Pirates are ranked #11 in the State Massey Ratings and were ranked #10 in the most recent Southern California Coaches Poll.

Cuesta (14-4), meanwhile just polished off its best pre-conference run under Head Coach Ron Barba. The Cougars are rated #22 in the State according to Massey, and won three tournament championships this Fall. Sophomore Jerrica Crosby has paced the Cougar effort thus far, averaging 13.2 points and 10.2 rebounds a contest. Three other Cougars are averaging double-digits.

 While those two are the favorites, you can't count out the rest of the conference from giving those two a run for their money. Allan Hancock College (8-8) started out 2-5, but has since gone 6-3, including wins in three of its last four. Sophomore Ali Rodriguez's 14.4 ppg and 4.7 apg are tops for the Bulldogs. Moorpark College (8-7) is another team that has picked up some steam as of late, recovering from a three game losing streak in the middle of December to pull out some convincing wins in two of its last three games. Sophomore Ashley Ontiveros is the leading scorer for the Raiders, averaging 15.1 ppg.

After that you have Santa Barbara City College (5-10), Los Angeles Pierce College (3-11), and Oxnard College (0-10). The Vaqueros have two wins in their last three contest, and are led by sophomore Andrea Morales who's averaging 12.1 ppg and 5.8 rpg. The Brahmas, who consist entirely of freshman, are led by center Ahlisha Henderson who averages 20.1 points and 14.6 rebounds a contest. The Condors, who are resuming play after a couple of years absence from competition, are also a squad with all freshman, and are home to one of the best pure scorers in the conference in the form of guard Juliette Marquez, who averages 17.1 points a game and has topped 25 points in a game three times already this season.

One could make the argument that the South division is the toughest conference in the State. The Massey Ratings have the WSC South rated as the toughest in the State, narrowly edging the Orange Empire Conference. Bakersfield College (11-1) led the conference in pre-conference wins, winning one of the two tournaments it entered in the Fall, and with its only loss coming by a single point. The Renegades boast a nice balance of youth and experience, paced by sophomore Nakia Page who is averaging 15.2 points and 7.7 rebounds a game.

Hot on Bakersfield's heels are College of the Canyons (10-5) and Santa Monica College (9-5). Coach Greg Herrick has his Cougars back in the WSC South where he won 14 conference titles, and they looked primed to compete for another in 2015. Canyons has won three of their last four headed into tonight and are paced by sophomore point guard Qimmah Russo who averages 13.8 ppg, and freshman Monica Friedl who is a double-double threat every night. Canyons is the highest rated WSC South team in both the Massey (#19) and RPI (#6) State Ratings.

Just behind them are the Corsairs who are looking for their first conference title since 2008, when they were co-champs with Canyons. Santa Monica has won six of its last seven, including winning the Tom Martinez College of San Mateo Invitational two weeks ago. The Corsairs are #13 in the State RPI ratings and #24 in the State Massey Ratings. Sophomore Aniese Palmore is their go-to player, averaging 15.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game.  

After the top three are a trio of schools, who will all likely have a say in the outcome of the WSC South title race. Citrus College (7-6) seems to be putting things together at just the right time, while Antelope Valley College (7-7) is talent laden, and Los Angeles Valley College (7-8) the two-time defending conference champs that you can never count out.

The Owls had a rough start in 2014-2015, with three losses in their first five games. The Owls have since gone 5-3, with wins in three of their last four. Freshman Janae Chamois will compete for post-season honors, as she leads the team in points (15.1 ppg), assists (3.5 apg), and steals (2.7 spg), while also shooting 41.1% from beyond the 3-point arc which is the fifth best mark in the entire WSC.

The Marauders in the meantime had a strong start going 3-1, before dipping in the middle. Antelope Valley has since recovered with three wins in its last four, including a victory over LA Valley College in the Consolation Championship Game of the Ventura Tournament. Sophomore Savannah Johnson is second on the team in scoring (11.7 ppg) and first in rebounds (10.3 rpg).

It's tough to count out the Monarchs, who according to the Massey Ratings have played the fifth toughest schedule in the entire State. LA Valley has hit a skid recently, with just a 2-6 record in its last eight, but Head Coach Monica Hang will have her squad ready come this evening. Freshman Adaora Obi leads a team that boasts just two sophomores, with 14.3 ppg.

Despite their record, West Los Angeles College (4-7) is never a team to trifle with. The Wildcats are playing better as of late with two wins in its last three games, and are also home to the leading scorer in the entire CCCAA in freshman Zhane Carter who is averaging 26.8 points per game on 46.8% shooting from the floor.