End of Season Wrap Up
by Maurissa Morones
March 5, 2012
After a long, tough, and uneasy season, TC’s hard work and perseverance gave the Lady Cougars something that hadn’t been done in about 10 years here at Taft College, a spot it playoffs. Along with this big achievement, sophomore Demmi Nunn and freshman Summer Webb were awarded First Team All Central Valley Conference and sophomores Maurissa Morones and La’Vera Robertson were awarded Second Team All Cental Valley Conference. The Lady Cougars, however, couldn’t have made it this far without their coach, Tyrone Taylor, who proudly accepted the award of Central Valley Conference Coach of the Year.
Taft College (55) vs Sierra College (71) 1st Round Playoff Game
by Maurissa Morones
February 25, 2012
After a long 5 hour drive all the way to Rocklin, CA, the Lady Cougars took on Sierra College in their first round of playoffs today. Coming out in the first half, TC started off at a slow pace making bad passes and missing easy shots. By halftime, the Lady Cougars were down by 11, but weren’t ready to give up. Coming out in the second half, TC made a comeback making better shots, better passes, and playing as a team. Yet, in the end, TC came up short and ended the game in a disappointing loss of 55-71.
Taft College (74) vs Porterville College (56)
by Maurissa Morones
February 11, 2012
Taft College traveled up to Porterville today to take on the Porterville Pirates in one of their last games of the season. Coming out at a slow start, the Lady Cougars struggled, making bad passes and taking bad shots leading to many turnovers and leaving the game tied 30-30 at half time. In the second half, however, TC came out mentally focused and ready to take the win making better passes, moving the ball around, and playing better defense. In the end of the game, Taft came together and took the game with a final score of 74-56.
Taft College (72) vs Reedley College (66)
by Maurissa Morones
February 4, 2012
The Lady Cougars traveled up to Reedley today for their second conference game of the season. With hope of gaining a win, TC came out playing hard making great passes and using great teamwork. At the half, TC trailed by 4 points yet that wasn’t going to stop them. In the second half, Reedley and TC were neck in neck, however, with one last lay-up, TC fell short with a final score 70-72.
Taft College (56) vs Fresno City College (93)
by Maurissa Morones
February 1, 2012
In an attempt to take home the win, the Lady Cougars took on Fresno City College tonight. Starting out the game, TC kept up with Fresno playing great defense, however, by the end of the game, Fresno came out on top with an end score of 56-93.
Taft College (52) vs Merced College (50)
by Maurissa Morones
January 28, 2012
The Lady Cougars traveled up to Merced today to take on the Blue Devils in an important game of the season. In a neck to neck battle, TC kept up with Merced with great rebounding and defense and took home the win with a final score of 52-50.
Taft College (60) vs College of the Sequoias (50)
by Maurissa Morones
January 25, 2012
TC hosted another home game today as they took on College of the Sequoias. Coming out ready to take the win they started the game in the lead playing great team offense and defense. By halftime the game was close, however TC kept the lead and ended the game with a final score of 60-50.
Taft College (101) vs Porterville College (63)
by Maurissa Morones
January 18, 2012
TC hosts Porterville today in their second home game of conference. In an attempt to overcome the winning drought, the Lady Cougars came out with the mindset of a win. Playing great teamwork and great offense, TC gained the lead early and in the end, finally taking a win with an end score 101-63.
Taft College (70) vs Reedley College (72)
by Maurissa Morones
January 14, 2012
The Lady Cougars traveled up to Reedley today for their second conference game of the season. With hope of gaining a win, TC came out playing hard making great passes and using great teamwork. At the half, TC trailed by 4 points yet that wasn’t going to stop them. In the second half, Reedley and TC were neck in neck, however, with one last lay-up, TC fell short with a final score 70-72.
Taft College (60) vs Fresno City College (97)
by Maurissa Morones
January 11, 2012
TC hosted Fresno City College in their first conference game of the year. In hopes to start out the right way, TC came out ready to play. With many turnovers and poor teamwork, TC fell short and ended the game with a loss and the final score of 60-97.
Taft College (55) vs City College of San Francisco (69)
by Maurissa Morones
January 7, 2012
TC traveled up to San Francisco today in another non conference game. Ready to come out and play hard, the Lady Cougars came out strong playing strong offense and defense. By half time, San Francisco took the lead with TC trailing behind by only 5 points. However, in the end, TC fell short and ended the game 55-69.
Taft College (34) vs Ventura College (71)
by Maurissa Morones
December 20, 2011
The Lady Cougars traveled up north to take on Ventura in this non conference game. Coming out slow, TC struggled both defensively and offensively ending the game with a loss to Ventura 34- 71.
San Diego City College Tournament
by Maurissa Morones
December 19, 2011
TC vs San Diego Mesa College
W 67-60
The Lady Cougars traveled to San Diego City College this weekend for the annual San Diego City College Tournament. In their first game, TC took on San Diego Mesa College and were prepared to take home the win. At the start of the game, it was a tough battle however, Taft pulled through and brought home the first win of the tournament leaving the final score 67-60.
TC vs Victor Valley College
W 77-55
TC took on Victor Valley College in their second game of the tournament. Beginning the game with a big lead, TC came prepared to play. Making great offensive plays and playing impeccable defense, the Lady Cougars gained the lead early on and continued their hard work to keep the lead ending the game with the win, and heading to the championship game.
TC vs Mission College
W 102-77
In the final game of the tournament, Taft took on Mission College for the championship. Determined to take home the trophy and leaving no room for errors, the Lady Cougars took the lead at the start of the game. By halftime, they kept the lead by 20 points and by the end of the game TC ended the game with a final score of 102-77. Summer Webb was named MVP of the tournament and Katrina Huggins was named All Tournament.
Taft College (72) vs Bakersfield College (81)
by Maurissa Morones
December 11, 2011
Taft College hosted Bakersfield College on their home court in hopes of gaining another win at home. The beginning of the game started out at a slow pace, however, as the game progressed the tempo quickly started to rise. Trailing BC, Taft attempted to take the game, but couldn’t take the lead, ending the game with a loss to the BC Renegades 72-81.
Hartnell College Tournament
by Maurissa Morones
December 2, 2011
TC vs Cabrillo College
W 70-46
TC traveled to Salinas for the annual Hartnell College Tournament. Starting off the tournament on a good note, the Lady Cougars took on Cabrillo College in one of the first games of the tournament. Keeping a winning attitude, the Lady Cougars came more than ready to play and started off the game strong. Leading by 15 at halftime, TC kept the tone of the game and finished out with an end score of 70-46.
TC vs De Anza College
W 74-71
Moving on through the tournament, TC took on DeAnza College. Wanting to redeem themselves from the loss to DeAnza last year, TC came out ready to play. Keeping the energy up on defense, the Lady Cougars gave DeAnza a run for their money. With just seconds left and a tied score of 71-71, TC’s LaVera Robertson made the game winning lay-up and free throw ending the game with a final score of 74-71 and sending TC to the championship game once again.
TC vs Las Positas College
W 90-49
Ready to take home the trophy, the Lady Cougars took on Las Positas in the championship game. Starting off the game, the Lady Cougars took the lead and from then on they knew the game was theirs. Coming out in the second half, TC was leading the game by 25 points and they continued to increase the lead ending the game with a final score of 90-49. Congratulations to LaVera Robertson for receiving All Tournament and Summer Webb for receiving Tournament MVP.
Taft College (70) vs Southwestern College (60)
by Maurissa Morones
November 30, 2011
TC took on Southwestern College in their third home game of the season. Prepared for another win, the Lady Cougars started the game off with high momentum and energy. At halftime, TC had the lead and wasn’t prepared to let it go. Keeping up the intensity, the Lady Cougars came out with a win beating Southwestern 70-60.
Ventura College Tournament
by Maurissa Morones
November 25, 2011
TC vs Santa Monica College
W 74-56
Ready to start the tournament off the right way TC came out ready to take on Santa Monica College. Starting the game off with enthusiasm, TC gained the lead and by halftime lead the game by 20. In efforts to keep the lead, TC played great defense and offense and ended the game with a final score of 74-56.
TC vs Ventura College
L 55-77
Hoping to keep up the momentum, the Lady Cougars came out with a winning mentality and ready take on Ventura. At the start of the game, TC came out strong playing excellent defense and great offense getting open looks and going to the basket. By halftime, TC was neck and neck with Ventura. However, in the end, the Lady Cougars fell short and ended with a loss at 55-77.
TC vs College of the Canyons
L 75-98
Playing for 3rd place, TC took on College of the Canyons. At the start of the game, Taft started out with the momentum to possibly take the game and the 3rd place title. However, in the end, TC fell short and was left with the final score of 75-98.
Taft College (76) vs Cuesta College (67)
by Maurissa Morones
November 17, 2011
In the second home game of the season TC hosted Cuesta College and was determined to keep the winning streak at home. Coming out strong and playing hard TC gained the lead. By halftime, they were up by 10. In the second half, they turned up the heat and finished the game strong keeping the lead the whole game, ending the game with a final score of 76-67.
Pasadena City College Veterans Day Classic
by Maurissa Morones
November 15, 2011
TC vs Chaffey College
L 50-85
TC traveled to Pasadena City College for the Veterans Day Classic Tournament. After kicking off the season with a win against Allan Hancock, TC hoped for another win taking on Chaffey College in the first game of the tournament. Playing the game with great defense, the Cougars fell short and Chaffey took the game 50-85. Taft was lead by Summer Webb's 18 points, 2 assists, and steal, La Vera Robertson's 8 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 steals, and Zanoria Echols chipped in 10 points and 3 rebounds off the bench.
TC vs Los Angeles Southwest College
W 90-56
Hoping to redeem themselves, TC continued on to their next game and took on LA Southwest College. Starting off the game with a 14, point lead TC played impeccable defense and outstand offense defeating LA Southwest 90-56. Taft was lead by Summer Webb's 25 points, 5 assists, and 2 steals, Maurissa Morones’s 18 points and 6 rebounds, and Shayne Martinka chipped in 13 points and 4 rebounds off the bench.
TC vs Citrus College
L 62-70
Coming out with a positive attitude, the Lady Cougars went on to their next game taking on Citrus College for the Consolation Championship. Starting the game out at a slow pace, TC fell behind by 20 points, however in the second half, they came out strong and played outstanding defense bringing the game close. In the end, the Lady Cougars fell short and Citrus took the game 62-70. Taft was lead by Summer Webb's 20 points, 4 assists, and 2 steals, and La Vera Robertson's 17 points and 10 rebounds.
Taft College (86) vs Allan Hancock College (80)
by Maurissa Morones
November 8, 2011
More than ready to play, the Lady Cougars took on Allan Hancock in their first preseason game on Tuesday. Coming out strong, TC gained the lead making great offensive plays and playing solid defense. Overall, the Lady Cougars kept their momentum throughout the game, doing a great job playing as a team and keeping the errors to a minimum. TC was led by Summer Webb's 19 points and 5 assists, Maurissa Morone’s 16 points and 12 rebounds, La Vera Robertson’s 16 points and 9 rebounds, and Katrina Huggins chipped in 12 points and 4 rebounds off the bench.
Cougar Basketball Hosts Porterville Saturday by Dennis McCall
Taft Midway Driller February 10, 2011
The Taft College women’s basketball team will try to reverse a three-game losing steak Saturday when the Cougars host Porterville College at 5 p.m. The Cougars have lost consecutive Central Valley Conference games to Merced, Fresno and Reedley that have tumbled TC into fourth place with a 3-4 record (8-14 overall). Last Saturday’s 70-64 loss at Reedley was especially tough, especially after the Cougars defeated the Tigers 77-70 when the teams met in Taft Jan. 15 “We gave one away,” said head coach Tyrone Taylor. “We had the lead with 1:20 to go and gave it away.”
The Cougars were hampered when starters Jasmine Green, La’Vera Robertson and Christine Taylor fouled out down the stretch. Green led the Cougars with 14 points, 15 rebounds and two blocked shots. Robertson scored 12 points and pulled down eight rebounds and Taylor had 11 points and five assists. Offensively, the Cougars were cold, shooting just 32 percent from the field on 23 of 61 shots. They were 6-of-21 from three-point range. The Cougars own a victory over Porterville in the first round. Saturday’s game will be the first of two in a row at home. College of the Sequoias will be here next Wednesday.
Fresno Press Wears Down Cougars by Dennis McCall
Taft Midway Driller February 3, 2011
Taft College made a game of it for a half. But the Cougars wilted in the second half, succumbing to Fresno City College’s tenacious full-court press that forced turnovers the Rams converted into points. The final score was 91-64, but the Cougars put a scare into the team that came in ranked No. 1 in northern California and No. 5 in the state. “We played a very good first half,” said head coach Tyrone Taylor. The Cougars responded to Fresno’s 16-4 start with a 12-2 run of their own, then caught the Rams at 19 on a basket by La’Vera Robertson and Michelle Hardy’s free throw. It was tied at 21 and 23 when Jasmine Green scored in close to give the Cougars the lead with 6:35 left.
TC led 31-28 before the Rams finished with a flurry, outscoring the Cougars 12-4 over the last 3:40 to take a 40-35 lead at the break. Early in the half, the Cougars put on their own full court press that seemed to bother the Rams. “Our pressure game gave them a little different look and kept us in it the first half,” Taylor said. He felt his team should have had the lead, though. “We missed 10 lay-ups and six free throws in the first half. That’ll put you in a hole.” Fresno opened the second half with a 10-3 spurt over the first three minutes.
The Cougars countered with a basket by Desiree Pierce and a 3-pointer by Christine Taylor, but the Rams buried them with a 20-2 run over the next five minutes to go up by 28. Fresno’s press was largely responsible for Taft’s 33 turnovers – 19 of them in the second half. Every player on each team played and scored. Fresno’s Kayla Clement was the top scorer with 15 points – all on 3-pointers. Christine Taylor led Taft with 12, followed by Robertson’s 10, Pierce with 9, Baylee Day with 8, Maurissa Marones with 6, Green and Tiniya Heard with 5 each, and Hardy, Katrina Huggins and Brianna Moorer with 3 each. Green had 7 rebounds and blocked 5 shots. With the loss, the Cougars drop to 3-3 in the Central Valley Conference and 8-13 overall. Fresno stays perfect in the CVC at 6-0 (22-4 overall). TC travels to Reedley Saturday.
Cougars Come Out Flat, Lose to Merced by Dennis McCall
Taft Midway Driller January 31, 2011
In a battle for second place in the Central Valley Conference, Taft and Merced Colleges matched each other field goal for field goal Saturday night in the Cougar Sports Center. Both teams had 18 field goals, but Merced cruised to a 60-47 victory on the strength of a 22-7 advantage at the free-throw line. While the Cougars took just eight trips to the charity stripe, sinking 7 of 13 tries (54%), the Lady Devils stepped up 15 times, canning 22 of 28 (79 percent). “That was the game right there,” lamented Cougar head coach Tyrone Taylor. Compounding the troubles at the free throw line, the Cougars made just a third of their field goals. “It was an important game, and we just didn’t show up,” said Taylor, who saw his team drop to 3-2 in the conference and 8-12 overall. “Defensively, we played well,” he said. “When you hold a team to just 22 points in the first half, that means you played well. But we made only 16 points. We are just not focused now.”
That was Taylor’s pre-game message. “I had two words on the board before the game: focus and intensity,” he said. “We didn’t have either one. No one was aggressive. We were just standing around.” Taylor said he expected the game to be low scoring, but the first half pace was excruciatingly slow. At the midway point the Cougars led 8-6 and 16-12 with five minutes left following a turnaround jumper by Maurissa Morones, her only points of the game. TC went cold at that point while Merced closed with a 10-0 run for the six-point lead at the break. The pace picked up a little in the second half with Merced outscoring the TC 10-5 over the first three minutes for a 32-21 lead.
The Cougars were unable to reel in the Lady Devils after that. Merced brushed off any late rally by canning 8-of-10 free throws over the remaining 4:16. Linda Murray, Merced’s 6-2 sophomore center, dominated the paint with game-highs of 23 points and 13 rebounds. She held the Cougars’ Jasmine Green to five points and six rebounds. Sophomore point guard Christine Taylor led the Cougars with 16 points. Katrina Huggins had 8, La’Vera Robertson 7, Green and Baylee Day 5 each and Michelle Hardy, Morones and Tiniya Heard 2 each. The Cougars will host defending conference champion and current leader Fresno City College (21-4, 5-0 CVC) Wednesday at 5 p.m. to christen the second round of league play. Fresno defeated the Cougars 102-58 the first time around, and on Saturday downed Reedley 108-79. In the other conference game, College of the Sequoias climbed out of the cellar with a 71 68 win over Porterville.
Taft College Basketball Team Defeats College of the Sequoias by Dennis McCall
Taft Midway Driller January 27, 2011
Taft College improved its Central Valley Conference women’s basketball record to 3-1 Wednesday with a 51-38 victory over College of the Sequoias. The win sets up a showdown Saturday when the Cougars host Merced College at 5 p.m. in the Cougar Sports Center. Taft and Merced are tied for second place in the CVC, trailing Fresno (4-0, 20-4). Reedley is 2-2 while Porterville and Sequoias are both winless. “We look forward to coming out Saturday and playing hard,” said head coach Tyrone Taylor. “We match up pretty well with Merced size-wise. They play slower pace so it could be another low-scoring game.”
The Cougar-COS game was low scoring, especially in the first half. Taft held an 18-14 lead at the break before getting untracked for 33 points in the second half. “The game started out slow,” Taylor said. “Neither team could get shots to fall. We missed some easy opportunities and couldn’t make free-throws.” The pace picked up in the second half. “We started getting some shots to fall,” Taylor said. “We got some easy shots.”
Maurissa Morones, a freshman forward from West High in Bakersfield, led the Cougars with 14 points. Sophomore center Jasmine Green, the team’s leading rebounder, pulled down 13. “Maurissa was the only player we had in double figures, but everyone scored,” Taylor added. In other CVC games Wednesday, Fresno ran away from Porterville 121-73 and Merced defeated Reedley 58-48. Fresno is ranked second in northern California and fifth in the state. Merced is ranked 12 in the NorCal poll.
Cougars Pull Away from Reedley, 77-70 by Dennis McCall
Taft Midway Driller January 17, 2011
Freshman forward La’Vera Robertson calmly tossed in a three-pointer from the top of the circle with just over a minute left Saturday to spark Taft College to a 77-70 victory over visiting Reedley College. “La’Vera hit a big shot,” said head coach Tyrone Taylor. “That gave us a little separation.” Robertson’s shot gave the Cougars a 70-67 lead and fueled a 10-3 run that gave TC its first Central Valley Conference win. The Cougars are 1-1 in the CVC and 6-11 overall heading into Wednesday’s game at Porterville College. “That was a good win,” Taylor said. “We never quit. We played hard when we got behind.”
The game was a back and forth affair. It was tied nine times and there were nine lead changes. Neither team led by more than four points in the second half until the Cougars pulled away in the last minute. Reedley led 41-38 at the half, but Christine Taylor tied it with a three-pointer just over a minute into the second half. The Tigers led 64-60 with six minutes left when the Cougars went on a 7-0 run that concluded with back-to-back field goals from Katrina Huggins to give TC a three-point lead. Tiger guard Chyna Cole, who scored 18 points, knotted it with a trey. Robertson followed with her timely shot that touched off an 8-0 run that allowed the Cougars to win going away. Robertson finished with a game-high 20 points, including three of five from three-point range.
The Cougars were handcuffed early when center Jasmine Green picked up two fouls in the first three and a half minutes of the game and then hit the bench again with her third with 7:30 left in the half. “Jasmine got into early foul trouble, and that hurt us defensively, Taylor said. Switching to a zone defense slowed Reedley down, he said. “Our zone worked a little better than our man defense, so we went with that more in the second half.” Green finished with 14 points, 7 rebounds, and blocked 7 shots to give her 77 on the season. “She is No. 2 in the state in blocked shots and No. 1 in the conference,” Taylor said. Christine Taylor scored 13 points and had 7 assists and Baylee Day scored 6 points and pulled down a team-high 8 rebounds. Defending champion Fresno (18-4, 2-0 CVC), No. 4 in the state and No. 2 in northern California, again is the conference pacesetter, followed by Merced (14-7, 2-0), TC, Reedley (8 12, 1-1), Sequoias (5-14, 0-2) and Porterville (4-13, 0-2). Other CVC scores from Saturday: Fresno 69, Sequoias 35 Merced 69, Porterville 48
Cougars Win 2, Capture Tournament Consolation Crown by Dennis McCall
Taft Midway Driller December 21, 2010
Taft College bounced back from an opening round loss to claim the consolation championship in San Diego City College’s eight-team tournament. After getting thumped 85-54 by Irvine Valley in the opening round Friday, the Cougars hammered Desert 85-50 on Saturday and finished the tournament Sunday with a 70-45 victory over the host school. The Cougars spread the wealth around, using 10 players in the first two games and nine in the finale.
Sophomore forward Jasmine Green had a good weekend with 34 points, 41 rebounds and 12 blocked shots, Christine Taylor scored 32 points and had 19 assists, La’Vera Robertson had 23 points, 23 rebounds, nine blocked shots and 11 steals, Katrina Huggins had 31 points and 14 rebounds and Baylee Day had 30 points, 16 rebounds, five steals and blocked four shots. “Everybody contributed,” said head coach Tyrone Taylor. “We don’t have just one player who dominates that other teams can key on. Jasmine, Christine and Baylee have been consistent.” He said switching shooting guard Christine Taylor to point guard is paying off. “Her scoring is naturally down a little, but she is contributing so much in other ways,” he said.
In the opener the Cougars couldn’t shake off the effects of the long drive, making just 20 of 71 field goals – including 1-of-11 from three-point range – and 13 of 23 free throws. Irvine Valley built a 39-23 halftime edge and cruised through the second half. However, five players scored in double figures the next day in the romp over Desert. The game was close in the first half with the Cougars holding a 39-32 edge at the break before outscoring Desert 46-18 in the second half on 17-of-43 field goals and 9-of-11 free throws. Taylor led the way with 17 points followed by Day with 16, Brianna Moorer with 14 and Green and Huggins with 12 apiece. Green pulled down 16 rebounds and blocked three shots.
In the title game, the Cougars jumped out to a 33-15 halftime lead thanks to San Diego City’s cold shooting. The Knights managed only four field goals in 34 tries (12%). The Cougars will take more than three weeks off before heading into Central Valley Conference action on Jan. 12 on the road against Fresno City College, the No. 1 team in the state in the latest poll. “I changed my tournament schedule around a little bit so the players could have Christmas off,” Taylor said. “We’ll start practicing again on Jan. 3. Hopefully, we’ll be able to maintain the momentum and confidence boost we got from the tournament.” The CVC opener will mark the team’s 16th consecutive game on the road. The Cougars are 5-10 in non-conference action that included four tournaments. The first home game will be Jan. 15 when Reedley College comes to town.
Cougars in San Diego for Hoop Tournament by Dennis McCall
Taft Midway Driller December 16, 2010
Taft College’s women’s basketball team will try to get out of its early-season funk at this weekend’s San Diego City College tournament. The Cougars, who are 3-9 and heading into their fourth tournament, have had trouble finding consistency with their offense. “We’ve been working on our offense to try to get some confidence,” said head coach Tyrone Taylor. “We’ve been up and down, in part because we’ve had injuries that have different players coming in and out of the lineup.” The latest casualty is 5-8 freshman guard/forward Anita Ward, who injured a knee in practice this week. “She may have torn her ACL,” Taylor said. We’re still clipping along,” he said. “We still have our confidence up and we’re still playing hard. We just need to develop some consistency.”
It wasn’t lack of consistency that hampered the Cougars in last Saturday’s 79-63 loss at Bakersfield College. It was another drawback that has bugged the Cougars this season – a wide disparity in free-throw shooting. The Cougars actually outscored the Renegades 50-46 from the field – including eight from three-point range, but that edge was more than offset by BC’s 17-point advantage at the line (30 of 49 versus Taft’s 13 of 26). That’s 75 free throws for the game. “That was the difference in the game,” Taylor said. “They shot 49 free-throws.” Four of the five Cougar starters fouled out, which made catching up difficult. “They were up by 10 at the half because of free throws,” he said. “They were up by 20 in the second half, and we cut it to eight at one point.”
Sophomore guard Christine Taylor (no relation to the coach) led the Cougars with 20 points on 6-of-15 shooting. All were three-pointers. Katrina Huggins and Baylee Day had 11 points apiece. Jasmine Green had six rebounds and five blocked shots to lead the Cougars in those categories. Gabi Morales led BC with 24 points – 14 of them coming from her 14-of-24 free throws. The Cougars played Irvine Valley (6-5) in this afternoon’s tournament first round and will play either Phoenix AZ or College of the Desert tomorrow. The bracketed tournament will finish up on Sunday. Other teams include Victor Valley, San Diego Mesa, Central Wyoming and host San Diego City College
Cougars Lose in Championship Game by Dennis McCall
Taft Midway Driller December 6, 2010
A road-weary Taft College women’s basketball team ran out of gas Sunday in the championship game of the Hartnell Classic. After beating host Hartnell (58-50) Friday and Las Positas (71-47) on Saturday, the Cougars suffered a second-half collapse in the title game and lost to DeAnza College of Cupertino 73-46. The Cougars trailed by just six points (31-25) at the half before the Dons limited them to just 18 second half points and ran away with the championship. “We got a little winded in the second half and couldn’t get our shots to fall,” said coach Tyrone Taylor. “The game was actually tougher than the score indicates. We caught them midway through the second half and actually went ahead by two (42-39). We played hard but just couldn’t score down the stretch.”
While the Cougars suffered a scoring meltdown, DeAnza got hot and outscored TC 35-4 the rest of the way. The Cougars were without starting point guard Desiree Pierce, who suffered an arch injury in the Ventura tournament a week early. That forced Taylor to shift shooting guard Christine Taylor over to the point position. “Christine did a nice job for us, but by playing the point position her scoring output suffered a little bit,” the coach said. Taylor scored 35 points in the three games. Pierce won’t be back in the lineup until some time next month, Taylor said. Katrina Huggins, a 6-foot freshman guard from West High in Bakersfield, paced the Cougar offense against DeAnza with 12 points and earned all-tournament honors. She had 14 points in each of the first two games. “Katrina doesn’t start, but she gives us a nice spark coming off the bench,” Taylor said.
The Cougars are 3-8 in the non-conference grind. All 11 were on the road, including tournaments in Pasadena and Ventura and games in the San Diego area. TC will hit the road again Friday, but it will actually be somewhat of a home game. The Cougars travel to Bakersfield College to take on the winless Renegades (0-7) at 6 p.m. “We won’t have to drive so far this time,” Taylor said. “And, it will be sort of a homecoming for some of our girls.” The Cougars have five players from Bakersfield on their roster.
TC Loses Pair in Ventura Hoop Tournament by Dennis McCall
Taft Midway Driller November 29, 2010
Second half foul trouble doomed Taft College in a pair of losses in last weekend’s Kiwanis Tournament of Champions. The Cougars dropped a 76-54 decision to Mt. San Antonio, the state’s No. 1 team, before bowing out of the tournament with a 76-65 loss to Laney, the No. 7 team in northern California. “In both games we were outscored by a big margin at the free-throw line,” said coach Tyrone Taylor. In the second half, Mt. SAC shot twice as many free-throws (36 to 18) and made 10 more than the Cougars. “I thought we played really well against the No. 1 team in the state,” Taylor said.
Laney shot 36 free-throws, (20 more than TC), making 24 of them. “We play aggressive defense, but we need to cut down on our fouls,” Taylor said. “In both games, the fouls were one-sided.” Freshman guard La’Vera Robertson led the Cougars against Mt. SAC with 11 points, Christine Taylor had eight and AnitaWard seven. Against Laney, the Cougars trailed by 11 at the half (37-26), but played the Eagles even in the second half. “We caught them and went ahead by two points, but got a little winded down the stretch and they caught us,” the coach said. Christine Taylor again led the Cougars with 18 points. Maurissa Morones had 12 and Jasmine Green and Baylee Day nine each. The Cougars (1-6) will play at undefeated Moorpark Wednesday before heading to Salinas for the Hartnell College Classic where they open with the host Panthers at 2 p.m. Friday.
Cougars Looking for First Hoop Victory by Dennis McCall
Taft Midway Driller November 15, 2010
Taft College women’s basketball coach Tyrone Taylor is hoping to get his team healthy for this week’s two non-conference games in the Southland. “We’ve been struggling with injuries,” he said. “Hopefully, we will be at full strength this week.” The Cougars (0-3) play West Los Angeles in Culver City Wednesday night and Southwestern in Chula Vista Saturday. “We’ve had a lot of ankle and leg injuries,” Taylor said. “Christine (Taylor) went down with a broken wrist.” Taylor, a sophomore guard who is no relation to the coach, did play in last week’s 70-62 loss at Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria, but showed the rust from the layoff while her wrist healed. “She’s trying to get her rhythm back,” the coach said.
Hancock erased a Cougar lead in the second half. “We were up by seven points in the last four minutes, but then we started throwing the ball away and missed some easy shots,” he said. There were a couple of bright spots. One was the defensive work of forward Jasmine Green. The 6-foot sophomore from Glendale, Ariz., pulled down 17 rebounds and blocked 10 shots. She scored five points. The offensive spark was provided by guards Desiree Pierce, who led all scorers with 22 points, and Bailey Day, who scored 16 on 8-of-12 shooting. Day has been hobbled by an ankle injury. “She really did well on just one good ankle,” Taylor said. Day also pulled down six rebounds. Christine Taylor, seeing her first action, scored in double figures with 10 points, and freshman forward Katrina Huggins, a 6-footer out of Bakersfield West High, scored six points and had eight rebounds. Pierce and Day were the only Cougars with a good shooting eye. They were a combined 17-of-32 for 53 percent shooting. By comparison, the rest of the team was cold, making just 13 of 59 shots for 22 percent. The Cougars were just 3-of-15 from three-point range.
In a battle for second place in the Central Valley Conference, Taft and Merced Colleges matched each other field goal for field goal Saturday night in the Cougar Sports Center. Both teams had 18 field goals, but Merced cruised to a 60-47 victory on the strength of a 22-7 advantage at the free-throw line. While the Cougars took just eight trips to the charity stripe, sinking 7 of 13 tries (54%), the Lady Devils stepped up 15 times, canning 22 of 28 (79 percent). “That was the game right there,” lamented Cougar head coach Tyrone Taylor. Compounding the troubles at the free throw line, the Cougars made just a third of their field goals. “It was an important game, and we just didn’t show up,” said Taylor, who saw his team drop to 3-2 in the conference and 8-12 overall. “Defensively, we played well,” he said. “When you hold a team to just 22 points in the first half, that means you played well. But we made only 16 points. We are just not focused now.”
Freshman forward La’Vera Robertson calmly tossed in a three-pointer from the top of the circle with just over a minute left Saturday to spark Taft College to a 77-70 victory over visiting Reedley College. “La’Vera hit a big shot,” said head coach Tyrone Taylor. “That gave us a little separation.” Robertson’s shot gave the Cougars a 70-67 lead and fueled a 10-3 run that gave TC its first Central Valley Conference win. The Cougars are 1-1 in the CVC and 6-11 overall heading into Wednesday’s game at Porterville College. “That was a good win,” Taylor said. “We never quit. We played hard when we got behind.”