Below is a look at the Final Eight teams in this year's championship
Ventura College Pirates, Ventura (#1 South, 30-4)
Head Coach Ned Mircetic, 11th year
The defending State Champion...Record 7th consecutive appearance in State
Finals...Ties Golden West College record of 9 overall appearances...Played
in last 5 State Championship Games, another record, winning 3...Undefeated
in winning the 2000 Championship with a 38-0 record...Other State
Championships were 1996 and 1997...Lone returning South Region
team...Western State Conference North Division Champion at 10-0...On a14-game winning streak after losing their final game of 2000 at College of the Canyons...Won 3 Fall tournaments including the prestigious College of
the Sequoias Gilcrest Invitational...#1 in COA/CCCWBCA State Poll...Has #1
win-loss record at 30-4...#2 offense with 77.0 points per game..#1 defense
at 49.6 points per game...Kelly Murray leads with 15.8 points per game.
Mt. San Antonio College Mounties, Walnut (#2 South, 29-5)
Head Coach Laura Beeman, 8th year
1st appearance in State Finals...Swept #1 Ventura in 2 games this season
including the Championship Game of the 2000 Ventura College
Tournament...Also won 16-team 2000 Fullerton College Tournament...15-game
winning streak was snapped with 2 losses to South Coast Conference North
Division Champion Los Angeles Trade-Technical College...2nd place in SCC
North...Tied at #4 in State Poll with Quarterfinal opponent Contra Costa
College...#11 offense and #2 defense (51.6 ppg)...Led by Rebecca Moreno
with 8.8 rebounds and Monica Armstrong with 4.9 assists per game.
Riverside Community College Tigers, Riverside (#3 South, 27-9)
Head Coach Micheal (correct spelling) Barnes, 20th year
After a 13-7 start, won 15 of their last 17 games only losing to Santa Ana
College...2nd place in Orange Empire Conference...Beat OEC Champion Santa
Ana in Region Finals, 86-84...Santa Ana beat Riverside in Region Finals
last season...4th appearance in the State Finals, last was 1996...Won
State Championship in 1986...Won 2000 College of the Desert Thanksgiving
Classic...#5 offense at 72.8 points per game, but #58 defense...#9 in
latest State Poll...Led by Claudine Auld with 17.4 points per game...Coach
Barnes retires from coaching this weekend.
Cerritos College Falcons, Cerritos (#4 South, 28-5)
Head Coach Karen Welliver, 19th year
5th appearance in State Finals...Reached State Quarterfinals last
season...Has yet to reach the State Championship game...Runner-up in South
Coast Conference South Division...Won first 8 games of season including
2000 San Diego Mesa Tournament...Victorious in 8 of last 9
games...Arguably took the toughest road to Stockton with Los Angeles
Trade-Technical College and College of the Canyons in South Regionals...#8
COA/CCCWBCA State Ranking...#8 offense and #7 defense...Led by Monet
Andrews with 15.1 points per game...Coach Welliver won 400th game at
Cerritos on Feb. 14.
San Jose City College Jaguars, San Jose (#1 North, 29-4)
Head Coach Terri Oberg, 12th year
Semifinalist in State Tournament last year...1998 State Champion in only
Championship Game appearance...4th State Championship appearance...Only
returning North Region team...Coast Conference North Division Champion at
10-0...#2 in State Poll...Won own 2000 Lady Jag Tournament...Enters State
Finals with longest winning streak in the state at 19 games...Last loss
was Dec. 15 at Butte...#7 defense and #14 offense...Tiffany Scaglione
leads with 15 points and 9.6 rebounds a game...Potent 3-point attack with
2 of the top ten in the state in 3FG% with Smilie Glenn and Liz Zodiacal
at 43%.
Fresno City College Rams, Fresno (#2 North, 29-6)
Head Coach Donnie Johnson, 3rd year
3rd time in State Finals, last in 1993...Never played in the Championship
Game...Region Semifinalist last season...Ranked #7 in the state...2nd
place to Region Semifinalist Merced College in Central Valley
Conference...Won 7 of last 8 games...Won 2 tournaments in 8 days in
December as well as its own tournament in November...Longest win streak
this season was 11 games including the 2 consecutive tournament
championships...#7 in team offense, but #35 in defense...Balanced offense
leaves Fresno off of Individual State Leaders lists.
Contra Costa College Comets, San Pablo (#3 North, 31-5)
Head Coach Paul DeBolt, 15th year
2nd time in State Finals...Other appearance was in 1989...Have yet to play
in a Championship Game...Region Finalist last season...State Leader in
wins this season with 31...Tied for #4 in final State Poll with
Quarterfinal opponent Mt. San Antonio College...Bay Valley Conference
Co-champion with Region Finalist College of Marin...Won 10 of last 11
contests...Offense is ranked #12 and defense is #6 in State...Led By Iman
Young with 15.2 points, 5.9 assists, and 3.5 steals per game; Ashonda
Williams with 16.1 ppg...Former Comet Karleen Shields, holder of multiple
state scoring records, was inducted to the CCCWBCA Hall of Fame last
season.
Lassen College Cougars, Susanville (#4 North, 26-5)
Head Coach Mark Nareau, 3rd year
4-time State Finalist...State Champion in both Championship Game
appearances in 1992 and 1993...Last State Finals appearance in
1994...Golden Valley Conference Champion at 10-0...Finished last in GVC
last season...Only team in State Finals to have missed the playoffs last
season...Started season with 2000 Reno Shootout Championship...After a 2-4
stetch in mid-December, won 16 of last 17...Currently riding a 12-game
winning streak...Lowest Region seed in Finals at #8 North...#12 in final
COA/CCCWBCA State Poll...Third in offense at 73.5 ppg, #16 in
defense...Julie Wagner state-ranked in 3-point FG at 2.1 per game.
