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North
Region Increases Presence in Top Five
[ January
24, 2005 Poll ]
Colleges from the North
Region of COA occupy two positions of the top five in this week's CCCWBCA State
Poll. Neither were the team that was ranked that high last week. Santa Rosa
Junior College went from sixth to third. San Jose City College elevated from
the seven spot to #5. Pasadena City College and Antelope Valley College once
again occupy their respective top two spots. Mt. San Antonio College spends
another week at number four.
Mt. San Antonio took a brief
lead in South Coast Conference North Division when they handed Compton Community
College their first divisional loss last Wednesday. Two days later, Pasadena
returned from their bye to regain a share of the lead after defeating East Los
Angeles College by 52-points. In South Division, Cerritos College took the outright
lead with a 66-53 home win over Los Angeles Southwest College to start the week.
They followed it up by avoiding an upset bid from Long Beach City College, 63-54.
With College of the Desert
not on Tuesday's Foothill Conference schedule, Antelope Valley was able to tie
for the lead on a road trip to Victor Valley Community College. They met at
Desert on Saturday. Unranked Desert made a game of it, but Antelope Valley took
a full-game lead on a
75-65 victory. Chaffey College is a win short of Desert and ranked 14th. After
being winless and going through a van accident in preconference, San Bernardino
Valley College deserves a special mention for having evened their conference
record at 3-3.
Bay Valley Conference began
with the North Region Game of the Week. Santa Rosa and Contra Costa College
met in San Pablo. Santa Rosa ended their tie for the Bay Division lead with
a 70 to 50 triumph. On Friday, Santa Rosa went two games above the #17 ranked
Comets as they suffered their second loss in the division, 56-53, at Diablo
Valley College. Solano Community College slipped into second place with a 17-point
win over Diablo Valley on Tuesday. Sierra College continued its undefeated run
in Valley Division with big wins over Napa Valley and Cosumnes River colleges
and rose to a number 15 ranking.
It took two overtime periods
for Foothill College to get its first win in Coast Conference North Division
against visiting Chabot, 68-60. Mission College fell from the position of the
best record in North Region after dropping a 62-47 nonconference match to Solano
on Friday. San Jose averaged 58.5 point victories to share the early South Division
leadership position with Ohlone College.
#6 Riverside Community College
continued to climb the Orange Empire Conference standings with wins over Golden
West College and Irvine Valley College. With Golden West, they rest a game behind
leaders #7 Cypress College and #10 Fullerton College. Fullerton came the closest
to being upset as Irvine Valley College played them to a 75-66 score.
Shasta College is the third-highest
ranked team in Golden Valley Conference, yet they control the top of the standings
at 4-0. Butte College had to upset then-ranked #3 Lassen at home to stay a game
behind and accomplished the feat, 66-63. A win over College of the Redwoods
on Saturday moved Butte half a game ahead of Lassen.
#19 Reedley College gave
unranked Fresno City College its first loss, 61-54, in Central Valley Conference
last Wednesday. The winner of Reedley at #12 Porterville College would draw
with a resting Fresno atop the standings on Saturday night. Porterville won
by twelve, 82-70.
Citrus College has been
building its program in recent seasons and took its first-ever lead in Western
State Conference South Division as well as the biggest division lead in California
at two games. In Wednesday's South Region Game of the Week, they drove away
from College of the Canyons after having survived 62-60. Canyons had the same
trouble of Contra Costa when they were upset a second time at Glendale Community
College on the weekend, 78-59. Ventura College climbed a spot to #13 with a
pair of wins. The Pirates became the lone leader when Los Angeles Pierce College,
having its best season in over a decade, put its home court to good use in a
win over Santa Barbara City College, 71-64.
Pacific Coast Conference
decided who the early leader was in their second day of play. Imperial Valley
College showed their strength in December nearly upsetting ranked teams and
became the Wednesday leader after defeating Grossmont College on the road, 61-53.
They stayed up by a game after a win over Southwestern College Saturday evening.
San Joaquin Delta College
is the highest ranked team in Bay Valley Conference South Division at #11, but
trails #15 Sierra College by a game.
Delta can even things with a home win on Friday at 8:00 pm in the North Region
Game of the Week. In South Region on the same night, Pasadena plays the biggest
remaining hurdle to an undefeated season at Mt. San Antonio. Tip-off is scheduled
for 5:30 pm.
Greg Murphy
gregm@altair.csustan.edu
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