Fresno City College wanted to win California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) Women’s Basketball Championships for Head Coach Brian Tessler. He’s been there 3 straight years and came back empty-handed.
On March 14, FCC went up against a strong Ventura team at Cerritos College for a chance to play for the CCCAA title. But it wasn’t their night. After playing a close game in the first half, FCC took a five point lead in the second half and Ventura went on a 23-11 run that was fueled by Ventura’s 11-14 from the 3 point line.
“We went up 5 to start the second half, then things fell apart,” said Tessler
“Nina Gregory and Ali Orlich played huge roles for us getting to the Final Four, showing that we’re not just a one-girl team,” said Tessler
Despite shooting lights out throughout the playoffs, Gregory and Orlich went a combined 3 – 12 from 3.
FCC as a whole went 4 – 20 from behind the arc.
They were also outerbounded 54 to 38.
NorCal Player of the Year Keyora Wharry (24.1 points per game, 13.2 rebounds) helped lead the Rams’ return to the state tournament with 25 double-doubles. She ended the game with 32 points and 16 rebounds. Sopho
more point guard Dominique Pilkinton scored 13 points
Wharry is an FCC career leader in scoring at 1,189 career points
“Wharry can be a dominat player on the next level. someone who can average 10 points and eight rebounds a game on a really good team,” said Tessler
Ventura was lead by SoCal MVP Lisa Marie Sanchez, a sophomore guard who is from the Valley. Coming from Centennial High in Bakersfield, she almost played at FCC.
“She looked into FCC but felt Ventura was a great fit for her and it worked out well for her,” said Tessler
Sanchez finished the game with 26 points, five rebounds and eight assists. Ventura’s entire starting 5 scored in double figures with two players recording double-digit rebounds also.
FCC finished the season 30 – 4, 11-1 in the Central Valley Conference. They won the CVC title for the 7th straight season. They finished ranked No. 4 in the state and No. 2 in NorCal. It’s the 7th straight year they’ve finished top 10 in the state and top five in NorCal.
