Coach Patrick Cunningham and the Arizona Western women's basketball team wanted to take away Central Arizona's outside shot in the NJCAA Region I Division I final on Friday.
The Matadors succeeded, holding the Vaqueras to just four 3-pointers. But Tamara Phillip had a monster game inside, grabbing 20 rebounds and scoring 23 points in the Vaqueras' 68-59 win.
With the win, the Vaqueras (29-1) advance to the national tournament for the tenth straight year and end the season for the Matadors (26-5) for the fourth straight year.
They had one kid who played very, very well and that was the difference, Cunningham said. They had the one kid that stepped up and played 20-20. You can't take that away. She's very deserving and they are the best team in our league this year.
Matador center and Arizona Community College Athletic Conference Player of the Year Jolie Olingende played for the first time since Feb. 21 and found herself in foul trouble throughout the game, picking up her second at the 13:48 mark and her third in the first half as well.
Cunningham said a major difference in the game was Olingende's foul trouble.
She's player of the year, Cunningham said. The player of the year wasn't able to get going tonight. If she plays without foul trouble, we have a chance.
The Vaqueras were 4 for 16 from long range, including just one for Katrina Ottesen, who had 11 3-pointers in the previous two games against AWC, both Central victories. But Phillip grabbed 11 offensive rebounds which was more than any Matador's total rebounds.
Once the ball was shot from those guys, no matter who shot it, we couldn't find No. 4 (Phillip), said Cunningham, whose team was called for three more fouls than Central. Give her credit for going and getting the ball. She got 20 of them tonight and she was relentless. She was allowed to be relentless, and our guys didn't have a chance to even get going.
The Matadors took their first and last lead of the game at 8-7. Central's lead reached 10 in the first half. The Matadors cut the lead to 28-22 early in the second half but never got closer. The Vaqueras lead peaked at 59-41 with 3:43 left. The Matadors got it down to eight with 24.7 seconds left and Katrina Hayden missed a layup that would have cut the lead to six.
Central coach and Kofa grad Denise Cardenas said she was impressed with the AWC defense.
I tip my hat to Western, they took our outside shot completely away so we really, really had to work for every bucket we got, Cardenas said. We just had to keep attacking, get to the free throw line. There were so many times down the stretch I was thinking it's never over. They completely took our outside shooting away. That's our forte. But we had a good game inside too. I'm proud of them.
The reward for Phillip's big game? A second trip for her to Salina, Kan. and the national tournament.
It's my second year, so I know basically what to do, Phillip said. Just go out there and do it, that's all.
Olingende was one of four Matadors in double figures with 10 points. Lisette Longomo had 17 to lead AWC, while Jade Washington had 14 and Hayden 11. Phillip was the only Vaquera in double figures.
Cunningham said he was happy with the way his team played, despite its season ending on Lin Laursen Court for a fourth straight year.
I was proud of the way we hung in there, Cunningham said. It could have easily been a 20-plus point loss. We got it down to a missed layup to cutting it to six. We made all our free throws in the second half, 11 for 11. That's the kind of things you have to understand, then those who come back realize how important it is to play the conference to the point you host this game.
Cardenas, who won a title with Central as a player, assistant coach and head coach, said she's proud to keep the tradition going.
The only thing you can do is work hard, Cardenas said. You can't really tell what's going to happen.
The BVI Girls then took on their USVI counterparts in an exhibition game that went the way of the visitors 26-23 despite some good all round performances by Bianca Brewley and Joy Victor.The USVI seemed to have the game sewn up when with less than 4 minutes to go they were ahead 20-15 after a foul from Shaliqua Fahie and a successful free throw [read more]
The BVI Girls then took on their USVI counterparts in an exhibition game that went the way of the visitors 26-23 despite some good all round performances by Bianca Brewley and Joy Victor.
The USVI seemed to have the game sewn up when with less than 4 minutes to go they were ahead 20-15 after a foul from Shaliqua Fahie and a successful free throw.
Lareisha Martin then popped in a 2 pointer to make it 20-17 and Victor, who missed a 3 point attempt moments earlier, picked up a pass from Brewley and sank a 2 to make it 20-19 with 2:12 left on the clock.
The BVI surged forward and launched shot after shot on the USVI basket, but conceded another score to the USVI until Brewley scored to make it 22-21. A turnover and a Victor foul gave the USVI a 23-21 lead from the free throw line and another visit following a Fahie foul increased their lead to 3 points at 24-21.
Brewley sank another 2 to make it 24-23 and a steal and burst to the paint from Victor was pulled up short when she was adjudged to have travelled. With the clock ticking below 13 seconds remaining, the shouts from the coach to give away a foul were met, but the ploy backfired as the USVI sank both attempts to make it 26-23.
At the buzzer, Brewley launched an attempted 3 to send the game into overtime, but it hit the rim and bounced away to give the USVI the victory.
Brewley finished with 10 points, Victor 7 and Fahie 4, whilst for the USVI M. Mike scored 11, A. Richardson 5 and T. Lake 4.
Womens basketball, coached by Denise Cardenas, went 31-3, reaching the semifinals of the NJCAA tournament. Cardenas notched her 100th career victory early in the season, and CAC went 20-0 against Arizona Community College Athletic Conference opponents.Tamara Phillip and Katrina Ottesen were selected to the All-America team. Phillip (second team) averaged 13.7 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.4 steals. Ottesen (third team) averaged 15.1 points and made 84 of her 224 three-point attempts (37 [read more]
Womens basketball, coached by Denise Cardenas, went 31-3, reaching the semifinals of the NJCAA tournament. Cardenas notched her 100th career victory early in the season, and CAC went 20-0 against Arizona Community College Athletic Conference opponents.
Tamara Phillip and Katrina Ottesen were selected to the All-America team. Phillip (second team) averaged 13.7 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.4 steals. Ottesen (third team) averaged 15.1 points and made 84 of her 224 three-point attempts (37.5 percent). Brea Townsend averaged 11.2 points, and Katrina Salinas averaged 10.3.
List of Central Arizona College athletes who received scholarships to attend four-year colleges in 2012-13: Womens basketball (5)
Katrina Ottesen (Colorado State), Katrina Salinas (Bowling Green), Alice Pitts (Dixie State), Tamara Phillip (Albany or Texas-Pan America), Tafara Phillip (Albany or Texas-Pan American)
ROAD TOWN, Tortola, VI- The Central Arizona College womens basketball team is going to the NJCAA tournament semifinals for the first time in three years, after beating New Mexico Junior College 61-56 on Wednesday March 21, 2012.
The Vaqueras were helped in tremendous fashion by a defense that held New Mexico Junior College to four points in the final 512 minutes of the quarterfinal game. Virgin Islander Tamara Phillip was a crucial ingredient for the Vaqueras to claim victory [read more]
ROAD TOWN, Tortola, VI- The Central Arizona College womens basketball team is going to the NJCAA tournament semifinals for the first time in three years, after beating New Mexico Junior College 61-56 on Wednesday March 21, 2012.
The Vaqueras were helped in tremendous fashion by a defense that held New Mexico Junior College to four points in the final 512 minutes of the quarterfinal game. Virgin Islander Tamara Phillip was a crucial ingredient for the Vaqueras to claim victory.
The third-seeded Vaqueras forged on with a 61-56 victory over the sixth-seeded Thunderbirds at the Bicentennial Center. Todays (March 23) semifinal opponent (4 p.m. Arizona time) is second-seeded Hutchinson, Kan. (35-0), which downed No. 10 Walters State, Tenn., 62-46.
It wasnt as pretty as we would have liked it to be, but weve got two wins (in the tournament) without all of our pieces clicking, CAC coach Denise Cardenas said. We were due for a Final Four. The kids have worked hard, and they deserve it.
After slicing CACs lead to 53-52 on Honor Duvalls basket with 5:27 remaining, NMJC did not score again until Teonna Campbells field goal with 53 seconds to play. The Thunderbirds missed six shots and committed a turnover during that crucial stretch.
The Vaqueras (31-1) went ahead 56-52 on Brea Townsends fourth three-pointer of the game with 4:59 left. Townsends free throw made it 57-52 with 3:21 remaining.
September Offutts basket with 38 seconds left off an assist from Katrina Ottesen following the Virgin Islands Tamara Phillips steal put the Vaqueras up 59-54, and Katrina Salinas made two free throws with 27 seconds remaining to secure the victory.
Salinas scored 11 points, Phillip had eight, Ottesen scored seven and Shanice Butler had five for the Vaqueras, who shot 35 percent from the field (21 of 60).
There were six lead changes and two ties in the first half. Centrals largest lead was three points (8-5 and 23-20). Perezs three-pointer two seconds before halftime, gave NMJC its second five-point lead.
The Vaqueras tied it 29-29 early in the second half on baskets by Salinas and Phillip and Offutts free throw, then went ahead 31-29 on Offutts basket with 17:40 to play.
Central overcame 23 turnovers, which the Thunderbirds converted into 14 points. The Vaqueras scored just four points off 14 NMJC turnovers.
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