ECC Keeps Women’s Basketball Honda of Pasadena Final

The Pasadena City College women’s basketball team had hoped to advance to the championship final of its inaugural Honda of Pasadena Classic, but El Camino kept the Lancers out of the big dance with a 66-59 win at Hutto-Patterson Gymnasium Saturday night.

PCC (1-1) faces Long Beach City College Sunday at 2 p.m. in the third place final. El Camino will face College of the Sequoias for the Honda title at 4 p.m. Citrus plays Southwestern in the consolation final to start the final day action at 12 noon.

The Lancers led early at 18-14, but ECC would take a 22-20 lead and never relinquish it over the final 28 minutes. The Warriors opened the second half with a10-2 run to keep PCC in a chase mode. The Lancers made 3-point baskets down the stretch to get it close as Emily Thach drained two long range baskets, the second cutting it to 62-59 with 1:51 remaining. PCC did not score again.

The difference in the game was El Camino’s strong free throw shooting, making 31 of 37 attempts for an 83.8 percent accuracy. Shontalene Trudeau was 17-of-19 as part of her game-high 25 points (plus five steals and four assists). In comparison, the Lancers made 14 of 23 overall from the line (60.9 percent).

Thach drilled four treys as part of her team-leading 14 points. Point guard Judith Espinoza added 13 points (9-for-11 on free throws) and five assists and reserve guard Kyrstin Nakamura added 10 points, making three 3-pointers for the second straight game. The Lancers’ two big forwards were limited by ECC’s defense in Regerina Baker (six points, seven rebounds and four steals) and Iliana Blanc, who scored four points with seven rebounds and three steals.

Guard Chy’annea Hodges, who is just finishing the PCC volleyball season as a full-time middle blocker, played her first Lancers basketball game. She did not score, but had a rebound, an assist and steal while playing tough defense in about 12 minutes of play.

Ironically, it was a year ago to the day that El Camino ended a 24-game series losing streak that spanned 16 years against the Lancers by upsetting them, 75-62, in the second round of the then PCC Rose City Classic tourney. Pasadena later beat the Warriors in South Coast Conference play, 63-58.

Sequoias used a layup by Corissa Turley with 13 seconds left to defeat Long Beach, 57-56, in the other Honda championship semifinal. Citrus downed Taft, 56-43, and Southwestern defeated Pierce, 85-61, in the two consolation semifinals.