Women’s Basketball: Pirates’ win no tall tale

CYPRESS — In his first game on the sideline after returning from heart surgery on Nov. 4, Orange Coast College women’s basketball coach Mike Thornton could not have experienced a win that displayed any more collective heart than the one the Pirates pulled off Friday.

OCC, winless in its first four games, erased a 17-point second-half deficit to rally past Grossmont, 75-67, in the opening round of the Lady Charger Classic at Cypress College. The win came despite OCC’s three frontcourt starters fouling out within a span of 27 seconds with more than seven minutes remaining.

The loss of all its size left OCC (1-4) with a lineup of players no taller than 5-foot-6 against a Grossmont starting front line that measured 6-0, 6-0 and 5-8. But vertical measurement was the wrong quantitative tool to assess OCC’s small-ball battalion, which somehow summoned a sizable will to overcome.

Down, 46-32, with 10:21 left, the Pirates went on a 16-4 run to pull within 50-48 with 6:37 remaining. And after the Griffins (1-5) answered with five straight points, OCC scrapped and clawed to a 13-0 run that was capped by a three-point bank shot from the right wing by sophomore guard Nicole Beaudoin that put the designated visitors up, 60-55.

OCC, which endured a first-half field-goal drought of 12 minutes, 23 seconds until Jasmine Matar hit a 12-foot baseline jumper 57 seconds before intermission, made five of 12 three-point attempts (41.7%) and had just four of its 21 turnovers in the final 20 minutes.

The Pirates, who were zero for 10 from threedom and made just five of 23 from the field in the opening half (21.7%), connected on 15 of 34 field-goal tries in the second half. The winners also shot 35 free throws after intermission, converting 21 to finish 30 for 50 from the foul line.

Grossmont sank only 13 of its 37 free-throw attempts, just two of 11 in the second half, and coughed up 13 of its 22 turnovers in the final 20 minutes.

“I just feel like sooner or later, you have to bring yourself out of a hole,” said Beaudoin, who paced the Pirates with 19 points, all but three coming after halftime. “You can’t keep feeling sorry for yourself. We had been saying, ‘We’ll get it next time; we’ll get it next time.’ But at some point, it takes all five players to dig down inside and say this is the game we have to get.”

The unlikely second-half blitz appeared headed for a halt when the 5-10 Matar, who came in averaging 20.8 points per game, 6-0 center Kelcie Mayott (9.8 ppg) and 5-9 freshman forward Kawahine Andrade, who had a combined 25 rebounds at the time, all fouled out in a sequence that would not have exhausted the shot clock.

When Andrade headed for the bench with 7:10 left, the resulting free throw put Grossmont up, 47-43 and the Griffins’ lead increased to six just seconds later.

But with the 5-5 Beaudoin, a transfer from San Diego Christian, and 5-5 freshman Bela Raimondi being joined by 5-6 freshmen reserves Deanna Link, Danielle Obong and Maddy Seward, the Pirates’ somehow-catalytic combination helped finish out a victory that was no small wonder.

“That’s a lineup that hasn’t been on the floor together even in practice,” said Thornton, who, under doctor’s orders, merely advised assistants Valerie Katayama and Alyssa Hanson on the bench. “But [in the second half], all of a sudden things started to turn and, I think the best way to put it is: we got some prayers answered.”

Beaudoin credited the bench that outscored Grossmont reserves, 31-18, for the making the difference. She smiled when asked about the matchup quandary that playing five guards created.

“A [Grossmont center or forward] would come in and I was like ‘OK, who do I switch with,’” Beaudoin said. “Then I realized I had to take her, because we were all 5-6 or 5-5.”

Fink, who led the winners with 12 rebounds, added 15 points, 14 of which came in the second half. She made 10 free throws in 15 attempts.

Seward and Obong each had eight points and six rebounds.

Matar had 13 points, 11 rebounds and three blocked shots for OCC, which finished with an unlikely 62-57 rebounding advantage.

Raimondi, a Newport Harbor High product, chipped in seven points, five rebounds and a team-best three assists.

“I got a little more involved than I was supposed to,” said Thornton, who noted afterward that he was no worse for the experience. “I’m still alive.”

Beaudoin said Thornton’s return provided a lift.

“He isn’t supposed to get real intense, but he was giving us his words of wisdom,” Beaudoin said.

“At halftime, we told each other that nobody is going to give us this game. It has to come from deep inside of us.”

OCC will meet West Los Angeles in Saturday’s semifinal at 5 p.m.

—

Cypress tournament

Orange Coast 75, Grossmont 67

OCC – Matar 13, Andrade 2, Mayott 3, Beaudoin 19, Raimondi 7, Fink 15, Seward 8, Obong 8.

3-pt. goals – Beaudoin 3, Fink 1, Seward 1.

Fouled out – Andrade, Matar, Mayott.

Technicals – None.

GC – Garcia 5, Bradley 2, Patrick 16, Rivera 14, Vargas 12, Johnson 7, Dela 6, Darensbourg 3, Scott 2.

3-pt. goals – Dela 2, Vargas 1, Rivera 1, Darensbour 1.

Fouled out – Johnson.

Technicals – Team 1.

Halftime – 34-19, GC.