(Lancaster, CA) For the second time in a row, the Mt. SAC Women's Basketball Team defeated College of the Sequoias for a tournament championship. The latest was a decisive 87-54 win in the Annual Antelope Valley College Holiday Tournament on Sunday afternoon.
Behind a season-high 26 points from sophomore Kali Jones, the Mounties improved to 13-1.
Jones, who played at UC Santa Barbara last season, was a near-perfect 12 of 15 from the field. She also grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds, had three steals, one blocked shot and was 2-2 from the free throw line.
Sophomore Guard Caira Benton was named the tournament MVP. Benton produced a 26-point performance in the opening win over Glendale on Friday and had 46 points in the tournament.
Along with Benton, sophomores Allyah George and Maddeline Dopplick were chosen to the All-Tournament team for the Mounties. Each had eight points in the title game.
Two other Mounties had double-digit scoring nights. Both George and freshman guard Dominique McLaughlin had 13 points apiece, with George shooting 6 of 10 from the field and McLaughlin connecting on 5 of 6 field goals and was 2-2 at the line.
After building up a 28-17 first-quarter lead, the Mt. SAC defense almost shut down COS in the second quarter with a 26-6 advantage in the quarter.
They allowed only one basket by Sequoias in the first eight minutes of the quarter, while nine Mounties scored. Leading the charge in the quarter was Jones with six points. They shot a near-perfect 7 of 8 from the charity stripe and were 60% from the field.
As a team the Mounties were 15 of 18 (83%) in free throws and scored 36 points off of 21 COS turnovers.
Freshman forward Jade Hughes (4-6 FG, 3 RB) and sophomore guard Breanna Marquez (2-2 FT, 1-1 3-pointer) added eight and five points respectively for the Mounties.
The Mounties will be looking to claim their fourth tourney title this season after Christmas, as they take on San Diego Mesa in the Fullerton College tournament Tuesday December 27th at 7:00 pm.
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For additional information, please contact the Mt. SAC Sports Information Office at 909.274.4630.