(Walnut, CA) The Mounties Women's Basketball team, with another overwhelming victory, defeated Citrus, 67-38, in the semifinals to advance to the championship game against Sierra College Sunday (November 7) in the Linda G. Smith Memorial Tournament.
Sierra, ranked second in the preseason Northern California rankings, defeated Rio Hondo, 60-41, in the other semifinal game.
After a 55-point margin of victory against San Diego City College on Friday, the Mounties came back with another big win in the tournament semifinals.
"It just feels great to be back," said sophomore guard Savanna Norfleet, of the long layoff. "A lot of people got distracted during quarantine, so the majority of our girls stayed in tune in zoom workouts, but we're just happy to be back."
"We just have a really good team this year. There's not just one player, it's all of us. We just want to continue the legacy of being champions."
The preseason No.3 So Cal ranked Mounties, who have always been known for a deep bench, continued the tradition with scoring from nine players, led by freshman forward Sanaisha Morgan (8-12 FG, 2-3 FT, 7 RB) with 18 points and Norfleet (7-13 FG, 3 Stls.) with 16 points.
In addition to the nine scorers, 12 of the 15 players on the roster logged game minutes for the Mounties.
"Every time somebody gets subbed in, we just push the tempo," Morgan said. "That's what it's all about. Whenever we come off the bench, we give the same energy or more energy, so it can keep us going. It's never a dull moment with us."
Sophomore guard Mina Guevara-Goss added 11 points and seven rebounds, while sophomore forward Allyah Cartajena had seven points. Cartajena and sophomore forward Skylarr Little each had nine rebounds.
With the Mounties holding a 14-10 lead near the end of the first quarter, Norfleet tossed up a long 3-pointer at the buzzer that swished the net to end the quarter with a seven-point lead.
Norfleet came off the bench in the first quarter to score 10 of her 16 points, which included two threes.
That energy carried over to the second quarter, as the Mounties nearly doubled up the scoring with a 20-point, second quarter and led at the half, 37-23.
After a close third quarter, 14-13, the Mounties nearly held Citrus scoreless in the fourth, outscoring the Owls, 16-2, for the 29-point victory.
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For additional information, please contact the Mt. SAC Sports Information Office at 909.274.4630.
