Sequoias survives rally, performs state quarterfinals upset over South #1 Mt. SAC

LEMOORE--North #4 seed College of the Sequoias withstood an amazing rally by South #1 Mt. San Antonio and closed out a shocking upset of the Mounties, 69-66, in the state quarterfinals of the CCCAA Women's Basketball Championship Thursday night. The Giants (26-3) ended Mt. SAC's 18-game win streak while winning their 13th in a row.

Sequoias went ahead by 19 points, 51-32, midway through the third quarter, but Mt. SAC stormed back on an incredible 20-0 run to take the lead, 52-51. A basket-and-one by Nikki Thompson just 27 seconds into the fourth quarter capped the spurt that momentarily stunned COS.

The teams would trade leads before Sequoias grabbed a 59-56 lead on a layup and then two free throws by Sapphire Jones. Again the Mounties rallied on a 3-pointer by Kamesha Moore that tied it at 64-64 with 1:29 left. 

COS responded with Serena Ybarra converting 5-of-6 free throws down the stretch to pull away for good. Mt. SAC had cut it to 67-66 with 25 seconds left on a Moore bank, but Ybarra did not let the situation faze her as she swished consecutive free throws with five seconds remaining. 

Sequoias' Celeste Lewis hit 9-for-16 from the field to score 21 points while Jones, an All-State Second Team guard, contributed 18 points and eight rebounds. Ybarra finished 8-for-11 from the line as part of her 18 points.

For Mt. SAC (25-4), Moore came off the bench to score a game-high 22 points. The sophomore guard sparked her team's rally with 19 second-half points. Allyah Cartajena added 10 points and 18 rebounds (10 offensive). Mina Guevara-Goss chipped in nine points, seven boards and made five steals. 

The Giants grabbed a 19-14, first-quarter lead, then built the advantage to as much as 16 points on a jumper by Lewis with 2:48 left before halftime. Mt. SAC made a mild run to cut it to 37-27 after two quarters.

Mt. San Antonio has won more state titles than any other program, winning eight titles, the last in 2017. Central Valley Conference champion Sequoias is looking for its first state title since 1987. 

Sequoias will face North #2 seed Sierra, an 83-53 winner over Moorpark, in the state semifinals on Saturday while North #1 San Joaquin Delta faces South #2 Irvine Valley in the other semifinal. 

Release by Robert Lewis, for the CCCAA