Ashley Nichols scored a team-high 22 points and grabbed 16 boards but it wasn’t enough to get the win on the road as No. 12 Bakersfield College fell to No. 5 Cypress 78-59 in the first round of the women’s basketball Southern California Regionals on Feb. 26.
Sophomore forward Ashlee Klingenberg added 11 points, including three 3-pointers.
Bakersfield College finished the season 18-10 and rebounded to make the postseason after missing the playoffs last year.
Cypress was led by sophomore guard Brittany Imaku, who posted a double-double with 13 points and 11 assists. She finished the game just one rebound shy of a triple-double.
Despite the loss, BC head coach Paula Dahl was still upbeat. “I was real pleased with how the team played,” she said.
The first half was very close and ended with BC up 32-31.
“(BC showed) great effort rebounding defensively and were quicker to the ball,” said Cypress coach Margaret Mohr of the Renegades play in the first half.
“We took care of the boards and had them on the run, and they’re a running team,” said Dahl. “It was solid basketball, a real exciting half.”
The second half was a different story with the Chargers outscoring BC by 20.
“We just started hitting our shots,and we developed more of an inside game with Rosalyn Omoruyi,” said Mohr. “We did a better job keeping them off the boards.”
A run of turnovers by BC in the second half allowed Cypress to build a lead.
With less than eight minutes to go in the game, the Renegades found themselves down by 12.
“In the second half, the shots weren’t falling and Tayler (Mcquilliams) got into foul trouble,” said Dahl.
“It was extremely physical with both teams in the second half, and we didn’t respond as well as we had previously.”
Going into next season, BC will lose four sophomores, most notably star forward Nicole Goss, as well as Tayler Mcquilliams, Klingenberg, and Nichols.
“We’ve got a strong recruiting class coming in, but unfortunately at the JC level you never know until September,” Dahl said.
One bright spot for the ‘Gades is that starting center Sarah Ortiz will most likely be back in uniform next season for the red and white.
“It’s been a great season, and I see this year as a great springboard for years to come,” said Dahl.