Coyote Athletics : Women's Basketball : Headlines

Coyotes drop two in preseason tourney

By Nathan Ahle, The Daily Independent

The Cerro Coso Coyotes' basketball team dropped a pair of early-season games at the L.A. Pierce Tournament Friday and Saturday. The Lady Coyotes will play two home games this week, hosting Victor Valley on Wednesday and Cuyamaca College on Thursday night at Cerro Coso. DAILY INDEPENDENT FILE PHOTO BY MIKE DELANEY

The Cerro Coso women's basketball team dropped both games it played at the L.A. Pierce College Tournament in Los Angeles on Friday and Saturday.

Friday, the Lady Coyotes lost 76-40 to Citrus College, the eventual tournament champions.

The 6-2 Citrus team relied on a size advantage inside, while the Coyotes struggled offensively, hitting only six of 34 shots.

"Citrus is a very strong team, but if we only shoot 24 percent from the field, it will be difficult for us to be competitive in any game," said Coyotes Head Coach Tom Heck.

Saturday's game was a great deal more positive for Cerro Coso (1-3). The team faced the L.A. City College Cubs and led most of the way before losing 63-53.

The Lady Cubs took over in the final five minutes, but the Coyotes used a "triangle and two" defensive setup that gave L.A. City fits throughout most of the game.

The Coyotes clung to a 51-47 lead with five minutes to go, but Heck said that seven turnovers led to easy Cub baskets, and the Coyotes gave up the lead.

"We played the triangle and two as well as we possibly could," said Heck. "Our half-court defense was great, but we wilted under severe full-court pressure at the end. We just self-destructed."

Heck was pleased with the team's effort, despite being outscored 16-2 in the final five minutes.

"Our effort was great, but our lack of experience really showed," Heck said.

Statistically, Fernanda Yazzie led Cerro Coso in Saturday's game with 13 points, while Stephanie Hart and Tasheena Nelson added 12 points each. Cetra Banks contributed with eight points and 14 rebounds in a supporting role.

Candace Polyestewa added six points and eight rebounds for Cerro Coso. while Kelly Clark, a 6'3" center, led L.A. City in scoring with 15 points.

Cerro Coso will hope to finish the week at .500 on the young season, as it plays two home games at the Raymond A. McCue Athletic Complex.

The Coyotes host the Victor Valley College Rams in a non-conference game Wednesday night at 7 p.m. Victor Valley dealt Cerro Coso a 57-50 loss in its season opener last week.

Thursday, the Coyotes will host Cuyamaca College at 5 p.m. Admission to both home contests is free.

November 30, 2004

For more on this story please subscribe to The Daily Independent at: dieditor@ridgecrestca.com