On Wednesday, Feb. 16 the Moorpark Women’s Basketball team returned home to face Cuesta in a divisional matchup. Moorpark handily controlled Cuesta on both ends, beating them 77-36.
Moorpark’s use of full-court press and athleticism gave Cuesta too many problems to deal with, resulting in the difference in score. Moorpark would force many turnovers due to their on-ball pressure, particularly in their full-court press.
Head coach Kenny Plummer provided his thoughts on his team’s performance against Cuesta.
“It was a team win, we played together, we focused on defense, and we accomplished the game plan we wanted to accomplish,” said Plummer. “I think our defensive pressure, intensity, and our passion showed our defensive identity.”
Moorpark was able to use their aggressive defense to make turnovers turn into easy baskets to help extend their lead in many stretches during the game. One Moorpark student Ryan Spaulding gave his thoughts on the match as a spectator.
“If I was able to witness more games where a team played that aggressively, I’d be a much bigger fan of basketball. That is probably one of the most enjoyable games I’ve ever witnessed personally,” said Spaulding. “The intensity was fantastic. Not only because they were obviously trying their hardest, but because you could tell every woman on that team showed up with a game plan and executed that plan to perfection.”
On the offensive end, Moorpark was particularly dangerous from outside the arc to create runs, especially in the second quarter where freshman guard Aaniya Hutchins drained three triples in the quarter. Those triples would help Moorpark hold a 46-16 lead at halftime.
Hutchins would provide her thoughts on her impact on the match against Cuesta.
“Play hard you get the results and it felt good to play team ball, I really love it,” said Hutchins. “We came out with energy and we executed, those efforts were shown in the score.”
Moorpark would continue their aggressive play into the second half to ensure their victory over divisional opponent Cuesta. Their efforts resulted in a final score of 77-36, a 41 point margin for Moorpark.
Moorpark would later go on the road to face Santa Barbara College on Friday, Feb. 18 for their final regular season game of the season. They beat Santa Barbara 62-56, finishing with a final record of 22-3 overall for the regular season.
The Moorpark Women’s Basketball team is heading to the playoffs to make a run for a championship title.
