On Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024, Moorpark College’s women’s basketball team hosted the Allan Hancock Bulldogs, looking to reach a tie for the Western State Conference North title.
The start of the game was fairly even, and it seemed that Moorpark’s team would have a challenging battle with their opponents. The game was scoreless for most of the first quarter until the Raiders scored the first points just before the eighth minute. Sophomore Rome Falcocchia opened the score with an assist by Mika Jarrett.
The first quarter of the game ended with a 17-8 lead by Moorpark. Still, the team’s momentum slowed down during the second quarter, allowing Allan Hancock to catch up in points. The Raiders went into halftime with a slimmer lead of 36-21.
The Raiders entered the second half of the game strongly, getting a 12-2 run, further increasing their lead against their opponents.
Number 42 on the Raiders, Falcocchia, noted their more decisive, more intense entrance to the second half of the game.
“In the second half, we came out with better defensive stops and we were able to push the ball more, which also let us have better offense,” Falcocchia said.
The team kept their powerful form throughout the remainder of the third quarter and into the fourth, led by Jarrett, who scored 33 points in the game. Allan Hancock’s Bulldogs attempted to cut into Moorpark’s lead, but the game ended with a final score of 74-58.
Head coach Kenny Plummer showed pride in his team after the win, mentioning how his change in the team’s strategy and energy led to a more robust performance coming into the second half.
“We kind of fixed up some things on the defensive end that we noticed that we can do better and create some turnovers, and then offensively we were holding the ball a bit too much, and after we fixed that and moved the ball around, then I think that’s what gave us a bigger lead,” Plummer explained.
The Raiders head coach is looking to lead his team to yet another WSC North title and is noting what he feels went right during the game to reach another win.
“We really focused on sharing the ball,” Plummer said. “We had 18 assists this game, and our offense really clicks when we’re sharing the ball, moving without the ball, and having that energy behind our passes.”
The team came into the game with an 18-game winning streak, and after defeating Allan Hancock with a final score of 74-58, the Raiders were in a tie for the WSC North title.
The Raiders are now 23-3 overall and 10-0 in the conference, looking to claim their fifth straight title. As the conference comes to an end, the Raiders will travel to Cuesta College on Feb. 21, 2024.
