The lady Pirates put their hands in the middle and yelled out "team" before the opening tip-off of the Santa Ana College Thanksgiving Tournament Friday (Nov. 27).
That word is probably the best way to describe the 2009-10 Orange Coast College women's basketball team because, according to head coach Mike Thornton, there are no superstars on the roster.
But to win, the lady Pirates do not need a No. 1 offensive option. With its top four scoring leaders only separated by four points Friday, Coast (3-2) shared the ball as a team en route to a 56-47 win over Merced College (1-4) at the Cook Gym.
"Through the first four games, we had a different leading scorer every game," Thornton said.
But Coast forward Sam Hansen, fresh off a 21 point performance in a 76-74 overtime win over Cerritos College on Nov. 18, is one of the front-runners to be that No. 1 scoring option.
Hansen scored 12 points on 4-of-9 shooting (4-of-4 on free throws) Friday to become the lady Pirates' first back-to-back scoring leader this season.
"When I'm in, I'm going to give it my all," she said.
Hansen also had a team-high four steals in the contest and was a big part of Coast's full-court defensive press that resulted in 20 first half Merced turnovers.
Because of that, the lady Pirates closed the first half on a 7-0 run and carried over the momentum at the start of the second half with an 8-1 run to give themselves a 15 point cushion with 14 minutes left in the game.
"We practiced that a lot," Hansen said of the full court press defense. "We just want to execute that to give ourselves more chances for baskets."
Coast freshman Amanda Deal, who scored 11 points on 2-of-2 shooting and 6-of-8 from the free throw line, added that because no one is a No. 1 offensive option, their team unity shows on both sides of the court.
"We're always working hard (and) I can count on any girl at any time when we're playing," she said. "We all just want to win and it shows."
The other top scorers for Coast were sophomore Jenna Lujan, who also led the lady Pirates with two blocks and four assists, and freshman Tiffany Monteiro (2-of-4 on three pointers) with eight points.
"We have to work really hard together," Hansen said. "We win as a team, we lose as a team."
Coast will play against San Bernardino Valley College Saturday (Nov. 28) in the second round of the tournament at 5 p.m. at Cook Gym.
[Photos by Tony Lee]
That word is probably the best way to describe the 2009-10 Orange Coast College women's basketball team because, according to head coach Mike Thornton, there are no superstars on the roster.
But to win, the lady Pirates do not need a No. 1 offensive option. With its top four scoring leaders only separated by four points Friday, Coast (3-2) shared the ball as a team en route to a 56-47 win over Merced College (1-4) at the Cook Gym.
"Through the first four games, we had a different leading scorer every game," Thornton said.
But Coast forward Sam Hansen, fresh off a 21 point performance in a 76-74 overtime win over Cerritos College on Nov. 18, is one of the front-runners to be that No. 1 scoring option.
Hansen scored 12 points on 4-of-9 shooting (4-of-4 on free throws) Friday to become the lady Pirates' first back-to-back scoring leader this season.
"When I'm in, I'm going to give it my all," she said.
Hansen also had a team-high four steals in the contest and was a big part of Coast's full-court defensive press that resulted in 20 first half Merced turnovers.
Because of that, the lady Pirates closed the first half on a 7-0 run and carried over the momentum at the start of the second half with an 8-1 run to give themselves a 15 point cushion with 14 minutes left in the game.
"We practiced that a lot," Hansen said of the full court press defense. "We just want to execute that to give ourselves more chances for baskets."
Coast freshman Amanda Deal, who scored 11 points on 2-of-2 shooting and 6-of-8 from the free throw line, added that because no one is a No. 1 offensive option, their team unity shows on both sides of the court.
"We're always working hard (and) I can count on any girl at any time when we're playing," she said. "We all just want to win and it shows."
The other top scorers for Coast were sophomore Jenna Lujan, who also led the lady Pirates with two blocks and four assists, and freshman Tiffany Monteiro (2-of-4 on three pointers) with eight points.
"We have to work really hard together," Hansen said. "We win as a team, we lose as a team."
Coast will play against San Bernardino Valley College Saturday (Nov. 28) in the second round of the tournament at 5 p.m. at Cook Gym.
[Photos by Tony Lee]
