WOMEN'S TEAM JOINS MEN IN FRESNO

BY ANKIT GOYAL
Staff Writer

Sophomore forward Pernisha Battle drives to the basket for a breakaway layup in the Rams 62-54 win over Solano. FELIPE JUNQUEIRA / GUARDSMAN

As the Rams men’s basketball team secured their spot in the state championship tournament with a close win at home on March 4, the women’s team made sure they were in the same position by outlasting Reedley College 77-72 in overtime.

With a 23-7 regular season record, the Rams were the No.7 seed in Northern California in the playoffs, the lowest seed to advance to the state tournament in Fresno. They will play No. 1 Mt. San Antonio from Southern California on March 9.

The upset of No. 3 Reedley didn’t come easy, as the Rams trailed the Tigers 29-28 at halftime. “In the first half we shot a horrid 10 for 30,” head coach Jamie Wong said. “We just weren’t creating enough open opportunities.”

The Rams turned things around in the second half as co-captain Trisha Alaba’s quickness and agility took over.

“Her strong penetration frazzled the other team and gave us other outlets of scoring,” Wong said.

Despite bothered by sinus and ear infections, the 5-foot-5 Alaba was determined to get to the basket. She had 18 points and six assists.

“Because the playoffs are single-elimination, we were going to leave everything on the court,” Alaba said.

Strong defense gave Rams their first lead with less than ten minutes left in the game. After a barrage of three-point shots by Reedley, the Rams switched defense from zone to man. .

“We switched [defenses] thinking they would have to earn every point by penetrating,” Wong said. “We weren’t going to give them any easy shots.”

With minutes remaining in regulation the Rams saw a six-point lead diminish as Reedley hit back-to-back threes. The Rams had a chance to avoid overtime with seven seconds remaining, but a last ditch lay-up by guard Andrea Ohlssen didn’t go in.

Star forward Pernisha Battle dominated the extra period, scoring eight of the team’s 16 points. Battle finished with 17 points and 9 rebounds. “My team needed a boost and I wasn’t going to let them down, especially since I was shooting poorly the whole game,” Battle said.

Alaba and Battle overcame sickness in the first playoff game as well. The team opened the game with a strong presence, as they defeated Solano 62-54 on Feb. 24.

Rams held a decisive 45-27 lead that the half, but Solano guards closed up the gap in the second half as they started hitting threes.

“I reminded the girls what we were here for and what we want to accomplish,” Wong said. ‘We couldn’t become complacent with our lead.”

The Rams answered the coach’s call as they resisted Solano’s surge through defense. Alaba’s 20 points and ability to elude double teams secured a Rams’ victory.

“With these two hard fought victories, we are poised to enter the state championships in Fresno,” Wong said.

e-mail: agoyal@theguardsman.com

RAMS POISED TO CAPTURE STATE TITLE

BY MILES HARWELL
Editor

Guard Justin Holmes, a key player for the Rams in the playoffs, drives past two Viking defenders for two of his 19 points. FELIPE JUNQUEIRA / GUARDSMAN

With a 73-67 come-from-behind win against No. 6 Diablo Valley Vikings on March 4, the Rams men’s basketball team is now three games away from a state championship.

The first two rounds of the playoffs provided no surprise as the top four seeds of both Northern and Southern California advanced to the Commission on Athletics state championship tournament, including the undefeated Fullerton Hornets.

With a 27-3 record in the regular season, the Rams earned the No. 3 seed in Northern California into the playoffs and won their bracket on their home floor.

After being down 32-29 at the half, the Rams battled back to complete the season sweep over the Vikings, who went 28-8 in the regular season.

“Beating a team like this three times usually doesn’t happen,” Rams head coach Justin Labagh said.

Center Maurice Purify and captain point guard Eric Turner were hampered with three fouls each in the first half and combined for only 19 points. Rams in foul trouble allowed the Vikings to earn an early lead.

“My teammates were able to step up,” Purify said. “Pat Dreith hit some big shots down the stretch.”

Dreith, the Rams’ sixth man, had 11 points and five rebounds.

Guard Ron Manigualt scored 13 of his 19 points in the second half to ignite the Rams’ rally, as he played out of position at power forward and grabbed 11 rebounds.

“We just refused to lose this game,” Manigault said. “We knew most of their plays, so it was easy getting in position for rebounds.”

“Me and Mo (Purify) were in foul trouble in the first half,” Turner said. “In the second half, we all got to play together and we found our rhythm.”

Football star Purify sparkled in the first round as the Rams romped to an 82-60 win over the No.14 West Hills Falcons. Purify was unstoppable in the low-post with a career-high 35 points plus 11 rebounds.

“Maurice has developed as a basketball player,” Labagh said. “He came onto the team with raw talent, but now there’s no question he could play Division-1A basketball.”

The Rams led 45-24 at the half. The Falcons attempted to reduce the Rams lead with three-point shooting, but failed to reach within single digits.

The Rams played well despite the absence of forward Dave McSwain, who departed from the team prior to the post-season due to personal reasons. McSwain was the Rams’ leading scorer, averaging 15 points a game.

“We just kept it moving,” Purify said. “We did [McSwain’s] part and then some.”

The first round of the state championships tournament begins on March 10 as the Rams face 2002-2003 champion Los Angeles City College.

e-mail: sports@theguardsman.com

EARNING CREDIT KEY FOR STUDENT ATHLETES

BY TOMMY HOLMES
Staff Writer

Running back Tyreece Jacks has earned transferable units during his first year at City College LESLIE HICKS / GUARDSMAN

At beginning of each semester, student athletes look forward to another season of hard fought intercollegiate battles. Scoring a goal, throwing a touchdown pass or recording a triple-double, these students bring their noses out of the books and into the dirt.

But to showcase these talents, they must first meet the minimal requirements, strictly enforced by City College administration.

“In order for a student to participate in intercollegiate sports, they must be enrolled in 12 credit hours and maintain at least a 2.0 GPA,” Dean of Student Affairs Mark Robinson said. “Now in intramural sports, this is not the case. But City College does not offer intramural sports.”
Before each sport season, a head coach must turn in a team eligibility document that indicates each student athlete’s classes, grades, date of enrollment to ensure a credited student status. If the athlete is not on the list, they are not allowed to participate.

“The [Commission on Athletics] sets very specific guidelines, and we must abide by them,” athletic student advisor Rod Santos said.

Non-credit programs are free to students and are provided as either supplementary education or extended learning. Students are graded, but these classes don’t count towards their grade point average, hence not fulfilling requirements of student athletes.

“I have recommended that credit students that are involved in sports to take non-credit classes,” Santos said. “It allows them to pursue other areas of interest and will not jeopardize their grade point average.”

Santos recalls one instance of a female athlete, who he declined to name, trying to play soccer while taking non-credit classes.

“She had to make the switch from non-credit to credit,” Santos said. “In order to make this switch she had to take the mandatory placement tests. It turned out that she fell below the requirement and her access to the athletic program was denied.”

Student athletes like freshman Tyreece Jacks, a running back for the Rams during the 2005 football season, emphasize the importance of athletes getting an education and excelling in the classroom as well as in athletics. While Jacks is still an undecided major, he holds a 2.7 grade point average.

“I think coaches should put more into encouraging players to do well in class,” Jacks said. “Sports won’t always work out, so it’s good to have a degree to fall back on.”

e-mail: tholmes@theguardsman.com

SCOREBOARD

Women's Tennis

Coming off a remarkable effort in 2005, when they finished second in the coast conference, the Rams are hoping to ascend to the postseason in 2006. They currently hold a 4-1 record, 3-0 in the conference. Against Foothill, the Rams posted a 9-0 shutout, winning all six singles competitions and three doubles matches. Foothill responded with a 9-0 win of their own over the Rams to avenge the previous loss. Against Fresno, the Rams earned a 5-4 victory, with Geina Gosette, Jackie Wong and Lindy Cobb winning in singles competition. The Rams won two of three doubles matches in the contest. Facing De Anza, the Rams posted a 6-3 win. Annika Viragh, Gossette and Cobb each won in singles action. Two of three Rams doubles teams posted victories in the contest. — Tommy Holmes

Baseball

The Rams opened up a three-game road trip with a lopsided 17-4 victory over Monterey. The Rams led 6-4 heading into the eighth inning, when the team scored four runs to open up a 10-4 lead. Another big inning followed in the ninth, as the Rams tacked on another six runs to make the score 17-4 and to put the game out of Monterey’s reach. Anthony Portillo and Travis Gonzaga led the way with four hits apiece. Sophomore starter Joey Munn pitched five innings, struck out eight and earned the victory. The Rams weren’t able to keep up the momentum, losing their next game 9-8 to Los Medanos. The Rams held an 8-6 advantage into the bottom of the ninth, but Los Medanos scored three runs to complete the rally. Munn and Nick Colvin led the Rams with three hits apiece. The Rams finish pre-season play with a 5-9 record. — Brian Pekrul