TAFT, CA – The Lady Cougars Basketball Team of Taft College (4-0) traveled to Livermore, CA to challenge one of the most underrated teams in the state in Las Positas College. Despite many injuries, Las Positas still had their impacting starting five players being able to compete on Monday, November 13.
California state's second leading scorer, Kiersten Constantino, was averaging 26.5 points, and her teammate Joyce Mulumba is the number 1 rebounder in the state averaging 22.5 rebounds per game. Against Taft, Constantino scored 37 points shooting 8-12 from the arc, while Mulumba had 25 rebounds, and fellow teammate Monique Cavness had 25 rebounds as well. Both Mulumba and Cavness scored 17 and 12 points, respectively. Rayna Manu was the second leading scorer in the game with 21 points. Despite those astronomical numbers, Taft College was able to defeat the Lady Hawks 93-89.
Taft led Las Positas at halftime 56-36. However, that 20-point difference didn't faze the host team, as the Hawks outscored the Cougars 53-37 in the second half. Taft Head Women's Basketball Coach Romeo Lagmay, Jr. shared his remarks, "I was not too thrilled how we performed in the second half, and I wasn't surprised in how they (Las Positas) came back to narrow it down to a 1-point deficit. That team is very talented, and it could have been anyone's game in the second half. Our team decided to let up and deviate from the game plan. I knew how this game could have ended up just due to the outrageous stats some of their players produce. It was a learning experience to never let up, but we will take a win however it comes, and I was told by another colleague that it is better to learn from a win than a loss. Regardless the outcome, these Lady Cougars are grinding hard."
The Cougars proved to be the better shooters overall as a team. Taft shot 42% from the field, 60% from 3-point range, and 54% from the foul line. Celicia Enos and Alizah Lara were the top scorers on their team with 19 points apiece. Enos produced a double double grabbing 12 rebounds. Lara and Manu (Las Positas) led the game with 3 steals, while Lara also led a game high 6 assists. Brandy Edwards came off the bench to score 17 points, shooting a solid 3-5 from beyond the arc.
Taft will travel again on the road on Wednesday, November 15, where Los Angeles Trade Tech (0-7) will be looking to upset the Cougars for their first win of the season. Taft is currently undefeated looking to make a stretch five in a row. Tipoff starts at 5:00 pm.