NO 17 MARAUDER WOMEN'S BASKETBALL HEADS TO NO 1 MT. SAN ANTONIO FOR SECOND ROUND OF STATE PLAYOFFS

THIS WEEK

Sat., Feb. 25, No. 18 Antelope Valley College Marauder women's basketball (16-13, 9-1 and co-champions in the Western State East) at No. 1 Mt. San Antonio Mounties (28-2, 9-1 and co-champions of the South Coast North), second round of the state playoffs, Walnut, 7 p.m..

THE MATCH-UPS

The Marauders advanced to this game by beating No. 17 Long Beach City, 65-59.  The Mounties had a first round bye based on their No. 1 seeding.

The two teams have not met since the 2010-11 season when the Mounties won their fourth straight in the series, 59-56.

MSAC leads in the series 9-3.

The two have met twice before in playoffs, both games in Walnut.  In 2003, the No. 9 Marauders lost to the No. 8 Mounties 61-56, and in 2007 the No. 8 Marauders lost to the No. 1 Marauders 89-54.

THE MARAUDERS

The 2016-17 had their notorious slow start.  In fact, they were 6-12 heading into the Western State East eying another second place finish especially since the No. 6 LA Valley looked to run the conference.

AVC had other plans, and in their first game at home, beat the Monarchs, putting together a six game win streak – the most for a Barry Green coached team.  LA Valley did win big in the second game, but AVC did what they needed to do in all their other conference games to take the first conference title since 2010.

Look for Makaela Manson and Brieanna Perkins to be dangerous from three, with Katilin Stephenson taking over the middle, with some help from Ashley Shaw.  Deja Smith leads the Marauders in scoring with her quickness, especially to the basket.

The Marauders have made the playoffs in 19 of their 34 seasons, with them returning for the first time since 2014-15.

BRACKET

The game's winner will face No. 9  Mt. San Jacinto who beat No. 8 LA Trade Tech 105-96 in double overtime.  The Eagles have beaten AVC twice this season.  If Mt. San Antonio wins they meet the Eagles in Walnut on Wednesday, while AVC would travel to San Jacinto if they were to pull off the upset.  The only other team in the bracket AVC has seen is No. 4 Cypress, who they lost to.

See the full bracket here.

STREAKS

The Marauders are on a four game winning streak, a one two game winning streak on the road and a four game losing streak to the Mounties.  They are on a one game winning streak in the playoffs and a one game winning streak on the road in the playoffs.

ALL CONFERENCE

Marauder Women's Basketball, who surprised everyone with a Western State East co-championship landed three players on the All-Conference, and Barry Green was tabbed with his first-ever Coach of the Year honor.

Those named included Makaela Manson, who was second in scoring and three pointers for the Marauders as well as second in conference three pointers, Katilin Stephenson, who was the Marauders' top rebounder and fourth in conference rebounds and Brieanna Perkins who was fourth in scoring for the Marauders but tops in conference and for AVC in three pointers.

Barry Green, in his seventh season as head coach of the Marauder Women, was named Western State Conference Coach of the Year.  It was the first time he has been so named.

BARRY GREEN

Barry Green is now 107-89 (.544) in his season season as head coach of the Marauders.  In 2016-17, he lead a team that entered conference play 6-12 to a Western State East co-championship, the Marauders' first with him as head coach.  He was also named Western State East Coach of the Year.

He spent 23 years as a Marauder assistant coach, and was in his fourth with the women's basketball squad before being elevated, moving over after the retirement of Newton Chelette as men's coach. Green was the men's assistant coach for 18 years.