Women’s basketball charge on to next season

After a third-round exit in the playoffs to nemesis East Los Angeles College, the Lady Lancers missed out on a trip to the state championship again.

While being clear underdogs, the Lancers previous game to ELAC was only lost by a 3-point margin. With a frustrating end to the season, the young and talented core for next year looks forward.

The Lancers’ were unlucky from the field, with a 22.7 % field-goal percentage. They played good defense in some stretches but were simply out-shot by 16 percent (38.8 %) throughout the game leading to an unfortunate ending to a promising season.

“The bulk of the team was new,” head coach Joe Peron stated. “I always tell them to win the games they need to and to give them a chance to win games that we might not win. We never got in sync to to play basketball that night.”

“We could have gone further,” sophomore guard, Elise Ortega said. “We have worked so hard from the beginning.”

The Lancers finished the season with an impressive 19-11 record (63% win percentage) during the regular season. Coach Peron also led the team to their 22nd playoff appearance in 23 years. Freshman Center Dariel Johnson led the team in scoring (14.8 points) and rebounds (14.5). In addition, Johnson led the state in with 4.3 blocks per game. Ultimately, the loss always stings but it also motivates the team for next year.

“I’m looking forward to next season,” freshman guard, Melissa Felix said. “I’m especially looking forward to going farther [in the playoffs] next year.”

Sophomores Jade Lin, Tatianna Shoals, Elise Ortega and Daniela Mendez all played their last game as Lancers.

Thinking about the future, Coach Peron states, “We have a good nucleus to work with for next year.” PCC looks to go to the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) tournament next year for the first time since 2010 when they went for their seventh consecutive appearance.