The Week Ahead for Hancock Athletics, Jan. 29 - Feb. 4: Basketball Hosts Carney's Coaches vs. Cancer and Two Key Conference Showdowns

The Allan Hancock College baseball and softball teams embark on their first road trips of the season this week. Meantime, the men's and women's basketball teams host two key conference games with title and postseason implications.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL (3-1, 11-9)
This Week:
Wednesday, Jan. 31 vs. Moorpark *, 5 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 3 vs. Cuesta *, 3 p.m. – Carney's Coaches vs. Cancer

Winners of three straight games, the Hancock women's basketball team will play two key home games against ranked teams, No. 20 Moorpark and No. 11 Ventura. Hancock, which is 3-1 in Western State Conference play and 11-9 overall, hosts Moorpark (3-1, 16-5) on Wednesday, January 31 at 5 p.m. They face first-place Ventura (4-0, 18-6) on Saturday at 3 p.m. The college will host its annual Carney's Coaches vs. Cancer fundraiser event on Saturday. Both home games will be streamed live, just click on the WATCH LIVE button on athletics.hancockcollege.edu.

Last week, Hancock picked up two key conference victories. The Bulldogs defeated Cuesta 53-37 behind 18 points and four assists from sophomore guard Taylor Lee-Hammer (Pagosa Springs HS). Sophomore Hannah Walls (Valley Christian Academy) recorded her third double-double with 11 points and a career-high 13 rebounds to go with two blocked shots. Karly Beyers (Pioneer Valley HS) contributed 12 points and eight rebounds in the win. The Lady Bulldogs also went down to Oxnard and handed the Condors a 59-39 loss. Lee-Hammer recorded her first double-double with 15 points and a career-high 12 rebounds. Grace Rosa (Paso Robles HS) earned her fourth double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Walls added nine points, five rebounds and three blocks. Beyers tallied eight points and 10 rebounds. Brianna Rubalcaba (Madera HS) pitched in with nine points and four assists. Hancock overcame a 13-9 deficit by outscoring Oxnard 20-6 in the second quarter to take control of the game.

For the year, Rosa is the team's leading scorer at 14.8 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. Beyers averages 13.7 points and 8.3 rebounds, while Lee-Hammer averaging 13.8 points.

Moorpark is coming off a 53-40 come-from-behind win at Cuesta. The Raiders trailed 36-33 after three quarters, but outscored the Cougars 20-4 in the final 10 minutes. Emily Herring led Moorpark with 19 points, while Barbara Rangel added 13 points, 13 rebounds and seven blocked shots. Moorpark's defense ranks eighth in the state by allowing only 51.8 points per game, and fourth in opponents' field goal percentage at 31.6 percent. Rangel averages 16.4 points, 13.4 rebounds and 3.9 blocks per contest. She ranks fifth in the state in rebounds per game. Herring averages 12.9 points and Sydney Arakawa 10.9 points per game. Kelsea Illengo puts up 9.7 points and 8.7 rebounds per game.

Hancock will get its second chance at Ventura, the 27-time defending conference champion. Hancock lost 60-38 at Ventura earlier this month in its conference opener. Lee-Hammer scored 15 points and Rosa added 10. Hancock trailed 18-13 after the first quarter, but could not keep up with the Pirates after Walls left the game with an injury. Ventura's defense ranks third in the state in opponents' field goal percentage at 31.5 percent and fourth by allowing 50.7 points contest. Sophomore guard Jasmyne Martin is the team's leading scorer at 14.2 points, while Davina Del Castillo averages 13.3 points, 11.1 rebounds and 2.8 steals per game. Martin scored 23 points against Hancock earlier this season.

MEN'S BASKETBALL (3-1, 16-8)
This Week:
Wednesday, January 31 vs. Moorpark *, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 3 vs. Cuesta *, 5 p.m. – Carney's Coaches vs. Cancer

The Hancock men's basketball returns home to host a pair of key games in their quest for a Western State Conference title. Winners of three in a row, the Bulldogs are 3-1 in conference and 16-8 overall. They sit in second place in the standings, one game behind Ventura, their opponent on Saturday, Feb. 3. The Bulldogs first will host Moorpark on Wednesday at 7 p.m. Both home games will be streamed live, just click on the WATCH LIVE button on athletics.hancockcollege.edu.

Last week, Hancock hung on for an 83-80 win at home over Cuesta College. Shane Carney (Narbonne HS) led the Bulldogs with 24 points behind five 3-pointers. Devin Davis (El Cerrito HS) earned his fifth double-double by tying his career high with 23 points to go with 10 boards. Glenn Jordan (Curtis HS) added 10 points, seven assists and four rebounds. The Bulldogs ended the week with a 103-85 win at Oxnard. Carney hit a career-best eight 3-pointers to finish with 26 points and five assists, while Davis added 16 points, 13 rebounds and six assists for his sixth double-double. Diego Lucas (Marchesini Sacile) tied a career high with 13 points and six assists. Jordan added 10 points and five assists, and Spirit Ricks (Patterson HS) finished with 10 points and eight boards. All 12 Bulldogs scored at least two points in the win.

Hancock ranks among the state leaders in 3-point percentage (38.6 percent, 10th); offensive rebounds per game (13.5, 11th); total rebounds per game (40.9, 10th); and assists per game (20.0, 3rd). Carney is the team's leading scorer at 16 points and 5.7 assists per game. He is shooting 40.7 percent from 3-point range. Davis averages 10.8 points and 6.8 rebounds, while Jordan puts up 10.3 points and 4.5 assists per game. Ricks averages 9.7 points and 6.5 rebounds.

Moorpark enters the week 9-12 overall and 2-2 in conference. The Raiders lost 73-50 at Cuesta last Saturday after shooting 35 percent and getting outrebounded 45-29. Moorpark ranks seventh in the state this season by shooting 39.1 percent from 3-point range. Guard Cole Micek is the team's leading scorer at 16.7 points per game. He is shooting 43.8 percent from 3-point territory. Garrett Bilby averages 10.8 points and is shooting 49.2 percent from long-range.

Ventura starts the week at 4-0 in conference and 16-7 overall. The Pirates play at Cuesta on Wednesday. Guard Jacob Alonzo averages 16 points, 4.5 assists and 3.9 steals per game, while guard Isiah Reyes averages 15.1 points per game. Alonzo is shooting 46.3 percent from 3-point territory and 92.2 percent from the line. John Williams averages 11.9 points. Earlier this month, Ventura defeated Hancock 77-67 behind 24 points from Williams, 17 from Reyes. Alonzo had six points, eight assists and eight rebounds. Trenton Mitchell recorded a double-double for the Bulldogs against Ventura with 13 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks. Davis added 12 points and Jordan finished with 10.

BASEBALL (3-0)
This Week:
Thursday, February 1 @ Taft, 2 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 3 @ L.A, Pierce, 1 p.m.

Off to its second 3-0 start in the last three years, the Allan Hancock College baseball team plays its first game away from home on Thursday, February 1 at Taft .First pitch will be at 2 p.m. Following that game, Hancock will travel to LA Pierce on Saturday, Feb. 3.

The Bulldogs opened the season with back-to-back wins over LA Pierce. The Bulldogs took the opener 2-1 behind 6 1/3 solid innings from starting pitcher Nic Cardinal (Mesa CC). The sophomore struck out eight Brahmas to earn the win. Quinntin Perez (St. Joseph HS) hit a RBI-double in the first inning to account for the game's first run. With the game tied at 1-1, Ismael Hernandez (Cabrillo HS) hit a sacrifice fly in the sixth for the game-winning run. Freshman Jesse Gasca (Lompoc HS) picked up the save with two strikeouts in the ninth inning. Josh Tonascia (San Benito) and Daniel Curiel (Righetti HS) had two hits apiece for the Bulldogs. Tonascia delivered the go-ahead, two-run single in the seventh inning to help the Bulldogs earn an 8-6 come-from-behind win in the second game. Tonascia had three hits and 3 RBI in the game that Hancock trailed 6-4 into the sixth inning. Catcher Reed Odland (Vauxhall HS) had three hits, while Dylan Maiden (Cabrillo HS), Perez and Cordell Bowie (Del Sol Academy) added two hits apiece. Jake Shusterich (Arroyo Grande HS) earned the win with two innings of shutout relief.

Curiel went 4-for-4 with 2 RBI, while Hernandez and Odland collected three hits apiece in Hancock's 6-1 win on Sunday against Cabrillo. Brian Dowell (Righetti HS) and Perez had two hits each. Freshman Zach Torra (Santa Ynez HS) sparkled in his first collegiate start with 10 strikeouts in six innings of work. The left-handed pitcher allowed just three hits and one unearned run. Phil Almanza (Righetti HS) and Maiden combined for three shutout innings of relief. Hancock recorded 18 hits in the win.

Three games into the season, Odland and Curiel lead the team with a .600 batting average, followed by Perez and Bowie at .500. Curiel and Perez have two stolen bases apiece. Tonascia is hitting .385 with a team-leading 3 RBI.

Taft is off to a 1-1 start. Designated hitter Jake Smoot went 4-for-5 with a home run and 4 RBI in the team's 18-12 loss to Barstow. The Cougars hit three home runs in the game. Second baseman Jayce Gardner is hitting .500 with three doubles. In two games, the Taft defense has committed seven errors.

Hancock will play at L.A. Pierce on Saturday at 1 p.m. The Brahmas are scheduled to play two mid-week games against Moorpark before hosting the Bulldogs. First baseman JJ Gonzalez went 4-for-7 with 2 RBI in two games against the Bulldogs.

SOFTBALL (2-0)
This Week:
Thursday, Feb. 1 @ College of the Canyons, 1:30 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 2 @ L.A. Mission, 1 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 3 @ Glendale, 1 p.m.

Coming off a 28-win season that included the program's third Western State Conference title in the last four years, the Hancock softball team hits the road this week for three games in three days. Hancock, already off to a 2-0 start, will play at College of the Canyons on Thursday, Feb. 1, followed by a game on Friday at L.A. Mission and at Glendale on Saturday.

The Lady Bulldogs opened the 2018 season with a doubleheader sweep at home of San Diego City College. The Bulldogs won the opener 11-3 in six innings and took the second 9-1 in six. The fourth inning proved big in both games for the Bulldogs, who scored eight times in the fourth in the opener and six times in game two. Freshman shortstop Mallory Townsend (Cabrillo HS) had three hits, two of them triples, and drove in six runs on the day. Crystal Gonzalez (Righetti HS) clubbed a home run, scored four times and drove in three. First baseman Zaiden Bakke (Pleasant Valley HS) went 4-for-5 with two doubles. Sophomore Bailey Killough (Arroyo Grande HS) went 3-for-6 with two triples and 3 RBI at the plate. Killough, the 2017 Western State Conference Pitcher of the Year, also threw a complete game with seven strikeouts to earn the win in the opener. Hannah Diaz (Pioneer Valley HS) went the distance in the second game for Hancock. She limited the Knights to four hits and struck out two.

Canyons opens the season Tuesday with a doubleheader at Taft College. The Cougars went 30-13-1 and advanced to the Super Regionals last season. Shortstop Danielle Chatman returns after hitting .472 with 12 home runs, 67 RBI, 87 runs and 20 stolen bases as a freshman. First baseman Sienna Vannoy is back after 10 home runs, a team-best 76 RBI, 20 stolen bases and a .407 batting average. Heidi Ludy also returns after hitting .456 with 70 RBI, nine triples and 29 stolen bases.

WOMEN'S SWIMMING AND DIVING
This Week:
Friday, Feb. 2 @ Santa Rosa –Dual Meet
Saturday, Feb. 3 @ Santa Rosa Relays

The women's swimming and diving team will head north to take on Santa Rosa in a dual meet on Friday, Feb. 2 before compete in the Santa Rosa Relays on Saturday. Head Coach Mike Ashmore returns to lead the Bulldogs after their program-best third-place finish in the Western State Conference last season. 2017 conference champions Dria Kwong and Maddie Diaz, as well as fellow CCCAA State Championship qualifier Rebbeca Gonzalez graduated.

This year, Hancock is led by sophomores Meagan Stevens (Lompoc HS), Shannon Copeland (Clerendon Girls') and Makena Blanco (Lompoc HS). Stevens earned all-conference honors last year with a third-place finish in the 1,650-yard freestyle at the conference championships. She also finished sixth in the 500 free. She swam a leg on Hancock's All-American 400 individual medley relay team that came in 10th at the state meet. Teammates voted Copeland the team's Most Inspirational Swimmer last year. Blanco posted two top-eight finishes in butterfly events in last year's conference championship. Kailey Roux (Orcutt Academy), who finished third at the CIF Division 4 Diving Championships, will lead Hancock's diving team this year.