Hancock Upsets No. 13 Siskiyous 74-66 to Advance to Lady Bulldog Classic Championship Game

Anamarie Fruge scored a career-high 20 points, while Karly Beyers and Hannah Walls recorded double-doubles to lead the Allan Hancock College women's basketball team to a thrilling 74-66 win over College of the Siskiyous, the No. 13 ranked team in the state, in the semifinals of the Lady Bulldog Classic on Friday. After their first win over a ranked team in recent memory, the Bulldogs improved to 6-3 overall and advanced to Saturday's championship game. Hancock will face undefeated College of the Sequoias, the No. 3 ranked team in the state in the title game.

A 17-4 run to close out the third quarter fueled by six points from Grace Rosa and three 3-pointers helped Hancock turn a 44-38 deficit into a 55-48 lead to start the fourth quarter. Hancock outscored the Eagles 23-13 in the decisive period.

All five Hancock starters scored 10 or more points in the victory. Fruge hit a career-high four 3-pointers on eight attempts and made 8-of-15 shots from the field overall. The sophomore added five rebounds and four assists. Rosa and Karly Beyers added 15 points apiece. Rosa went 7-for-13 from the floor to go with six rebounds and five blocked shots. Beyers, coming off a career-high 33 point game on Thursday, earned her fourth double-double of the season with 15 points and 11 boards. Beyers hit all seven of her free-throw attempts and went 2-for-2 from long-range. The Pioneer Valley High School graduate had four offensive rebounds to go with five assists.

Taylor Lee-Hammer finished with 14 points on 4-for-14 shooting with three 3-point buckets. She also had seven rebound and six assists in the victory.

Walls earned her first double-double, tying a career-high with 11 rebounds to go with 10 points. The sophomore added four assists and two blocked shots.

Kacey Cain and Nichelle Lafoon each scored 15 points for the Eagles. Cain pulled down 16 rebounds for Siskiyous. Anhelica Shamrock and Beth Dernier added 14 points each.

Hancock's defense held Siskiyous to 32 percent shooting. Meantime, Hancock hit 24-of-57 from the field or 42 percent, including a season-best 11 3-point baskets. The Bulldogs sealed the win by hitting 15-of-18 free throws for an 83-percent clip. The Bulldogs also held a 46-43 edge in rebounds and 20-13 edge in assists.

Earlier in the day, Cuesta defeated a team from Vandenberg Air Force Base 59-52. Sophomore Courtney Barba led the Cougars with 26 points and nine rebounds. Maya Armenta and Marisol Garcia added 12 points apiece. Mychea Williams led the Lady Hawks with 13 points. The Cougars improved to 5-3 and will face Central Coast rival Santa Barbara City College at 11 a.m. Saturday in the fifth-place game. The Vaqueros defeated Orange Coast 75-64 on Friday. Diamond Alexander led SBCC with 19 points, while Holly Barrera added 12 points. Sydney Driggs led the Pirates with 33 points.

Sequoias improved to 13-0 with an 88-42 win over L.A. Harbor. Fourteen players scored at least two points for Sequoias. The Giants were led by Shae Sanchez, who scored 13 points, and Alyssa Burton, who had 12 points and 11 rebounds.

Siskiyous will face L.A. Harbor in the third-place game at 1 p.m. Saturday. Hancock will follow against Sequoias in the championship game at 3 p.m.

Fifth- and sixth-grade students and their families will receive free admission to the 1 and 3 p.m. games on Saturday as part of Hancock's Bulldog Bound program. A component of The Hancock Promise, Bulldog Bound creates a college-going culture among area youth and their families. They will also receive free admission to the Hancock men's basketball team's game against Cerritos set to begin at 5 p.m.