Hancock Women Host Lady Bulldog Classic Dec. 9-10

The women's basketball team will return home to host the Lady Bulldog Classic from Friday, December 9, through Saturday, December 10. The Bulldogs are fresh of their second straight Phillips 66 Invitational title. This week, the Bulldogs will host Barstow (1-6), Cuesta (8-4), and L.A. Harbor (5-2).  Fans will receive a tournament pass if they bring an unwrapped toy worth $10 or more for the Toys for Tots Toy Drive.

Hancock defended its 2015 title at Cuesta's tournament last week by defeating the host Cougars 63-43 in the championship game. The Bulldogs took the early lead and never relinquished it. Freshman center Grace Rosa (Paso Robles HS) led the Bulldogs with 18 points, including 16 in the second half. Rosa was named the Tournament's Most Valuable Player after she averaged 15 points and 6 rebounds during the three-day tournament. Freshman guard Taylor Lee-Hammer (Pagosa Springs HS) added 17 points, including 12 in the first half, to go with five rebounds and two steals. Sophomore forward Destinee Garcia (Golden West HS) and freshman guard Karly Beyers (Pioneer Valley HS) had nine points apiece in the title game. Hancock opened the tournament with a 58-45 win over American River, the No. 14 team in the Northern California Preseason Poll. Rosa earned a double-double with 19 points and 12 rebounds. Naomi Leopardi (Big Sandy HS) had six points and 13 rebounds. Syenna Ramirez (St. Joseph HS) had 10 points and five assists, while Beyers scored 14 points to go with seven boards. Hancock also routed Las Positas 68-40 in the semifinals behind a career-high 23 points from Lee-Hammer. Leopardi scored a career-best 14 points to go with nine rebounds, while Beyers added 13 points and eight boards in the semifinal. Leopardi was named to the All-Tournament Team after averaging 9.7 points and 10 rebounds on the weekend. Lee-Hammer joined Leopardi and Rosa on the All-Tournament Team. Lee-Hammer averaged 14.7 points per game on the weekend.

Barstow is looking to snap a four-game losing streak. The Vikings' top scorers are Essence Reece (27.7 points, 9.7 rebounds per game), and Ivette Trujillo (16.9 points, 4.3 assists per game). Reece has scored 21 points or more in every game, including a 37-point performance against Southwestern, and a 38-point game against Imperial Valley. Asana King (10.3) and Alisa Parks (10.7) are both averaging 10+ rebounds per contest.

L.A. Harbor defeated Hancock at home 52-43 last month. Harbor forced 27 Hancock turnovers. Davina Tamara led the way with 15 points, Kristina Brown added 12, and Tiffany Lucci finished with 11 points and seven rebounds in the win. Beyers led the Bulldogs with 10 points. Overall, Lucci is the team's leading scorer at 20.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. Brown is averaging 13.3 points, and Tamara 9.9 points and 8.1 rebounds per contest.

The schedule of games for the Lady Bulldog Classic is as followed:

Friday, December 9:  Cuesta vs. L.A. Harbor, 5 p.m.; Barstow vs. Hancock, 7 p.m.

Saturday, December 10: Cuesta vs. Barstow, 3 p.m.; Hancock vs. L.A. Harbor, 5 p.m.