For the 22nd time in 23 seasons under head coach Joe Peron, the Pasadena City College women's basketball team qualified for the postseason. Despite tying for fourth place in the ultra-strong South Coast Conference North Division, the Lancers earned the No. 6 seed and will host No. 11 Palomar in Round 2 of the Southern California Regional Playoffs on Friday, March 1. Tip-off is 7 p.m. at Hutto-Patterson Gymnasium.
The Lancers (18-10 overall) will be in for a tough matchup against the Comets (21-7), the second place team from the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference North. PCC was ranked No. 14 in the final regular season sports information directors CCCSIA State Top 20 while Palomar was right behind in the #15 slot.
PCC has an outstanding home record in its playoff history, especially at the HP Gym. Opened in the 1999-2000 season, the gym has been a haven for the Lancers, who are 21-2 as hosts. This includes an 18-game winning streak that was snapped in 2014 against Irvine Valley. Part of that winning run was one of the most exciting playoffs in Peron's tenure when the Lancers edged Palomar, 82-81, in 2008. Kieisha Phelps sank a free throw with 0.9 of a second left for the game-winning point. It was not only the only postseason meeting between the two colleges, it also is the last time that the two programs played against each other until Friday.
Pasadena has a 6-0 record in the all-time series since 1996, Peron's first season. Ironically, PCC is playing its third straight playoff opponent from the PCAC after defeating visiting San Diego City and then losing to eventual CCCAA state champion Mt. San Jacinto last season.
"We're proud of our consistency in earning high seeds in the playoffs," said Peron, who has 520 career victories. "We try to make it tough on visiting teams and it's been a confidence builder in many of our playoff runs over the years to get to play in front our home fans. We had a really good pre-conference, but hit a rough road in conference play. I'm counting on us to press a re-boot in the postseason."
PCC is paced by redshirt freshman center Dariel Johnson, recently named CCCSIA State Athlete of the Month for all sports in January. Johnson is averaging 15 points and 14.7 rebounds per game and was second in the state in blocks a game at 4.1. Frosh point guard Cosette Balmy (13.8 ppg, 3.9 assists) is another stalwart while transfer sophomore guard Daniela Mendez (7.2 ppg) and first-year forward Zaira Velasquez have been strong defenders this season. The Lancers have the state's No. 4 defense in points allowed average (53.2) while Palomar is No. 8 in offense (78.3).
The Comets have victories this season over state #6 East Los Angeles, #10 Mt. San Jacinto, #12 El Camino, and #19 Irvine Valley. Palomar is led by All-PCAC First Teamers in Julie Saelee (11.2 points per game), Clarissa Taite (10.1 ppg), Imari Cooley (9.3 ppg, 7.4 rebounds), and Taylor Williams (7.5 ppg, 3.9 assists). The Comets are directed by one of the state's top head coaches in Leigh Marshall.
If PCC gets by Palomar, the Lancers could very well be facing a familiar foe in Round 3. The winner of Friday's game faces the winner of the #3 seed East Los Angeles v. #14 Cypress (played Saturday). PCC finished 0-2 this season v. its conference rival ELAC and it was the Huskies that prevented the Lancers from advancing to the State Final Eight with Round 3 triumphs over PCC in 2016 and 2017 (70-64 in overtime).