(Lancers earn 10th seed will play at #7 Mt. San Jacinto on Friday, Feb. 28 in Round 2 of the Southern California Regional Playoffs at 7 p.m.)
Sophomore forward Dariel Johnson has had a storied career in her two seasons for the Pasadena City College women's basketball team. Johnson keeps collecting hardware and it was no different this past weekend. Johnson was first named the 2019-2020 South Coast Conference North Division Player of the Year and was then picked All-State First Team for the second consecutive season.
Johnson is the first Lancer since PCC Hall of Famer Dionne Pounds (2003-2005) to be seleced All-State First Team twice and third ever to get back-to-back All-State recognition with the other being Easter Faafiti in 2007-2009. Sbe became the 11th SCC MVP from Pasadena after Alisa Shinn (2018), Dominique Scott (2011) Jeanine Deno (2007), Pounds (2005 and 2004), Ariel Towns (2003), Tyrea Smith (2000), Hall of Famer Tiana Sanders (1999), Jackie Sadler (1998), and Biljana Bosanac (1993). Every South Coast MVP was guided by long-time Lancers head coach Joe Peron except for Bosanac as Peron took over the program in 1996-1997.
As a freshman, Johnson earned the first SCC Freshman of the Year award by a Lancer and was named the 2018-2019 PCC Women's Athlete of the Year for all sports.
This season, the 6-foot-1 Johnson averages 13.4 points, 16.5 rebounds (second in state), 3.5 blocks (second in state), 3.1 assists and 2.5 steals a game. Her 11.3 defensive rebounds average tops the state. In the eight SCC North games, playing against all regional playoff qualifiers, she raised her game to 16.1 points and 19 rebounds per contest. She is PCC's all-time leader in both rebounds (848) and blocked shots (218). She needs four more rebounds to be the first Lancer to record back-to-back 400-rebound seasons. She is not the single-season record holder, which is held by Bosanac of 445 in 1992-93. Johnson's high was 436 last season.
Finally, Johnson (from Pasadena High) currently is 13th on the PCC All-Time Scoring List with 789 points. If the Lancers were to advance far into the postseason, she would have a chance to reach the Lancers Top 10. All the more remarkable is Johnson's amazing return two seasons ago from concussion issues. DJ first joined the program back in 2014-2015, but after three games took a medical redshirt due to the concussion. She ended up taking three full years off from basketball before returning healthy in 2018-2019.
"It's not just that she came all the way back to play a game she loves, it's that because of team need we had to sacrifice her original position as a guard/wing and turn her into a rebounding force in the post," said PCC head coach Joe Peron. "Dariel is a great talent in so many ways and her leadership skills and maturity has been a big factor in leading us the last two seasons. Hopefully, another chapter as a Lancer can continue for her in the playoffs."
PCC 10TH PLAYOFF SEED, BALMY ALL-STATE 3RD TEAM, FIVE MAKE ALL-SOUTH COAST CONFERENCE
Also making the three tiers of the All-State Team was sophomore point guard Cosette Balmy, who earned All-State Third Team. Balmy earned her second straight All-SCC North First Team selection as she as averaging a team-best 15.5 points a game (second in the division), 5.2 assists (15th in the state), 4.6 rebounds and 4 steals (sixth in the state) a game. The 5-4 Balmy attended Ribet Academy after growing up in Martinique, France.
Sophomore guard Merina Latu (Glendale High), averaging 12.4 points, 2.4 steals and 2.1 assists, grabbed a spot on the All-SCC North First Team. Making All-SCC Second Team were freshmen in forward-guard Kristal Espinoza (Rosemead HS), averaging 8.9 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.3 steals, and guard Kaniya Hill (from Eufaula, Alabama), who emerged in the second half of the season as a defensive talent, contributing 6.9 points and 2.1 steals averages.
The Lancers (18-8 overall), as well as the entire 5-team SCC North, advanced to the postseason for the 23rd time in 24 seasons under Coach Peron. Despite a high state RPI of No. 10 (fifth in the region) and a tie for second place in the state's most difficult conference, PCC could not earn a top 8 seeding or a home game. Instead, seeded 10th (originally ninth, but adjusted to avoid same-conference opening-playoff matchups), Pasadena will travel to face the Inland Empire Athletic Conference champions of Mt. San Jacinto College this Friday, Feb. 28 in a 7 p.m. second round contest. The other second place North team--Rio Hondo College--earned the #8 seed.
The Eagles (26-2) have won 25 consecutive games since November losses to South #1 seed Moorpark and #5 Palomar. Peron brings a 37-21 career playoff record into this year's postseason. PCC is 8-6 in the all-time series between the two teams, but Mt. San Jacinto beat PCC, 81-46, two years ago in Round 2 Regionals on its way to winning the CCCAA State title. The programs last met in December, 2018 with MSJC winning, 65-54.
The winner of the PCC-MSJC game will play in Round 3 (Saturday, March 7) against either #2 Mt. San Antonio or the winner of Mt. SAC's Round 2 game against the winner of a Round 1 game between #15 Santa Barbara City and #18 Los Angeles Valley played on Wednesday, Feb. 26. This year's CCCAA State Championship Tournament takes place at West Hills College-Lemoore March 12, 14-15. PCC last made the state tournament in 2010 after winning its only state title back in 2009.