Thomas scores 24, grabs 14 rebounds to pace Mt. San Jacinto into state semifinals

Tournament Central

VENTURA, Calif. - Brittney Thomas put together a monster game of 24 points and 14 rebounds, had a couple of assists, and a block and a steal, as Mt. San Jacinto claimed the final semifinal berth on Saturday at the California Community College Athletic Association Women's Basketball Championship with a 65-46 win over College of the Sequoias on Thursday night.

The Eagles (30-2) will square off against Sierra College (30-1), which beat Irvine Valley, 94-75, to earn a spot in a semi at 3 p.m. Merced (27-5) and Fresno City (27-5) will meet for the fifth time this season in the first semifinal at 1 p.m.

COS was trying to be the fourth NorCal team and the third Central Valley Conference team - joining Merced and Fresno - in the semifinals but the Eagles, the south's second seed, outscored the Giants in every quarter to pull away for the win.

Thomas' s double-double was supported by a 14-point effort from Delacy Brown. The Eagles also went 17 of 19 (.895) from the line and held a 45-35 advantage on the boards.

Good defense by the Eagles and cold shooting by the Giants resulted in a 2-for-18 shooting start for COS and a 13-6 lead after the first quarter for Mt. San Jacinto. The Eagles outscored the Giants, 21-12, in the second quarter with Thomas collecting six points and four rebounds in the period. A 9-0 run, sparked by a trey and two free throws from Madeline Morrow and four points from Thomas, turned a five-point lead into a 22-8 advantage midway through the period.

Mt. San Jacinto, which 30-18 at halftime, continue to stretch the lead in the second half. The Eagles put up a 25-17 scoring advantage in the third quarter. They led 45-22 at one point in the third before taking a 55-35 lead into the final period.

Shae Sanchez scored 13 points, Michal Sasson scored 12 and Dejanee Gill added 10 for the Giants, who were held to 29% shooting. Zharia McCollum and N'Dea Jones each grabbed five rebounds for COS.