Center Nikki Graham scored five straight points down the stretch Sunday, leading SBCC to a 71-64 women’s basketball victory over Santa Ana in the third-place game of the Vaqueros’ MTXE Tournament.
Graham, a 5-11 sophomore, finished with 10 points and 12 rebounds as the Vaqueros (2-1) bounced back from their first defeat on Saturday night. Graham stretched the lead to 68-62 with a follow shot at the 1:51 mark and Lauren Wells hit a left-handed bank to boost the margin to eight.
Katie Randall led SBCC with 20 points and three steals. Randall averaged 23 points and nine rebounds to earn all-tournament honors.
“This game was the exact same game as (Saturday night) and we were smarter, more patient in the last three minutes,” said Vaquero coach Sandrine Krul. “I was so proud of the team because of the way we prevailed.”
SBCC shot 41.6 percent and outrebounded the Dons 41-28. Janelle Wong, a freshman from Dos Pueblos High, added nine points and seven boards while Jen Ju had eight points and five assists.
Orange Coast captured the title with a 57-51 triumph over Antelope Valley. Riverside downed Moorpark 81-72 for the consolation title.
Sophomore guard Casey Gomez of Orange Coast was named MVP of the eight-team tourney. She was joined on the all-tournament team by Randall; Samantha Harrell and Simone Ibbotson (Orange Coast); Florida Siaosi and Siedah Wilson (AV) and Ariana Oyebanji (Riverside).
SBCC returns to action on Friday against Shasta at the Sierra Tournament in Rocklin.
