Moorpark went on a 13-4 run early in the second half on Saturday night and went on to beat SBCC 54-47 to earn a share of third place in the WSC North women’s basketball race.
The Raiders (17-12, 5-5) tied the visiting Vaqueros (17-12, 5-5) for third behind Ventura and Cuesta.
Brooke Amenta topped SBCC with 18 points while Sara Crane had 12 points, five rebounds and four steals. The Vaqueros are expected to make the playoffs for the eighth time in nine years, despite losing its last four games.
They were No. 12 in the Southern Cal RPI entering the game, thanks to a strong nonconference schedule.
“It looks like we’ll be seeded between 13 and 18,” said coach Sandrine Krul of the 18-team Southern Cal Regional. “We played really hard tonight. I feel like we’re back.”
The playoff pairings will be announced on Monday and the Vaqueros could be playing a first-round game on Wednesday.
Moorpark shot 40 percent and hit 16-30 free throws to beat the Vaqueros for the second time this year. Santa Barbara hit 30 percent from the field and just 50 percent from the foul line (6-12). The Vaqueros were outrebounded 41-31.
The Vaqueros battled back from an early 13-4 deficit and took the lead 25-23 at halftime on a basket by Crane. SBCC ended the first half on a 12-1 run.
The lead grew to five points (31-26) on a jumper by Michelle Herrera. That’s when the Raiders got hot and went on their 13-4 spurt to assume a 39-35 advantage that they never relinquished.
“We missed a lot of shots by shooting too quickly and we sent them to the line a lot,” said Krul. “When we made our run at the end of the first half, we were running our offense and taking quality shots.
“Now it’s playoff time and a new season for us.”
