Mesa, Ariz. – A conference so nice, they had to win it twice; the regular season champions Antelope Valley Pioneers add to their list of silverware, becoming the Cal Pac Conference Tournament Champions as they defeated the Simpson Red Hawks 69-65 in overtime on Tuesday night.
Simpson took control of the first few minutes of the low-scoring quarter, leading the Pioneers 6-3 at the five-minute mark. Antelope Valley struggled to find offensive success, as they went 0-8 from the floor until a jumper fell off the hands of Kellymar Ramirez.
The Pioneers got back into it, and Janae Turner wrapped up the first quarter with a three-pointer that extended their lead to 11-7. The shooting quality was underwhelming as the opening 10 minutes concluded; the Pioneers finished shooting 22% from the field, and the Red Hawks at 17%.
Nikki Thompson went on a rampage, putting up two back-to-back layups, and continuing what resulted in an 11-0 scoring run that wasn't enough, she then went on to hit a half-court shot at the buzzer to extend the lead to nine points before heading into halftime.
The Red Hawks deep bench contributed 14 points, with seven of them coming from Thompson. Antelope Valley experienced the lowest-scoring half of their season, tallying just 20 points.
Simpson didn't falter in the third, maintaining at least a six-point lead over the Pioneers to enter the fourth quarter. Rubio and Celina Tress had eight points a piece in the final ten, which contributed to their 63% shooting.
A huge three-pointer came from Cal Pac Player of the Year Chinna Fair just seconds before the buzzer, bringing them within one point of the Red Hawks. She put up 13 in the fourth, going 5-11 on the floor. Fair far surpassed her team with 34 points and 10 boards. Jordan Rogers-McAdam finished with 10 points, with most of her success coming from her 7-8 shooting at the line.
The Pioneers found their rhythm early in the final 10 minutes with a forced turnover and layup from Fair to give them their first lead of the game. That lead didn't last long, however, with Ariadna Rubio hitting back-to-back three-pointers and extending the Simpson lead to 49-44.
Simpson secured a steady lead during the fourth with help from Rubio and Livi Lindsey who had a combined four points to give them an eight-point gap over the Pioneers. Tress finished her time in the tournament with 15 points and 15 boards, shooting 6-13 from the floor. Even with their successful offense, shooting 40% from the field and 79% from the line as a team, the Red Hawks managed a staggering 35 total turnovers.
During regulation time, the trophy seemed within reach for the Red Hawks, however, a last-second jumper from Antelope Valley's Fair tied up the score 63-63. Quickly into overtime, Fair took matters into her own hands with a shot behind the arc that put them up and over the Red Hawks with just a minute remaining.
The win was ultimately secured with a pair of free throws from Fair and Kendall Weary. Because Antelope Valley secured the regular season title, Simpson will also be participating in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics National Championships held on March 7-8.
