Hot-shooting Vaqueros rally past Hancock, 81-75

SBCC canned a season-high 14 3-pointers on Friday and rallied past Hancock 81-75 in the final WSC North women's basketball game of the year.

Alondra Jimenez hit 4-5 from downtown and led the Vaqueros (15-8, 3-5) with 21 points, six rebounds and 11 assists. Sophia Torres made 9-13 field goals and scored 18 points while grabbing seven rebounds. Jada Forsdick-Stevenson drilled 5-8 from 3-point country and had 17 points and seven boards.

Sierra Cavaletto scored 10 of her 12 points in the second quarter.

SBCC is hoping to get one of the last playoff spots in the 19-team Southern Cal Regional playoffs. The Vaqueros are currently tied for 19th in the So Cal RPI with Fullerton.

The Vaqueros made 14-of-23 from long distance (60.9%) and outshot Hancock 48.3% to 33.3% overall.

Hancock (13-15, 3-5) had four starters in double figures, led by Alijah Paquet with 25 points and nine rebounds. She scored 17 in the fourth quarter and was 5-6 on 3-pointers with several in the 25-foot range.

The Bulldogs outscored SBCC 30-24 in the last quarter and won a high-scoring second half, 51-48.

The Vaqueros led 33-24 at the half, then opened the third quarter on an 11-2 run and took their largest lead (44-26) on a 3-pointer by Forsdick-Stevenson with 7:40 to go. Hancock cut it to 10 with 5:45 to play and used a 16-4 run to take a 71-69 advantage on a triple by Paquet with 2:35 to play.

Jordan Parkhurst drained a 3 for SBCC and Forsdick-Stevenson followed with another long-range bomb to boost the Vaquero lead back to 75-71 with 1:19 remaining. Jimenez made 5-6 free throws in the last 44 seconds and was 7-10 for the game.

"In the first half, we defended very well (Hancock made 19.4% in the first half, hitting only 4-18 in the 1st quarter and 3-18 in the 2nd) and held their No. 23 Jayci Bayne, who's their leading scorer, to six points," said associate head coach Devin Engebretsen. "At halftime, they were 7-36 from the floor.

"Our 3-point shooting was outstanding, 61% for the game. Sierra was super in the second quarter, hitting back-to-back 3's on set plays. Now we have to wait and see if we get to keep playing."

The Vaqueros will find out if they made the playoffs when the brackets are announced on Sunday.