Lady Cougars Basketball Fall Short in First Round Playoff Game

TAFT, CA – Taft College Women's Basketball season has come to an end. Taft lost in the first round of the 3C2A State Playoffs on Wednesday, February 26, to Shasta College 57-70.

It was a fairly, close game for the first three quarters with the score being 29-35 at halftime led by Shasta. The score would fluctuate several times with each time leading the game or tying the game, but the last five minutes of the game belonged to the Knights. Shasta outscored Taft 19-6 in the final quarter.

The game was nearly equal in almost every statistical category: Shasta scored 9 points in transition, while Taft scored 6, Taft scored 13 points off turnovers and Shasta 7, Taft scored 18 second chance points and Shasta 7, Shasta had 36 points in the paint and Taft had 34, Taft outrebounded Shasta 45-42, but Shasta had more team assists than Taft 18-6, while Taft had more deflections 20-9. Taft also had more steals than the Knights 11-6 as well as less turnovers 12-17. However, the Cougars fouled more 15-9.

Taft College Head Women's Basketball Coach Romeo Lagmay, Jr. expressed his remarks, "The game could of went either way, but we couldn't put the ball in the basket at the time it was needed most to make a run. The players tried and that's all I can ask for. Our program made history again playing back-to-back in the postseason and having the highest state ranking. The goal is to continue getting better each year. Thank you Cougar Fans for your support."

Taft ended the season in fourth place in the Central Valley Conference with a 5-7 record and 16-13 overall. The Cougars lose five sophomores, and look to add to another successful recruiting class, adding to five freshmen, and a medical redshirt freshman.