This story was updated on March 10 at 2:09 p.m. to correct the date of the game between Laney College and Sacramento City College.
Oakland – Laney College’s women’s basketball team won their first Northern California regionals playoff game on Feb. 28, extending their current winning streak to 20 games. The Eagles defeated the Sacramento City College Panthers in a 91-43 blowout at Laney.
Their Feb. 28 win puts the Eagles one game away from reaching the California Community College Athletic Association state championships, which will begin on March 12 at College of the Sequoias in Visalia, Calif.. Eight teams statewide will advance to the final round in the tournament.
Laney’s sophomore group continues to excel as the stakes increase and competition heightens. Guard Gianna Ghio racked up a game high 26 points on 11-15 shooting. Ghio also had seven assists and seven rebounds.
Point guard Ashanti Dias added 20 points and 11 assists, while Center Sophia Askew-Goncalves dropped 23 points on 10-16 shooting and 10 rebounds respectively.
The Eagles defense held the Panthers to sub 30% shooting from the field and 10% shooting from three.
The Eagles have won their past six games by 42 points or more, including a 120-29 win against Mendocino College on Jan. 30.
Sunday’s win adds to a dominant year by the Eagles, finishing the regular season on a 19-0 stretch.
The Eagles’ last loss was on Nov. 21 against Folsom Lake College, their first home game following the fatal shooting of former athletic director John Beam.
Courtside to the Eagles’ soaring success
On Feb. 17 The Eagles played their last regular season home game in a celebratory win against Napa Valley College. The team and attendees in the crowd honored nine of its players for Sophomore night with homemade signs and bouquets of flowers.
The Eagles wasted no time establishing their territory. From the opening tip-off, the chemistry that has defined their play on both sides of the court was on full display.
Dias came away with 14 points and 11 assists, while guard Erinn Gardere made a game high of 28 points and six three-pointers. Gardere is shooting 37.6% from beyond the three-point line this season and has the seventh highest overall three-point percentage in the state.
Askew-Goncalves, who missed several games due to a recent illness, helped anchor the Eagles’ defense over Napa Valley with 18 points, 20 rebounds, and four blocks.
The Eagles’ head coach Bryan Gardere said the victory was testament to the identity his players have forged over the last two years.
“They’re fast, they move fast with their in-and-outs,” Bryan Gardere said after the game, “I believe they’re the ones that create the pace of the game.”
Laney’s Eagles embraced the heat of performing in front of family, friends, and cheering peers.
“We did feel a bit of pressure, knowing our families are out there and wanting to perform to the best of our ability for them,” guard Lindsey Wirgler explained.
For Wirgler, that pressure is a privilege. Wirgler and Askew-Goncalves have their sights set on transferring to four-year universities to continue their basketball careers.
With the regular season in the rear view mirror, the Eagles now look to turn their historic streak into a championship run.
The Eagles ended the regular season with the best record in the Bay Valley Conference at 23-3 and as the third seed in the NorCal regional tournament.
The next game in the Eagles playoff run will be today at 3:00 p.m. against Butte College in the Laney gymnasium.
