Warriors top College of the Desert 57-16 in one-sided women’s basketball game
Warriors point guard Brandy Castaneda is surrounded by two Desert defenders as she tries to break their defense on Wednesday, Nov. 9. El Camino won the game against the College of the Desert 57-16. (Ash Hallas | The Union)
As the crowd in the El Camino College Gym Complex counts down with the game clock near the end of the half, sophomore guard Shana Moten dribbles her way toward the basket against a defender.
After Moten’s successful layup marked the end of a strong first half, the home crowd cheered for the El Camino College Warriors women’s basketball team against the College of the Desert Roadrunners.
The Warriors defeated the Roadrunners 57-16 in a one-sided game from start to finish, backed by the team’s effective defensive strategy
The defensive tone for the game was set early on as the Warriors led the Roadrunners 16-2 by the end of the first quarter.
Warriors point guard Brandy Castaneda said the tone of the game was set early due to the Warriors’ strong mentality.
“We play as if it is 0-0, we are ready to work and never underestimate the other team,” Castaneda said.
The Warriors did not allow the opposition to get clean shots off on offense by getting 22 steals, which gave the home team more opportunities to spread the ball around.
Warriors coach Steve Shaw said he liked the way the team shared the ball against the Roadrunners’ zone play.
“We got up to a big start which helped us relax and move the ball well,” Shaw said.
Of the 26 field goals made for the game, the Warriors assisted each other on 16 of them.
Warriors freshman forward, Imani Taitt-Gibbs, recorded another double-double this game with 14 points and 14 rebounds.
Despite her performance, Taitt-Gibbs felt she could improve working down low as she is not used to it since coming out of high school. Taitt-Gibbs also praised the team’s efforts.
“Without the team, I couldn’t have gotten those stats,” Tahiti-Gibbs said.
Other members of the basketball team also reciprocated that they have room to improve after playing tonight’s game.
Sophomore guard Mary Gonzales said the team could continue to work on passes, ball movement, and overall execution.
The El Camino Warriors will have a chance to show off any potential improvements as they play at home on Friday, Nov. 11 at 6:00 p.m. against the Citrus College Owls.
