Spartans Win Thriller in First Round of State Playoffs

Prior to the CCCAA state tournament seeding meeting on Monday it was unclear if the MiraCosta women's basketball team would receive a bid.  After a great regular season the Spartans were one of a few teams being considered but there were no promises that they would get to extend their season.  Once the brackets for the state tournament were released MiraCosta was happy to hear they would get a chance to keep playing. The #18 seed earned them the right to travel to College of the Canyons on Wednesday night for what would become a heart-filled come back and a great team win.  With the victory the Spartans improve their record to 17-8 and will take on the #2 seed, LA Trade Tech College (26-4), on Saturday in Los Angeles.

MiraCosta opened the game against College of the Canyons with less than their best basketball.  Sophomore Britney Jarvis kept the Spartans close scoring 11 points in the first quarter, including three made three-point shots.   At the end of the quarter MiraCosta trailed the Cougars 21-16 but it was clear that Canyons had control of the game.  The Cougars extended their lead in the second half with many transition baskets and offensive rebounds put backs.  At halftime the Spartans trailed 41-25 and needed to make some changes before the game was out of reach. 

After some defensive adjustments MiraCosta outscored their opponents in the third quarter and cut the deficit to 11 points with just 10 minutes left to play.  In the fourth quarter the Spartans came to life with improved energy on the defensive end and finally finding some rhythm offensively.  Big baskets by Chynna Cochran, Uneque Fradiue, Aly Murray and Victoria Wilson fueled the late-game come back.  In the final minute Cochran made a critical steal and scored a lay up to tie the game and then after the Cougars made one free throw MiraCosta had just seconds to score and extend their season. After a timeout MiraCosta ran a play for Jarvis to run off two baseline screens. Before MiraCosta could throw the ball to Jarvis, Wilson was fouled and went to the free throw line for the two biggest shots of her basketball career. The third year sophomore stepped up and made both shots giving MiraCosta a one point lead with just five seconds remaining.  MiraCosta's defense held the Cougars scoreless in the last possession, earning them an opportunity to advance in the bracket and take on LA Trade Tech.