BUTTE VALLEY — Stout defense, full efforts on rebounding and fast ball movement on offense led to a red-hot start from the No. 1 seed Butte College women’s basketball team in its California Community College Athletic Association NorCal playoff game against No. 8 Cosumnes River.
The Roadrunners got out to a 15-2 start, led 26-7 after the first quarter, and finished with a 74-48 victory against the Hawks at Butte College.
“This last week of practice we really focused on being us and getting back to us after that month drought of not playing,” said Butte sophomore forward and captain Madalynn Bassett. “I think we’re super hungry and we want to go to the Elite 8 and prove to everyone we deserve to be there and I think we did that tonight.”
In what has already been a record-breaking season, the Roadrunners continued their historic run Saturday, etching their name to the CCCAA’s Elite 8 for a third consecutive season. Butte’s chase to return to the state championship for a second straight season will begin Thursday at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut.
The Roadrunners have already established the best regular season record in program history (27-1), and are ranked No. 1 in the CCCAA for the first time in program history.
They did it in front of what Butte head coach Tyler Newton said was the largest crowd he’s ever seen at a game for his program. He and Bassett both praised the fans for coming out.
“This one was extremely special,” Bassett said. “(Newton) said there was a big crowd, and I honestly didn’t believe him at first. I want to thank everybody who came. It was very special to us, showing love to the girls program, and we couldn’t appreciate it more for everyone showing out.”
Point guard Campbell Vieg said the Roadrunners used the energy towards their advantage.
The Roadrunners used the home crowd to their advantage, and shot lights out from the start. Bassett hit a 3-pointer from the corner, Jocelyn Medina made a three, Bassett hit her second three with 7:43 remaining, and Vieg made two straight layups as Butte took a 13-2 lead and forced the Hawks to call a timeout. Sarah Tait then made a layup, and the final Roadrunners’ starter Morgan Trigueiro got on the scoreboard with a layup.
Butte went 7-of-7 shooting in the first 6 minutes and 15 seconds, with its first miss coming with 3:45 remaining in the first quarter.
“I felt like in the fourth quarter last game we kind of got our vibe back,” Newton said, referring to the Roadrunners’ slow start in their round one win. “All we focused on this week was confidence, playing together, playing our game, coming out fast, and coming out and doing what we do. I think the first half especially, we showed how Butte basketball is played.”
Bassett, who finished with a team-high 18 points on 6-of-9 from the 3-point line, said with the shots falling early it gave both the team and the crowd adrenaline, which turned into confidence and fun for all alike.
“I think overall we played as a whole and we stuck to all of our fundamentals, and that’s why we were able to succeed so much and knock down those shots,” Bassett said.
Butte extended its lead to 47-17 at halftime, with its biggest lead coming with 4:16 remaining in the third quarter at 60-24. Aubrey Pruntey made three baskets off the bench, as she finished with eight points and four rebounds in 16 minutes.
All five starters for Butte finished with double digits in scoring, led by Bassett’s 18 points and nine rebounds. Vieg had 13 points, 10 rebounds and four assists from the point guard position. Tait and Trigueiro had 12 points each, and Medina had 11 points and six rebounds.
Butte, which averages 43.3% shooting and 34.6% on 3-pointers, shot 44.1% (26-59) Saturday and 42.9% (12-28) on 3-pointers. But as Newton pointed out, the shooting started with stout defense, as the Roadrunners limited the Hawks to 26.7% (16-60) shooting and 26.5% (9-34) on 3-pointers.
Next up the Roadrunners travel to Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut beginning Thursday as they look to get back to the CCCAA Championship. The Roadrunners’ only loss this season came on Nov. 5 in overtime to Mt. San Antonio College in the Mt. SAC Tip-Off Tournament Championship.
Since that loss, the Roadrunners have won 26 straight.
“I think it’s about getting back what’s ours, and that’s the state championship,” Bassett said. “I think especially for the sophomores coming back, after feeling that hurt that we had last year. The sophomores who were able to teach and show our freshmen the love for this game and how bad we want it, we ride and die for each other and they know it and believe us. We are all just so hungry and want that state championship.”
