Culver City Observer -

WLAC Women's Basketball Team On Winning Streak

CURRENTLY LEADING THE WSC-SOUTH

By Destine Gibson, Student Intern

West Los Angeles College's women's basketball team defeated Pierce College 100- 41 Saturday, January 27 at the WLAC gym. The Wildcats' 18-4 record is their first winning season since 2008-09.

The Wildcats leaped to a 35-9 advantage by the end of the first quarter and maintained their strong lead, while the Brahmas could not close the gap by more than 23 points. Freshman guards Daija Black and Brianna Anugwom led with 35 points and 21 points respectively. The team outrebounded its opponent 48-35 and recorded 20 steals.

West has become an offensive and defensive threat, averaging 72 points per game and 43 rebounds per game. The team leads the Western State Conference South region.

Despite the Wildcats' achievements they are considered an underdog, said West Coach Twan Herron. With their record and the changes made to improve the program he believes that they should be one of the top teams in the state.

"I'm never going to be satisfied until the last game," Herron said. "That's our edge right now is for them not to be noticed and ranked in the state. I want them to play that hard every single game and not let up no matter who we play."

Herron attributes the recent success to the team's speed, talent depth and conditioning. The roster's versatility and offensive ability has presented a challenge for opponents.

"Because we have so many weapons on any given day, every single one of our guards can probably go for 15 and 20 points," Herron said. "That gives us an edge over everyone else. We're pretty tough to stop."

This has been a comeback season for West LA. The team lost six of its nine players last season due to injuries, eligibility issues and transfers to four-year universities. In a last resort effort to keep the team alive, the coaches recruited players with little to no basketball experience from other sports. The team concluded last season with a 5-23 record.

"It was rough for them, but the one thing I'll say about those kids is they played hard and they worked their butts off every single day," Herron said. "It's a big turnaround from last year to what we have now. It was a trying year but we got through it and we had fun."

The team's success is also owed to the incoming talent. The freshmen brought a winning culture that the sophomores were not accustomed to. Many came into the program with high school championships under their belts.

nugwom and Black have become West LA's dynamic duo and often lead the team on the boards. They feed off of each other's energy, working together to achieve the shared goal of transferring to a four-year program at the end of the season.

"We're both trying to be one and done," Anugwom said. "That's what pushes us to get each other out there, move faster and see how we can do more on the court. When we're on the court we vibe well together."

The Wildcats will attempt to protect its streak on Wednesday. The team will travel to Santa Clarita to face College of the Canyons, one of the toughest teams in the region.

West Los Angeles College is located at 9000 Overland Avenue, Culver City, CA 90230. The college is a ACCJC-accredited community college providing full-time, part-time and online paths to university transfer and ca