The No. 18 state-ranked Rio Hondo College women's basketball team ended 2018 on a high note on Sunday. Thanks to a 61-48 win over Los Angeles Valley College, the Roadrunners earned a third-place finish at the VC-Optimist Club Holiday Tournament in Ventura.
The victory capped a 2-1 weekend at the tourney for Rio Hondo that also saw freshman guard Amanda Lee earn all-tournament honors. The Roadrunners are now 11-6 overall as they close the calendar year and play next at the El Camino College Blue Tournament on Jan. 4 against College of the Canyons.
Rio Hondo 61, LA Valley 48
Five Roadrunners scored in double figures, led by 15 points from Candace Black, as Rio Hondo rolled to the win in the third-place game of the tournament. Rio Hondo led 12-7 after the first quarter and never trailed throughout the rest of the game.
Despite being outrebounded by LA Valley by a 42-28 margin, Rio Hondo was able to take advantage of 29 LA Valley turnovers to score 26 points.
Lee scored 11 points to go along with 7 assists, 5 steals, and 3 rebounds to secure her all-tourney selection. Amy Navarro also had 11 points and grabbed a team-high 7 boards while Kailey Gutierrez and Christina Hilton both scored 10 points each.
Ventura 64, Rio Hondo 49
A slow start in Saturday's semifinals doomed the Roadrunners against No. 17 ranked Ventura. After a quick Rio Hondo bucket to open the game, Ventura put together an 11-0 run to jump out to a commanding 11-2 lead. Ventura was up 20-9 after the first quarter and held off numerous Roadrunner surges in the second half before pulling extending its lead to 20 points midway through the fourth.
Rio Hondo was outrebounded again, this time by a 48-29 margin, but poor shooting also contributed to the loss. The Roadrunners made just 1 of 16 three-point attempts.
Hilton proved to be the standout in the loss as she led the Roadrunners with 12 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists. Black also scored 12 points while Lee put up good numbers with 9 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists.
Rio Hondo 75, Orange Coast 49
The Roadrunners opened the tournament with a rout of Orange Coast on Friday. After a close first quarter that saw Rio Hondo hold a narrow 11-10 lead, the Roadrunners outscored OCC 47-16 over the second and third quarters to ensure their victory.
The Rio Hondo defense suffocated Orange Coast and forced 35 turnovers. The Roadrunners were able to convert those into 39 points.
Lee scored a game-high 16 points and added 5 rebounds, 5 steals, and 3 assists. Navarro had a monster game, posting a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Gutierrez added 11 points and Amber Martinez came off the bench to score 9 points.