Porterville earns runner up finish at DeAnza Gervasoni Classic

The Porterville College women's basketball team closed out the 2018 calendar year with an impressive weekend as the Pirates advanced to the De Anza College Gervasoni Memorial Classic final. After winning consecutive games for the first time this season, PC ultimately lost 65-37 to Santa Barbara City College in Saturday's tournament final.

On their way to the championship final, the Pirates picked up wins over host DeAnza and Las Positas. Kathy Rodriguez was impressive over the weekend for PC as she totaled 32 points, 22 rebounds, and 11 blocks over the three games.

Santa Barbara 65, Porterville 37
PC's two-game winning streak came to an end with the tough loss to SBCC in the championship final. A close game over the first two quarters quickly got out of hand in the third.

Porterville trailed 36-27 after two quarters before Santa Barbara outscored the Pirates 17-2 in the third to secure its win.

Johana Reyes led PC with 10 points and 5 assists. She was the lone Pirate to score in double figures. Breyanna Hernandez added 8 points while Raeleen Jensen posted a game-high 11 rebounds.

Porterville 52, Las Positas 51
Sierra Perez scored 13 points and grabbed 7 rebounds to help lead the Pirates to a thrilling one-point victory over Las Positas in Friday's semifinal game. Porterville got off to a 14-5 lead after the first quarter and was able to hang on for the win.

PC's defensive pressure contributed to the victory as Las Positas committed 23 turnovers while Porterville was credited with 14 steals.

Rodriguez also played well for the Pirates. She made 5 of 8 shots on her way to 11 points. She also had 4 blocks and 4 rebounds. Juliet Garcia provided a spark off the bench, adding 7 points and 3 rebounds.

Porterville 52, DeAnza 41
Porterville overcame a first-half deficit to defeat host DeAnza in Thursday's tourney opener. PC was down 28-27 after two quarters before outscoring DeAnza 24-14 to rest of the way to pull out the win.

Rodriguez had a monster game with a double-double of 15 points and 13 rebounds. She also totaled 7 blocked shots and even dished out a pair of assists.

Perez was just as impressive, posting a double-double of her own with 12 points and 11 rebounds. She added 6 steals and 3 assists.  Hernandez also had a good game with 10 points, 5 boards, and 5 steals.

The Pirates, now 3-11 overall, have won three of their last six games as they head into Central Valley Conference play. Porterville travels to Merced College for its CVC opener on Jan. 9 at 6 p.m.