The Lady Corsairs could do no wrong this night. They were totally in their zone. It is hard to imagine that any team in the Western Conference could have beaten them tonight.

Within the first minute and a half they score first. Bakersfield answers with a three-pointer making the score three to two: the last and only lead they would have in the game.

Karlia Batalla responds with a three-point shot on the next SMC possession. It's now Bakersfield's ball, and as they inbound, Ewnique Robinson steals it and takes it back for two more points. On SMC's next possession, Chantal Diaz draws a fowl and misses both free-throws, gets the rebound and misses again. Bakerfsfield gets the rebound and Bakersfield freshman Julie Thomas attempts a three-pointer. She misses. Batalla gets the rebound and takes it all the way back, unassisted, and scores two. Score is now nine to three, Corsairs.

The Corsairs continue steady and solid play. BC tries a 3 pointer and misses, but gets the rebound. They take a second shot for two points and miss again, but again get the rebound. On the third two point attempt it is blocked by Robinson who pases to Danganan. Danganan takes it down court and makes a three point shot, and with 10:04 left in the first period their lead had grown to 21-7.

My observations are not part of the official records; but I counted 11 steals by Audriel Wyrick, Maye Danganan, Ewnique Robinson and Meghan Duron in the first period. There can be no doubt that this made the difference in the game. At the half, the Ladies of Santa Monica Basketball led the Bakersfield Renegades by a score of 42—22.

The best characterization of the second period is that it was a continuation of the first with the exception that the Renegades turned the ball over even more in the second period than in the first. The Corsairs continued stealing, making three pointers, field goals, and a good percentage of free-throws. Moreover, the final score, 79-57 is not a true reflection of the Renegade's ability. The ladies of Bakersfield played hard and tough. It simply was not their night.

After the game, Coach Lydia Strong told me that the emphasis was to get the ball inside to Chantel and Jewel. “They did a great job in the first half, got a huge lead, and then we kind of coasted from there. We have a speed advantage: they are probably a little taller; sometimes size does 't matter. The press that we use is a hard press to get through and we're quick up front.” she said.

Chantel Diaz agreed with the coach that they had a speed advantage. When asked about the steals she said “Our guards are pretty quick and they are really good at knowing where the pass is going to go.” She said she was proud of her teammates and thought that “we did a good job of taking advantage of our passing and shot plays and getting into the post. We played hard from the beginning and saw that the boys lost and we wanted to show that we could win. We played strong the whole game.”

Indeed they did. It was an impressive win.