Slide continues for Porterville women’s basketball at Gavilan

A midseason slide for the Porterville College women's basketball team continued just before the end of the calendar year as the Pirates suffered a pair of losses at the Gavilan College Crossover Tournament in Gilroy. PC lost 63-51 to College of San Mateo on Saturday before falling 59-40 to host Gavilan on Sunday.

Porterville got off to a good start against San Mateo and trailed 13-12 after the first quarter. But CSM outscored the Pirates 20-9 in the second which proved to be the difference in the contest.

Trinity Ramirez scored a game-high 15 points for the Pirates against San Mateo. She had a big game, adding 7 steals, 6 rebounds, and 3 steals. Marina Marin added 7 points and 4 rebounds while Breyanna Hernandez had 7 points, 2 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 assists.

Porterville got off to a slow start over the first half against Gavilan and couldn't recover. PC was down 18-5 after the first quarter and trailed 30-13 at halftime.

The Pirates had a horrible night shooting, making just 13 of 72 shots in the contest (18 percent). 29 turnovers were also costly. But PC managed to outrebound the Rams by a 52-36 margin but had a tough time converting on 22 offensive rebounds.

Jessica Mabey came off the bench to post a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Sisi Cruz posted 6 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 steals, while Ramirez totaled 10 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 points, and 2 assists.

Porterville heads into the new year with a 2-14 overall record. The Pirates will look to snap a nine-game losing streak when they open Central Valley Conference play on Jan. 8 when they host Merced College in a 5 p.m. contest.