Three members of the history-making Hancock College women's basketball team have garnered All-Western State Conference North Division First Team honors.
Hancock finished 21-9, the first time in program history the Bulldogs won at least 20 games in a season. Hancock also swept its two-game season series against Ventura for the first time in program history.
Bulldogs Alexandria Paquet, Kayla Taylor and Chloe Blankenship all landed a spot on the All-WSC First Team. This marks the third consecutive year that the Bulldogs have had three or more players recognized as All-WSC North honorees.
Paquet, a sophomore guard who graduated from Righetti High School, led the team with 13.3 points, 3.1 assists and 2.6 steals per game. The two-time All-WSC North honoree scored a team-high 332 points and racked up 78 assists on the season.
Taylor, a sophomore Lompoc High School alum, finished her sophomore season averaging 9.6 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. She led the team in blocks with 1.5 a game. Taylor snagged 10-plus rebounds in four games during the regular season, including a career-high 18 against Santa Barbara, and blocked 39 shots on the season.
Blankenship, a freshman guard and Placerville native, averaged 10.9 points and 6.3 rebounds per game for the Bulldogs. She scored 15-plus points five times and led the team in made field goals with 110 and free throw percentage at 82.5 percent. Blankenship scored a career-high 28 points in a key win at Santa Barbara for the Bulldogs in February.
A total of 16 players made the All-WSC First Team, and three more earned Honorable Mention. Moorpark freshman Sabrina Belquist was the WSC North Division MVP. Moorpark coach Kenny Plummer was the WSC North Division Coach of the Year. The Raiders won the WSC North championship with a 12-0 WSC North campaign.
No. 10 Hancock beat No. 23 Southwestern 77-69 at Hancock's Joe White Memorial Gymnasium in the first round of the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) Southern Regional then lost 55-50 at No. 7 Glendale in the second round.
Kenny Cress is a sports reporter for the Santa Maria Times, covering local sports in northern Santa Barbara County. You can send information or story ideas to him by emailing it to KCress@SantaMariaTimes.com.
