Santa Ana Advances to Women’s Title Game

Stephanie Patten scored 20 points, leading Santa Ana to the women’s basketball state regional final for the first time with a 66-55 victory Tuesday over host College of the Canyons.

The Dons (22-9) will face Ventura Friday. Ventura defeated Fullerton, 65-36, in the other semifinal.

Santa Ana’s Rochelle Anthony had 15 points.

Lathica Purdom led the College of the Canyons (20-10) with 17 points.

In another Southern California women’s basketball playoff:

Irvine Valley 81, Southwestern 60--Irvine Valley (26-5) set a school record for victories. The 1997-98 team held the previous record with 25. The Lasers opened the game with a 15-2 run. Led by Jennifer O’Keefe and Phouangmaly Pravongviengkham’s 16 points, Irvine Valley was ahead by as many as 23 points in the second half. The Lasers face L.A. Harbor next.

In Orange Empire Conference baseball:

Cypress 5, Fullerton 4--Cypress (11-3, 1-0) scored three runs in the top of the seventh inning to grab a 5-3 lead and beat host Fullerton (11-7, 0-2). Cypress’ Steve Hindman doubled and later scored on a suicide squeeze by Brandon Pack in the seventh inning, taking the lead for the Chargers. Shaun Larken hit a home run off the first pitch in the seventh, tying the game at 3-3.

Golden West 8, Santa Ana 7--Joe Urban hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth to bring Santa Ana within one, but Andrew Rodriguez struck out the last two batters with the bases loaded to end the Dons’ threat. Adriel Gomez hit a two-run single in the sixth inning to give Golden West (11-5, 1-1) a 4-2 lead it didn’t relinquish.

Riverside 12, Saddleback 8--Riverside Coach Dennis Rogers recorded his 300th career win with RCC, and 620th in his career.

Riverside’s Ben Rosenthal knocked in five runs.

Saddleback got within two runs going into the seventh inning, but RCC extended its lead in the bottom of the seventh with two runs.