Starters Shine as Warriors Topple Barstow at Irvine Valley Tournament

IRVINE, Calif. – Four starters scored in double figures as El Camino College upended Barstow 74-42 in the opening round of the Irvine Valley Tournament hosted by Irvine Valley College.

Kayla Bibb and Amiete Nyingifa each flirted with double-doubles, leading the Warriors (7-2) with 14 points apiece. Bibb grabbed nine boards while Nyingifa secured seven rebounds to go with three assists. Nao Shiota scored 12 points and recorded five steals with four assists while Hunter Noa added 11 and four helpers in the win.

For the Vikings, Zoe Hartmann led the way with 15 points and Anne Marie Hernandez tallied 14 points in the loss.

The Warriors offense was clicking on Thursday night as they shot 47.5 percent from the field and 40 percent from beyond the arc. The defense was equally impressive, holding the Vikings to just 26.9 percent shooting and forcing 23 turnovers, converting those giveaways into 26 points. The Warriors also dominated the inside, outscoring Barstow 40-20 in the paint.

The game featured two ties and one lead change, all of them coming in the first 2:12 of the game. The Vikings hit the first bucket of the game and, after a pair of baskets from the Warriors, Kamrien Proctor hit a jumper for Barstow to tie things up again.

It was all ECC after that as Bibb converted a layup off a pass from Noa which ignited a 13-1 scoring run for the Warriors and they never looked back, leading by as much as 35 at one point.

The Warriors advance to the winner's bracket semifinals on Friday night as they take on hosts Irvine Valley at 7 p.m. The winner of that game will face the winner of the first semifinal between Long Beach City and Grossmont in the championship game on Saturday.