Warriors Advance to Championship at Coast Christmas Classic

For the third straight week, El Camino College will play for a tournament title after defeating Long Beach, 64-49, on Tuesday night in the semifinals of the Coast Christmas Classic hosted by Orange Coast College at the Basil Peterson Gym.

The Warriors (10-3) got another double-double from sophomore Salihah Bey and Jenna Krynen chipped in with 11 points to defeat the Vikings (5-7). Bey scored 22 points and grabbed 13 rebounds while Krynen went 3-for-4 from 3-point range in 17 minutes off the bench.

The first quarter was back-and-forth as the teams traded the lead 10 times in the period but the Warriors took a five-point lead into the second period. In the second, the Warriors got all the cushion they'd need as they outscored the Vikings 16-5 in the quarter to take a 16-point advantage into the half and they never looked back.

The Warriors held Long Beach to 32.7 percent shooting from the field and also outrebounded the Vikings 45-29. Once again, ECC bettered its opponent in the paint as the Warriors held a 36-18 advantage on points in the paint.

With the win, the Warriors advance to the championship game where they will face Palomar. The two teams have already tangled once this season in the semifinals of the Lady Charger Classic hosted by Cypress on Dec. 1. The Warriors edged the Comets 72-70 and would go on to win the tournament. Wednesday's title game is set to tip off at 5 p.m.