Photo Courtesy of SWC Athletics
REIGN OF MUNANE—Naomie Munane was the anchor of the rebuilding women’s basketball team. She will play next year at La Sierra University in Riverside. The Lady Jaguars won six games after a winless 2023-24 when the women’s soccer team doubled as the basketball team.
By Julio Rodriguez
After a winless season in 2023-24, six wins looks pretty good.
“You can’t win every game but are you getting better during these losses?” said women’s basketball coach Tyrone Shelley. “For a rebuilding year, I think we did a good job.”
Shelley entered the Lady Jaguars in the Arizona Western College Winter Classic. The tournament serves as a spotlight for national two-year teams.
The results – three blowout losses.
Even so, Naomie Munane showcased her fierce style.
“It was hard because our team just kept going down,” she said. “It was tough to get the energy back. Going into conference, we had to lock in and remember that we have won and we can win.”
Win they did. Against LA Harbor Annette Bennett Ramos was the star of the game with 18 points, seven rebounds and two steals.
“It was really tough,” she said. “We couldn’t practice five on five, since there were only five of us (due to illness).”
The team stumbled into a seven-game losing streak beginning with a blowout loss to Imperial Valley. Shelley – who also coaches the men – traveled with the team to Imperial Valley. Kaileih Denley stood out.
“I rewatched the film from our last game and I realized that I had an even match up,” she said. “It was my time to show all I’ve done in practice.”
First year players Ale’a Tufaga and Veelicia Lizama provided a spark in the victory.
“It felt really good,” Tufaga said. “It really felt like we were a team.”
The win was Shelley’s first conference victory and a taste of revenge from an earlier trouncing.
“They came to our gym, blew us out and made fun of us,” he said. “(This was) the best win I’ve seen.”
The team had a final hurrah against Cuyamaca. The starting five was a mix of the outgoing sophomore and the freshman who will carry on next season.
Munane grabbed 10 boards and Bennett Ramos scored eight points. Tufaga led all scorers with 18 points.
“For my last game at Southwestern, it was a big win,” Munane said. “After all the battle we went through, winning by three after losing to that team three times was amazing.”
The team finished with a final record of 6-22, 2-12 in conference.
Shelley has recruited two players from Southwest High School, Violet Youngblood and Analisa Valencia.
“Violet is a point guard who can rebound, move the ball and shoot a little bit,” he said. “Analisa is a shooter. I see great things from both ladies and they’re going to have a great first year at Southwestern.”
