The Rio Hondo women’s basketball team participated in their final fall showcase at Santa Ana College as they prepare for the upcoming season. The Roadrunners finished the showcase with a solid 2-2 record, competing against several of the best teams in the state. If you’re interested in basketball and wish to get basketball equipments, you can find here

On the first day of the showcase, Rio Hondo faced Mt. San Jacinto College who was ranked number one in the state throughout most of last season and San Francisco City College, a team that was ranked number one in Northern California this past season.

The Roadrunners played much to their head coach Steve Johnson’s liking, but came up short and suffered two tough losses.

“We kept our composure and didn’t let their play affect how we would play the game,” Johnson said speaking on the first day of the showcase, “We did a good job of dictating our own pace.”

During the second and final day of the showcase, the Roadrunners earned two convincing victories over San Diego Mesa College and Irvine Valley College. Coach Johnson stated that Rio Hondo held a commanding lead throughout the game against Irvine Valley.

On the last matchup of the showcase, the Roadrunners beat a very athletic but young team in San Diego Mesa recovering from a slow first day to finish the showcase 2-2.

“This weekend we were able to fix a lot of the mistakes that we were making in the past weekend,” Johnson said, “The majority of our players felt much more comfortable with the things they are able to do on the court.”

Johnson couldn’t have said it better as the performance of sophomores Aaliyah Montiel and Emily Ayala caught the eyes of the head coach at San Diego Christian. The same school that former Rio Hondo basketball player Danna Robles signed to last spring and is currently attending.

“When I played in high school I didn’t get any recognition, so to know that my hard work is paying off is reassuring” said Ayala who is a heady guard that plays with an even keel also possessing the ability to score.

“It felt pretty amazing because I never thought that I’d get to this moment where another college would want me to play at the next level” said Montiel who is capable of playing both guard positions and getting hot from deep.

Any college program would love to have either of these players as they both bring poise and maturity to the game.

With two great showings in a pair of highly competitive showcases including some of the top teams in the state, Rio Hondo still has work to do according to Coach Johnson.

“We still need to work on understanding how to play the game at this level,” Johnson said, “With ten freshmen on the team, they are going to have to learn that it is a mental game much more than a physical game.”

Although a very young team, Rio Hondo has shown their ability to respond to a challenge as displayed in these past two showcases. They now prepare for the beginning of the season starting in November.