Women’s Basketball at Rio Hondo is in full swing. The second of a two home-game stand on back-to-back nights tips off Friday, Nov. 15 at 5 p.m. in the Rio Gymnasium. The Roadrunners defeated Mira Costa 78-64 Thursday but now face Irvine Valley — no. 7 in Southern California’s California Community College Athletic Association’s Oct. 30 preseason poll.

So Far, So Good

The Roadrunners 5-2 record comes following a pair of tournaments to start the season. Games included losses to no. 1 Moorpark in the Riverside Earn Our Stripes Tournament and no. 4 Mt. San Antonio in the final of the Mt. SAC Tip-Off and wins against the likes of Long Beach City (Mt. SAC Tip-Off) and Santa Ana (Riverside Earn Our Stripes Tournament).

Team’s DNA

On the roster this season for head coach Rene Herrera is a mix of second-year leaders and Freshmen with size. Rookie forward Donteylor Maxwell stands at six feet tall and has contributed heavily on the offensive end with points. Sophomore guards Candice Black and Amande Lee round out the Roadrunners top three scorers as defensively, Maxwell, Freshman Sally Smith and Sophomore Amy Navarro lead the squad in rebounds per game.

Following yesterday’s victory over Mira Costa, Herrera reflected on the difficulty of yesterday’s opponent in regards to tonight’s matchup:

“Last night was a tough opponent that ran their stuff well and played hard,” Herrera said. “Our girls did well enough to pull off the win. Yes, today’s game [against Irvine Valley] is going to be super tough. It’s hard to play back to back and I am hopeful we come to play.”

In The Future

Before Thanksgiving break, the Roadrunners will follow up Irvine Valley with a couple of road games next week. First, El Camino (tied for no. 12) hosts the Roadrunners Wednesday, Nov. 20 at 5 p.m. which gives Rio a chance to make a statement against a ranked team. Just 48 hours later, the Roadrunners travel back to El Camino but this time to face Citrus who sits with a 1-3 record so far.

Rio will spend December playing tournaments and expecting a trophy from at least one of the four they’re schedules to play in. Irvine Valley, West Hills, Glendale and Ventura are all set to host the tourneys.

December Tournaments