Golden Eagles crush Hartnell in Classic opener; Laney College up next

The easy victory also set up a 7 p.m. matchup tonight (Dec. 19) with Oakland-based Laney College, a 56-48 winner over Rio Honda.

In other action Friday, Fresno City College embarrassed College of the Redlands 120-53 to set up a 5 p.m. game against Cerritos College, a 77-40 winner over Marin College.

The Golden Eagles were all over the court Friday night, erupting for 27 first-quarter points, holding Hartnell to just four points.

Freshmen Tarah Pires and Janissa Pates shared much of the opening stanza workload, scoring 6 points each, Pires’ first bucket coming off a picture perfect pass from sophomore star Samantha Earl to put the Eagles up 17-4. Pires scored on a layup for a 23-4 lead and followed up with another easy basket for a 27-4 advantage.

But it was another freshman, Michelle Brown, who did most of the damage for the Eagles, scoring a game-high 17 points. She did most of her damage in the Eagles 21-point second quarter, tossing in 8 points, mostly on inside touch shots.

Earl, one of California’s top playmakers, tossed in nine points while returning starter Jordan Lassiter scored 10 points. Pates finished with eight points while Pires had 9 points.