BCC Women's Basketball: Vikings open season at full strength

BARSTOW • Cortney Warren and Jallisa Bulter have waited more than a year to get back on the basketball court.
Their Barstow Community College teammates have waited almost as long to have a team at full strength.

All parties welcome the opening of the 2009-2010 season, which kicks off at the Barstow Community College Women’s Basketball Tourney at 8 p.m. tonight at the Jim Parks Gymnasium. The Vikings open against Imperial Valley. The tournament begins at 2 p.m. today, continues through Saturday and includes Porterville, Mt. San Jacinto, Compton, Citrus, San Diego Mesa and Victor Valley.

The Vikings started last season with nine players but were eventually worn down to six by the end of the season. Without enough players to do full drills and hoping to prevent further injuries, practices became little more than walkthroughs. Without a bench, there wasn’t much of a rotation during games.

“It got kind of hard towards the end because we weren’t able to run as much in practice so we kind of fell out of shape toward the end and our bodies wore out,” sophomore guard Lauren Johnson said.

Not surprisingly, BCC struggled down the stretch.

This season Vikings are up to 11 players this season and practices have been a little more active and players have to fight for spots.

“We are looking good,” BCC coach Tim Woods said. “We have 11 players able to play. It’s a big difference. The bench really helps.”

This season marks the return of center Butler and the debut of guard Warren. Both sat out redshirting last season.

“I’m just ready,” Warren said. “I’ve never been more ready. I’m just amped and my adrenaline is pumping. It’s like nothing can stop me, that’s how motivated I am. Thursday is taking for ever to come.”

Butler was an All-Foothill player but missed last year with a back injury. Warren attended Hill College in Texas during her freshman campaign then transferred to BCC but was forced to rest due to reoccurring anterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligament injuries from high school.

The two were rivals at opposing high schools in Las Vegas but have developed chemistry in their short time as teammates.

“It’s like we are Kobe and Shaq,” Butler said.

Warren made only a cameo appearance for the team last season. While resting and recovering, she was designated as the Vikings’ videographer. While her teammates were playing, Warren was filming and coaching. She’d give out pieces of advice that her teammates wouldn’t discover until it came time to watch the film.

“You could hear me on the tape screaming, wanting to get in,” Warren said. “When we come in for film days, all you hear is me on the tape coaching from the bleachers.”

Both said while it was difficult to sit for the season, they became better players for it.

“I learned a lot,” Warren said. “You see a lot more on the sidelines. You see different openings to where this year I am actually on the court and able to play I can see that much more. From me watching, I know different cuts to make and different options.”

However, what the Vikings have gained in new recruits and returners they’ve also lost with new injuries.

The Vikings will be without last year’s leading scorer and All-Foothill Conference player Mechel’La Logan, who will redshirt. Logan sat out the final games last season when her knee began bothering her but expected to play this season.

It wasn’t until a July MRI revealed damage to her ACL and MCL.

“It’s pretty bad,” Logan said. “I want to be out here everyday.”

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(760) 256-4124 or
mpeters@desertdispatch.com