This past weekend we held the Jocelyn Mancebo Tournament. Mancebo was a point guard who overcame many odds. She was an all-state guard at Delta who picked up three D1 offers as she set her eyes on Nevada, Reno.
For the Wolves, as an undersized guard who led the team in assists and was of the top scorers.
She was then diagnosed with brain cancer. When she was forced to step away from basketball to get surgery, she became determined to coach at Delta while finishing her master’s degree.
Her dedication to her players and the game of basketball made her a beloved figure in the community, and this tournament was organized to honor her legacy.
To celebrate Mancebo’s impact the tournament brought together teams from across the region, including Delta, Cerro Coso, Shasta, Modesto, San Mateo, Laney, Merced and Fresno.
In this first round, Delta faced off with Cerro Coso in the Final of 82- 62.
Isabella Azzolino was the standout performer, scoring 20 points, pulling down 3 rebounds, and dishing out 3 assists in 32 minutes of play. Azzolino was also a major threat from beyond the arc, knocking down 5 three-pointers and displaying her ability to control the game’s tempo.
The girls were sharing the ball like a hot topic with a 5-way tie for assist leader all had 3 assists, Kathreen Noa, Azzolino, Aaliyah Youngblood, Sammy Lang and Grace Brown.
Head Coach Gina Johnson was praising the defensive effort from the sideline and the bench cheered on the team during the whole tournament.
On the defensive end, Fajr Cuthbertson dominated the boards, pulling down 12 rebounds to lead the team. Marcelina Chaparro also impacts on defense as well, contributing 4 steals and making life difficult for the Cerro Coso guards.
Kathreen Noa and Isabella Azzolino played significant minutes, each logging 30 minutes of action. Azzolino finished the game with 13 points, 2 steals, and 2 rebounds, including 3 three-pointers. Noa was also a major contributor, finishing with 12 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals.
Five Delta players scored in double figures Azzolino, Noa, Kiara Council, Jakayla Gilmer and Grace Brown. Brown came close to a double-double, recording 9 rebounds, Jakayla Gilmer had a stand-out game. She put up 12 points, 4 steals, 6 assists and 5 rebounds.
The team’s resilience shone through despite battling foul trouble and a shooting slump throughout the game.
Aaliyah Youngblood led the offense with 15 points, while Fajr Cuthbertson contributed 11 and Jakayla Gilmer added 10. Grace Brown and Cuthbertson anchored the rebounding effort with 8 and 6 boards, respectively and Gilmer dished out 4 assists.
The Mustangs next tournament is called Round Robin and is in Santa Rosa.
The Womens Basketball season ends in Feb. with playoffs starting in March.
With a 2-1 record to finish the tournament, the team demonstrated significant growth and competitiveness.
