The West Los Angeles Wildcats had a night to remember as they defeated Citrus College 60-57 in front of a big crowd on Sophomore Night. The Wildcats showed great teamwork, with players stepping up at key moments. One of the biggest highlights of the night was when guard Aliyah Young scored her 1,000th career point with a three-pointer assisted by her twin sister, Alana Young. The crowd cheered loudly as the Wildcats celebrated the special moment.
The game started with Citrus scoring the first two points on free throws. West LA quickly answered when Aliyah Young made a layup with an assist from Isabela Ferguson, tying the game 2-2. Soon after, Kennedee Rankin hit a jump shot and then scored again on a fast-break layup, assisted by Alana Young, giving West LA a 6-2 lead. Rankin's strong start helped the Wildcats take control early.
Ferguson added to the excitement by stealing the ball and scoring a layup, making the score 8-4. Karli Schwenke showed her strength under the basket, grabbing rebounds and scoring points. After Schwenke made a layup and a free throw, West LA led 12-7. With just over a minute left in the first quarter, Andrea Hinton hit a jumper assisted by Aliyah Young, and the Wildcats ended the quarter up 16-10.
In the second quarter, West LA's defense was tough, holding Citrus to only seven points. Fama Diagne entered the game and made an impact with a big block and defensive rebound. Schwenke continued to dominate the boards, and Alana Young found her teammates with great passes. At the 8:23 mark, Schwenke scored again off an assist from Alana, and a minute later, she hit another jump shot, extending the lead to 20-10.
Then came the big moment: With 6:28 left in the quarter, Aliyah Young received a pass from her sister Alana and made a three-pointer, scoring her 1,000th point as a Wildcat. The crowd stood up and cheered loudly as the team celebrated the milestone. Davis added points from the free-throw line, and Rankin scored another free throw, giving West LA a 26-10 lead. The Wildcats' defense stayed strong, with Diagne, Schwenke, and Young working together to limit Citrus' scoring. At halftime, West LA led 30-17.
In the third quarter, Citrus started to fight back, scoring 21 points. But West LA kept pushing. Rankin opened the quarter with a layup and a free throw, keeping the lead at 33-17. Davis played tough defense, getting steals and scoring on fast breaks. Midway through the quarter, Aliyah Young made a layup with an assist from Alana, and Schwenke added another layup assisted by Aliyah. Despite Citrus' strong quarter, West LA still led 43-38 going into the fourth quarter.
The final quarter was intense. Citrus scored quickly, but Rankin answered with a layup assisted by Davis, making it 45-40. With five minutes left, Alana Young scored a layup off a pass from Schwenke, keeping West LA ahead 51-48. Citrus kept pushing and tied the game at 57-57 with only 12 seconds left.
With the game on the line, West LA Head Coach Twan Herron called a timeout to set up the final play. With eight seconds left, Alana Young passed the ball through the defense to Kennedee Rankin, who made the layup to put West LA ahead 59-57. Citrus tried to score, but Aliyah Young stole the ball, was fouled, and made a free throw to seal the 60-57 win.
The Wildcats' balanced scoring and strong defense led them to victory. Rankin led with 20 points, while Schwenke had 14 points and 15 rebounds. Aliyah Young finished with 14 points, including her milestone three-pointer, and added four steals and two blocks. Alana Young played a key role with seven assists, while Davis and Hinton gave the team energy off the bench.
When the final buzzer sounded, the Wildcats celebrated their hard-fought win and Aliyah Young's historic achievement. With this victory, West LA improved to 17-10 and ended Sophomore Night with a big win at "The Den".