No. 5 Cypress Charges Past No. 21 East L.A. to Reach SoCal Regional Final

CYPRESS, CA - The No. 5 Cypress Chargers dominated at home Saturday night, defeating No. 21 East Los Angeles 80-60 to advance to the final round of the SoCal Regionals. The Chargers will now travel to face Glendale College on Saturday, March 8, with tip-off time yet to be announced.

Cypress set the tone early with a strong defensive stand, forcing a shot clock violation midway through the second quarter while holding a narrow 18-17 lead. Moments later, Andrea Lopez ignited the momentum with a clutch three-pointer, forcing ELAC to burn a timeout.

Chelsea Caldera took over in the third quarter, knocking down a three-pointer and finishing a fast-break layup to extend the lead to double digits. Alana Alapati's layup just before the buzzer put Cypress in firm control, leading 50-34 entering the fourth.

Lopez sealed the deal in the final period, sinking a dagger three to push the Chargers' lead to 20. She finished with a team-high 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting, while Journie Hayden added 17 points and seven rebounds. Caldera chipped in 15 points, and Christaesha Jackson recorded a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

UP NEXT: With this win, the Chargers take another step closer to their ultimate goal—a trip to the 3C2A State Tournament.

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