Santa Rosa Junior College women’s basketball team on hot streak

The Santa Rosa Junior College women’s basketball team hasn’t hung a banner as the outright conference champion since 2012. They haven’t won a state title since 2011.

In 2012, the Bear Cubs went 22-6 overall and 13-1 in Big 8 Conference play. Head coach Lacey Campbell was named Coach of the Year, and Jen Tsurumoto was named player of the year.

Fast-forward 11 years, and SRJC just might return to the top of the conference and be on its way to a state run.

This year’s squad currently sits at 22-2 overall with four regular-season games left to play. They also have gone 11-1 in conference, with the only loss coming to San Joaquin Delta College at home Dec. 30.

Since that loss, the Bear Cubs have won nine games in a row, outscoring their opponents 683-387 during that span. That stretch also included a 54-45 win at Delta, avenging the December loss.

Not that the team is spending much time looking at the standings.

“It’s funny because I don’t think of it — the other day I had to check our records because I had no idea what it was,” said Campbell, who’s in her 13th season coaching the Bear Cubs. “My expectations of them are probably pretty high right now, just because I can see what kind of potential they have. This group has really bought in and made it really easy on us to help them take those steps forward and keep being successful.”

Every single player on Campbell’s roster played high school ball locally in the North Bay League, so it’s safe to say they all know each other pretty well. But they haven’t let their battles in high school affect their current relationships.

“It’s weird how you’re like enemies in high school and then become teammates,” said sophomore guard Ciarah Michalik, a Montgomery alum. “Something about this team was different from any other team; we connected so well, and from the start everyone had that passion to work.”

“The main thing that separates us from other teams is how united we are and how together we are,” added Meredith Gilbertson, a freshman from Windsor. “We’ve noticed that against other teams, they don’t play together, and they don’t have good chemistry.”

That chemistry has helped the Bear Cubs average more than 70 points and 16 assists a game this season. They also average 49 rebounds per game.

A big part of that efficiency is sophomore forward Ashleigh Barr, who played with Michalik at Montgomery. Barr is averaging a double-double this season, with 12.8 points and 11.6 rebounds per game.

“Ash is positive, consistent, and always being the one people can turn to,” Campbell said of Barr’s impact.

Apart from Barr, SRJC is loaded with depth. Analy alum Lucca Lowenberg is averaging 14.8 points per game, and sophomore Sheriene Arikat of Petaluma is shooting at a 45% clip.

Lanie Lincoln, a sophomore from Ukiah who is coming off an ACL injury, has also made an impact this season by averaging just under seven points a game.

SRJC’s next game is Tuesday at American River College in Sacramento, where the Bear Cubs will look to expand their one-game lead in the Big 8.

A four-game sweep of their remaining regular-season contests would boost the Bear Cubs’ overall record to 26-2 — but they’d be the last to let you know.

You can reach Staff Writer Kienan O’Doherty at 415-887-8650 or kienan.odoherty@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @kodoherty22.