The City College women’s basketball team is in good position to make the playoffs as they stand in second place in the Western State Conference North Division.
Santa Barbara (6-2, 11-12) is coming off a 73-50 victory over Oxnard, and four games remain. The Vaqueros host Moorpark, Krul’s previous team, on Wednesday, Feb. 9 at 7:30 p.m.
“We have a really good chance to go if we just win out our games,” Krul said. Winning out will prove to be a challenge, as both WSC league teams that have beaten the Vaqueros are still on the schedule.
LA Pierce (3-4, 12-10) will visit the Sports Pavilion on Feb. 16, and the first-place Ventura Pirates, who handed City an embarrassing 104-49 loss early in the season, will be the final game of the regular season on Feb. 19.
The team owes much of their success to sophomore captains Annie Wingard and Melissa Durian for their leadership and selflessness after fellow captain Talia Joyce tore her ACL earlier in the season.
“We asked Melissa to run the point guard. She’s not a point guard, so herwillingness to adapt is awesome,” Krul said.
The team has benefited from a deep roster and has had contributions from top to bottom.
“Every single night it’s someone else who’s stepping up for us,” Krul said. “One game, Alex Kruzen had 13 points and she’s never scored before. And to me that’s success. Now our opponents have to stop all nine, not just two or three.”
Coach Krul is another reason for the team’s success. She has taught her players not only how to play as a team but that character counts.
“She’s the best coach I’ve ever had,” said freshman Kristy Campos.
Krul’s motto is “MTXE,” which stands for “mental toughness extra effort.” The players know that all they have to do is give their best effort to please Krul.
“She has had a tremendous affect on the program. She is much more involved,” said Wingard, who played last year under former coach Jamie Friesen.
“We want to establish our program to stay the same each year,” Krul said. “We just want to be consistent year in year out.”