Story by Emma Kitchell, Photo Courtesy of Cypress Charger Athletics
The No. 5 ranked Women’s Basketball team concluded the 2024-2025 season with an overall record of 21-9 and a conference record of 9-3 placing them in second place in the Orange Empire Conference.
The season started strong with a win against LA Southwest, 127-4. The star players in this game were Chelsea Caldera, Andrea Lopez, and Kalysa Ng. Caldera scored 23 points, Lopez scored 17 points, and Ng scored 13 points.
Another memorable matchup was against Irvine Valley College on February 5, ending with a win of 64-62. The team was 10-16 from the 3-point line and 8-16 from the free-throw line. These two games set the tone for the season and helped their best players show out.
The team started the OEC play-off with two losses but gained momentum after a win against No. 9 ranked Santa Ana. After the first two losses, it had only lost one other game and finished conference play with a six-game winning streak.
Head Coach Brittany Imaku said, “I think the second round of conference play was when we created our identity and started to believe it, to go 6-0 the second round in one of the hardest conferences in the state in my opinion, was very impressive.”
Throughout the season, the team went on a seven-game winning streak and also had a team field goal percentage of 37.6%. The team’s free throw percentage was 63.7%.
There were plenty of standout players this season. “I think we grew a lot. I think player development is very important and this year taught me that,” said Coach Imaku.
Chelsea Caldera, sophomore guard/forward, ended the season with an average of 11.1 points per game and had a total of 323 points, making her the team’s overall point leader. Christaesha Jackson, freshman guard, ended the season with an average of 9.6 points a game and had a total of 287 points this season. Andrea Lopez, a freshman guard, had 222 points and 42 three-pointers total, leaving her as the team’s overall three-point leader.
This team entered the playoffs after defeating East Los Angeles College 80-60. They made it to the Finals but lost to No. 4 seed Glendale College 55-50. Cypress College was one of five OEC teams to make it to the playoffs. Coach Imaku was named OEC Coach of the Year for the first time in her career. “For my peers to vote for me, I am just very appreciative and very blessed,” said Coach Imaku.
To learn more about the Women’s Basketball team, including live updates, player statistics, and more, visit the Cypress College Athletics website.
