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Women’s Basketball: Taafua named All-State, Vikings earn five postseason all-conference honors

Darshana Taafua was named All-State and SCC South Division Player of the Year while Armani Wiley (center) and Lupe Cruz (right) were also first-team All-SCC South selections (Photos by John Fajardo)
Darshana Taafua was named All-State and SCC South Division Player of the Year while Armani Wiley (center) and Lupe Cruz (right) were also first-team All-SCC South selections (Photos by John Fajardo)
Posted: Mar 23, 2015

Long Beach City College sophomore center Darshana Taafua (Western HS) closed out her Viking career by earning All-State honors for the second consecutive season. She, along with four other Vikings, also captured All-South Coast Conference South Division honors.

Taafua, named second-team All-State, averaged 13.8 points and 9.3 rebounds per game for the Vikings, leading her squad in both categories. She was a force underneath as she compiled 12 double-doubles in points and rebounds. She scored a career-high 30 points against El Camino College and grabbed a career-best 20 rebounds in a close win vs. Cerritos College.

Taafua was also named the SCC South Division Co-Player of the Year. It was her second consecutive first-team All-SCC accolade.

Also earning first-team All-SCC South Division honors were sophomore Armani Wiley (Jordan HS) and freshman Lupe Cruz (South East HS).

Wiley was second on the Vikings with 8.6 points per game while also averaging 4.1 rebounds and 3.0 assists. She scored a season-high 20 points in LBCC's win at Cerritos. Cruz ranked second on the Vikings with 7.1 rebounds per game to go along with a 6.7 points per game average. Her finest game of the season came when she posted a double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds in a win over Fullerton College.

Named second-team All-SCC South were sophomore Jessica Njoku (Narbonne HS) and freshman Imani Johnson (Carson HS). Njoku averaged 8.1 points and 6.3 rebounds while Johnson chipped in with 4.0 points per game.

Long Beach closed out the 2014-15 season with a 17-11 overall record under fifth-year head coach Michael Anderson. The Vikings finished second in the SCC South Division at 5-3 and qualified for the Southern California Regional Playoffs for the fourth straight year.