Last Saturday proved to be the typical barn burner that the Vikings are accustomed to playing in Santa Rosa. Santa Rosa Junior College packed the gymnasium with nearly 2,000 warm bodies that provided a hostile atmosphere for the DVC women’s basketball team.

Aside from the droves of adversarial spectators, the Vikings also played under the pressure of live television and radio coverage.

“Our coaches like to play in that Santa Rosa Saturday night game because it provides the students with an opportunity to play under the spotlight. They can really embrace all of the excitement of the big crowds and the live coverage,” said DVC Athletic Director Christine Worsely.

The Vikings suffered a questionable loss after an ambiguous foul in the final seconds of the game. With 24 seconds remaining in regulation,  Alicia Coulter allegedly committed a mystery foul with no Santa Rosa players in her immediate vicinity.

“It’s a shame we had to lose on such a controversial call, I still don’t know how this mystery foul occurred. But when you play in a hostile environment like Santa Rosa with that many supporters in the stands, then these types of calls will sometimes alter the outcome,” said Coach Raumando Vaughn.

“I could not be more proud of our girls. They played 40 minutes of strong, intense basketball and they never once took their foot off the gas.”

Diane Moore has been playing with that same degree of trepidation and reaping the results of her efforts. Moore is currently averaging 20 points a game with 10 rebounds. If those numbers are not representative of her aptitude, one wouldn’t have to look far from Viking Gym to see that she is a tremendous story. Diane currently has a 3.9 GPA and will be attending the University of Hawaii on scholarship to pursue her degree in Landscape Architecture.

“As coaches, when we get to watch our players develop their game and mature as individuals, that’s the fulfillment we get from this job. It’s why we coach here at DVC. It truly touches us to watch these kids come into their own as adults and refine their game,” said Coach Vaughn

The women’s basketball team must win two out of their next four games to qualify for a playoff seed in a conference that all DVC coaches recognize as the most difficult conference in the state of California.