Although the Lady Jaguars suffered a tough loss to Cosumnes River College, ending their season, they look back on a great year.

The Lady Jaguars had a strong season; they were undefeated at home and only lost four games on the road.

The Jaguars ended the season with a bang by defeating Hartnell College with a score of 50-41 to win the conference championship. The team’s energy was high going into the first game of the NorCal regional playoffs as they blew out Napa Valley with a score of 83-45 in the first round. Three nights later, the team traveled to Sacramento to take on Cosumnes River in the second round of the NorCal Regional playoffs. Ultimately, the game was decided by high turnovers from SJCC and strong bench productivity from Cosumnes River. This was the Lady Jaguars’ final game of the season.

Christine Lam (left) and Bella Merritt (right) of Napa Valley College hustle for a loose ball in San Jose on February 28, 2024. (Photo by Oscar Lopez)

Although the team was ultimately eliminated, their strong home court performance brought them a Conference Championship trophy and a sense of accomplishment for the players, coaching staff, and fans alike.

The head coach of the Lady Jaguars, Lauren Adamek, said that the team’s success would not have been possible without the starting backcourt of Tatiana Collazo and Zara Dumatol.

“Tatiana is a competitor. She always brought it on defense and grew so much as a player,” said Coach Adamek as she reflected on the team’s season. “She is one of the hardest workers I ever met.”

Tatiana, who ranked as the seventh-highest scorer in the state averaging 22 points per game, says that she wouldn’t have been as strong a player without Point Guard Zara Dumatol, who led the state in assists and shot 46 percent from the field.

“[Dumatol] is a fantastic point guard,” said Coach Adamek as she described the duo’s unmatched chemistry. “She was able to find Tati on the court, always finding assists.”

However, the success of the team can be attributed not only to the two stars but to the collective effort. The Jaguars averaged around 20 assists per game and are the 8th-highest-scoring team in the state. This is impressive because it shows how well players work together to create a dominant offense.

While there were many emotional moments of the season, each member of the program has their own standout memory.

Collazo remembers losing to College of the Siskiyous, and then having a second chance later in the season which they ended up capitalizing on, making it a sweet, redemptive win. It was moments like this that ended up boosting her spirit and belief in her team, “I got more and more confidence, and it made me realize how good I can be and how good our team can be,” Collazo said.

Collazo played in every game this season, but the game against Cabrillo College stands out as her most dominant performance. “It was great, I was making every shot I took,” said Collazo. She ended the game with a total of 36 points. She hit eight three-pointers and shot 48 percent from the field. “I played a lot better with pressure.”

For Dumatol, the best part of playing college basketball is “creating bonds and family with the other players.” Of course, she also appreciated the feeling of winning the conference championship, a game that she says gave her more confidence as a player. Although she looks fondly on the season, she can’t help but feel a jolt of pain when she thinks about the season’s end, “A memory that was hard was losing our last playoff game to Cosumnes River because we definitely came in thinking we had a chance(…) and [losing] was devastating,” Dumatol said.

The Lady Jaguars received endless support from their home fans this season. Attendance was high and cheers were loud. This edge gave the team a home-court advantage, making it hard for any competitor to leave San Jose with a win.

The Lady Jaguars enter the offseason with the hope of retaining players. Tatiana Collazo is undecided on whether she will play another season at SJCC, and Zara Dumatol will explore offers with the hope of transferring to a four-year college. While the team’s future is uncertain, one thing that is crystallized is a conference championship and a year filled with memories that will endure.