According to the latest CCCWBCA state poll released on Tuesday, December 30th, Orange Coast sits at No. 2, Cypress at No. 8, Irvine Valley No. 10, Saddleback No. 21, and Santa Ana College at No. 23 setting the stage for another highly contested conference race.
No. 2 Orange Coast College (12-4 overall)
Last season's champion, OCC will look to pull off another title as the Pirates have dominated the OEC winning the last three titles under head coach Sammy Doucette. The team has gone an incredible 90-11 overall and 33-3 in conference-play the last three years. Currently, the team is second in the OEC in scoring with a 71.2-point average.
Players to Watch:
Melaiah Joseph – 15.1 ppg., 4.1 rpg.
McKenzie Gillman – 10.9 ppg., 4.3 rpg.
Andrea Rico – 9.3 ppg., 5.3 rpg., 2.3 apg.
No. 8 Cypress College (13-3 overall)
Always in the mix year in and year out, Cypress looks to make a run at the OEC title ripping off a ten-game win streak to start the season. The three non-conference losses came against No. 17 Palomar, No. 2 Orange Coast, and No. 1 Mt. SAC. The team is averaging 69.5 points a game and has beaten some tough teams in No. 12 San Francisco, No. 22 San Diego Mesa, and No. 24 Long Beach City.
Players to Watch:
Mariah Henderson – 16.2 ppg., 5.5 rpg.
Christaesha Jackson – 14.3 ppg., 9.5 rpg (1st in the OEC)., 26 blocks (1st In the OEC)
Kaylene Vivo – 9.7 ppg., 4.6 rpg., 3.1 apg.
Marina Interiano – 6.8 ppg., 8.2 rpg., 2.2 apg.
Alyssa Norada – 7.8 ppg., 2.4 rpg., 3.4 apg.
No. 10 Irvine Valley College (14-2 overall)
Currently sporting the best record in the OEC with only two close losses to No. 6 MiraCosta (47-45) and No. 13 Glendale (55-51), the Lasers are looking to run it back to the pre-COVID years when the team won four OEC titles (2015, 2018, 2019, 2020). IVC has a strong defense that can dominate the boards led by Alexis Price (9.1 rpg. / 34 steals) and Kivonni Williams (6.5 rpg. / 35 steals).
Players to Watch:
Alexis Price – 13.8 ppg, 9.1 rpg., 2.3 apg.
Symantha Barnett – 12.7 ppg., 7.8 rpg., 2.6 apg.
Kivonni Williams – 11.4 ppg., 6.5 rpg., 1.9 apg.
Neryah Loken – 6.5 ppg., 4.3 rpg.
No. 21 Saddleback College (12-4 overall)
The Bobcats only have four losses, which were all against ranked teams (No. 6 MiraCosta, No. 24 Long Beach, No.4 Laney, and No. 25 Santa Barbara). Sophomore center Kassidy Beach has been a force in the paint averaging 15.4 point a game with a 9.1 rebound average, has 27 steals, and 15 blocks. Saddleback also has a deep bench full of players that can score.
Players to Watch:
Kassidy Beach – 15.4 ppg., 9.1 rpg.
Makayla Rutledge – 12.1 ppg., 6.3 rpg.
Nina Saiki – 10.9 ppg., 2.5 rpg., 4 apg.
Kalynne Mendez – 9.9 ppg., 4.5 rpg., 2 apg.
Mariana Mina – 8.3 ppg., 2.8 rpg., 2.9 apg.
Kalena Akinaka – 7.9 ppg., 5.7 rpg., 2.2 apg.
No. 23 Santa Ana College (12-4)
The Dons have come out smoking this season averaging a conference best 70.1 points a game. Santa Ana has the hot hand in Anaya Beard, who is second in the OEC scoring 17.3 points a game. They welcomed 2026 with a dominating win over Citrus College 92-28 last Friday January 2nd.
Players to Watch:
Anaya Beard – 17.3 ppg., 8.4 rpg.
Kiki Graham – 13.8 ppg., 4.7 rpg., 3.1 apg.
Mia Rivera – 10.2 ppg., 4.4 rpg., 76 assists (1st in the OEC)., 48 steals (1st in the OEC)
Faith Ledesma – 9.7 ppg., 4 rpg.
Fullerton College (8-8 overall)
They may not be currently ranked in the top 25, however the Hornets are a dangerous team with two of the conference's best scorers in Haley Lakey and Erin Choi, who currently share the lead for OEC points per game with 17.4. They also top the OEC free throw percentage chart with Lakey leading the way at 87.2% and Choi at 79.5. Fullerton started the new year with a come-from-behind victory over No. 22 San Diego Mesa last Friday.
Players to Watch:
Haliey Lakey – 17.4 ppg., 7.2 rpg., 3.4 apg.
Erin Choi – 17.4 ppg., 5.6 rpg., 4.3 apg.
Chloe Chang – 6.2 ppg., 5.3 rpg.
Jaylene Perez – 5.4 ppg., 6.4 rpg.
Savannah Hernandez – 5.1 ppg., 4.4 rpg.
Riverside City College (6-10 overall)
The Tigers are another dangerous team that just got double-double threat Skyy Simmons back on the court. Playing in the last four games, Simmons is leading the team in scoring (11.8) and rebounds (9.5). Always well-coached, RCC has what it takes to shock a few OEC teams this season.
Players to Watch:
Skyy Simmons – 11.8 ppg., 9.5 rpg.
Alexa Moreno – 8.6 ppg., 5.1 rpg., 1.8 apg.
Brianna Ruelas – 8.3 ppg., 5.8 rpg., 4.1 apg.
2026 Orange Empire Conference Opening Matchups begin this week:
• Riverside at Orange Coast – Wed, Jan. 7 at 7 PM
• Cypress at Irvine Valley – Wed, Jan. 7 at 7 PM
• Saddleback at Fullerton – Wed, Jan. 7 at 7 PM
• Irvine Valley at Saddleback – Fri, Jan. 9 at 7 PM
• Fullerton at Riverside – Fri, Jan. 9 at 7 PM
• Santa Ana at Orange Coast– Fri, Jan. 9 at 7 PM
Story by Phil Thurman, Fullerton College
