Viking News February 28, 2019

Homeless sleeping on campus?

Bill to allow students to sleep overnight if needed

News Page 3

Comic fans unite

LBCC Returns to the Long Beach Comic Expo

Lifestyle Page 5

February 28, 2019 • Volume 92 • Issue 5 • Published since 1927

Photo by Andrea Ramos

GOVENOR VISITS LBCC Newsom addressed California mayors regarding affordable housing on campus

News Page 2

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NEWS

February 28, 2019

Governor gives PR address for low-cost housing Story by Cassandra Reichelt Viking Staff Long Beach City College hosts a private meeting for Gov. Gavin Newsom and Mayors of California on Feb. 19 who are not in compliance with affordable housing laws.

Newsom wants to make affordable housing for the state of California to be accessible to residents.

It was a private event at LAC that no one was aware of and no one was allowed inside.

The press conference was held outside the T building at LAC in front of the private meeting room T1200 as the press waited for Newsom to come out and discuss what was accomplished at this meeting.

Mayor of Montebello, Jack Hadjinian is out of compliance with the affordable housing laws, “This is an issue that goes back many years … When I got elected I wanted to address this issue,” Hadjinian said.

Newsom wanted to discuss with the Mayors what could be done to make the affordable housing work for the cities who were not in compliance with the affordable housing laws.

Mayor of Seaside, Ian Oglesby, also does not agree when it comes to the affordable housing laws, “We feel we were heard, we made a lot of progress. The Governor talked about some of his programs. … Now I think he is going to go back and re emphasis some of these things within the budget,” Oglesby said.

Newsom is currently suing Huntington Beach and in response to that Newsom doesn’t want to sue 47 other cities for not being in compliance with the law.

Newsom wants to understand why the other cities who are not in compliance with the law to help him understand and work on from there, “I wanted to get a better understanding of why they are not in compliance with our quote on quote housing goals,” Newsom said.

Aprox. 40 people watched and witness Newsom and the Mayors who were in attendance at this private meeting.

Everyone in attendance was respectful and courteous to Newsom and the Mayors that made it easy for people to listen.

This is just the beginning of what could be big changes for many cities in California including Long Beach.

Photo By Andrea Ramos Gov. Gavin Newsom gives speech for affordable housing at LBCC Feb. 19, 2019.

LBCC to begin rolling out smoking ban Story By Andrea Ramos Viking Staff LBCC will post signage and start communications in the following weeks of March for an already set policy that makes PCC and LAC smoke-free.

So far, plans include passing out flyers, posting signage, even making little cards for when the police department starts issuing warnings to give to students to let them know of resources available.

Marlene Drinkwine, the vice president of business services, clarified how the ban will be enforced.

“We wanted to convene a group of stakeholders to best implement the ban, recognizing that for many of our staff, student and faculty it will be a challenge,” Drinkwine said.

“By the time we get to March or mid March you will start to see signage go up you’ll be seeing communications coming

Photo By Cassandra Reichelt A student vapes in front of D Building in designated smoking area. A ban on tabacco use is already in place and will begin to be enforced this semester.

out in a lot of different ways, and then once

there will be a gradual implementation pri-

we have that information out there, we will

or to things like citations which they would

be working with the Long Beach PD so that

do normally.”

By May, if a police officer sees anyone smoking on campus, there will be first warnings.

Drinkwine explains that the goal of the police department is to not fine any student, but to help students respect the policy of the school.

One of the tasks for the smoking ban committee will also be working to change the standard student code of conduct to soon show the updated ban.

The committee is working closely with ASB as well as the Veterans group to communicate with students about current workshops for smoking cessation.

Fifonsi Jenkins, majoring in Organic Chemistry, feels she will be really affected.

“I have been smoking for a long time, which I’m trying to quit but its hard, but if they do it that’s the best reason for me to quit it will just stress me out a lot more,” Jenkins said.

February 28, 2019

NEWS

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Bill: Homeless sleeping in cars OK Story by Steven Matthews Viking Staff Assemblyman Marc Berman (D-Palo Alto) has introduced AB-302 to the state Assembly which would allow homeless students to sleep in their cars in the school parking lots during the school year.

Berman, in a press release, has explained his rationale behind the bill.

“Over the last two years, I’ve heard from too many students that they don’t have stable housing and often end up sleeping in their cars. Unfortunately, this is all too common throughout California, with one in four community college students experiencing homelessness,” said Berman.

“The long term solution is to build more housing, but while we work to make that a reality, AB 302 is a step that we can take now to ensure that homeless students

have a safe place to sleep at night.”

This bill is still in committee, and if it passes, it would require schools to allow homeless students to use the parking facilities as long they are in good standing with the school, fully enrolled and have all their fees paid.

Mike Munoz, the vice president of Student Support Services, pointed out that the school administration does not take a stance on legislation that has not been passed, but he did give some details about the steps that would be taken if it did pass.

“If it is signed into law, typically they give you a certain amount of time to develop an implementation plan, and I imagine that as a college we would follow our standard steps,” Munoz said.

“It would be that a group convened to basically determine an implementation plan of AB-302. And part of that would be

to engage specific stakeholders on campus, from safety to facility, the health center, psychological services and our counseling, a cross constituency of folks would come together, and read the legislation, and determine the plan of action. There would be a transitional period to enact the implementation plan.”

No studies have been done at LBCC about the number of students that are housing insecure, but a study was done by assistant professor Rashida Crutchfield for Cal State Long Beach, and she found that at CSULB that 1 in 10 students that are enrolled face challenges in their housing situation.

If that metric were to be applied for LBCC, that would be a total of approximately 2,400 housing insecure students.

Lt. Omar Martinez pointed out that there can be security concerns when deal-

ing with large groups of people in a confined area.

“Not to say that all homeless people are criminals, of course not, but when you bring people together, you can get fights, you can get drug use, you can get drinking,” Martinez said “All those things that you get when you bring people together, you can get it in a concentrated form because there is no buildings in between them, no doors to lock, and they’re basically out in the open.”

Martinez also pointed out that his role as the head of public safety would extend to the students in their cars if the law were to be passed.

He confirmed that at this time, there is only one officer on duty at night for both campuses, but if needed, he would have no problem bringing in extra manpower to ensure the safety of everyone involved.

Students use art to explore mental health Story by Sabriyya Ghanizada Viking Staff

The LBCC Healthy Vikings Initiative kicked off their first mental health workshop, ‘Setting Goals for the New Year’ during the first week of the 2019 Spring Semester on Feb. 2.

The workshop was located in the Valhalla room of building E at LAC. Genesis Lares, a CSULB student and intern with LBCC Student Life and Student Services, led the group through the entirety of the workshop.

Lares enjoys co-facilitating the workshops because she gets to interact with students and learn from them by hearing their experiences.

After introductions, students were prompted through a worksheet that described ‘SMART’ Goals, which stands for; Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Timely.

Lares shared that she was working toward a goal of learning the saxophone while another attendee mentioned she has weight loss goals.

“It is important that your goal is important to you,” Lares said.

Toward the end of the workshop, the group was provided with supplies to make their own vision boards, to help them visualize their specific goals.

LBCC student, Sharonda Moss, said, “They are enjoyable and relaxing.”

Moss is currently working toward a few goals herself, which includes getting a certificate in drug and alcohol studies.

She plans on transferring to CSULB once she completes her general education

Photo by Sabriyya Ghanizada Students added pictures and quotes from magazines to their vision boards during the Healthy Viking Initiative workshop on Feb. 2.

classes.

Daisy Cook, the co-facilitator for the workshop, stressed that when accomplishing a goal, students should celebrate and “treat yourself right.”

Some students in attendance, were there to receive academic credits for their classes.

Moss, a mother and participant in the

CARE program, also benefits from attending these workshops.

“They are extremely helpful to my situation,” Moss said.

The CARE program, short for Cooperative Agencies Resources for Education, provides but not limited to educational resources for students who are single parents and receiving aid.

There are about eight workshops taking place on both the LAC and PCC this semester and any current LBCC student is able to participate.

“Every student is recommended to come, anybody that is willing to listen and learn,” Lares said.

Around 20 students attended the workshop.

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LIFESTYLE

February 28, 2019

Artist couples showcase their love STORY BY FERNANDO PACHECO Viking Staff

Families and students gathered around to see the Artistic Couple exhibition which featured works of art, including some poem accented wooden creations and porcelain crafted sculptures at Long Beach City College.

The reception took place in the art gallery inside the K building, at the LAC campus on Valentine’s Day night.

This exhibit titled Artist Couples features works either collaborated or created independently by partners that happened to both be artists.

Most of the pieces were different from one another, based on looks, mediums, and also meanings.

Some of many pieces focused but weren’t limited to love, politics, and also tributes to artists like the Beatles and Prince.

Although the artworks were different they shared the common similarity of being selected for this particular exhibit.

The exhibition composed by Trevor Norris, the LBCC gallery director, was inspired by personally known artistic duos and watching the artists react when working together.

Norris’s main objective is for people to just enjoy the show, even if they only like one particular piece.

“Stay together, When all is set and done when you go into an exhibition and it could be not an interesting concept but you see a couple pieces you like… it’s about I really love that painting… feeling connected to it all,” Norris said.

Lots of different people attended the show including a first year student, Andres Malvarado.

Malvarado who is passionate about art,

Photo By Fernando Pacheco This piece of art work, a statue, created by Marc Digeros was one of many pieces on display at the Artist Couples exhibit.

wanted to attend the reception in the efforts to get a better feel of the school.

After taking a second to admire an art piece titled “No Apples in Eden” by Tom and Lisa Dowling, Malvarado said in Spanish, “I wonder how a person can put so many emotions into words, sometimes that’s more hard.”

“No Apple in Eden” appears as what could be described as a wooden book held together with industrial styled laches, and on the inner areas there’s a white painted

panels where a poem lays.

Tom Dowling, one of the artists behind the piece, was also at the exhibit.

Dowling explained how “No Apples in Eden” was part of a larger collection worked on with his wife, Lisa Dowling, titled Reconcilable Differences.

Although they both worked together to create this piece, Dowling explained how his wife does all of the literature while he focuses on the objects themselves.

“I try to make objects equal to the pow-

er of my wife’s words,” Dowling said.

Dowling also took the time to explain how his artwork is inspired by the love and the lifestyle his family all share together.

The night ended with a Jazz band playing which added to the romance of the night.

Norris said, “I’m really happy with the work, I’m really happy with the turnout, and I’m really happy with the response.”

The artwork will be on display until March 7th in the art gallery at the LAC.

An informative way to celebrate black history STORY BY JOHANA TRUJILLO Viking Staff

Long Beach City College had its first “Rise: A celebration of Black Heritage” event held on Thursday Feb. 21 in honor of celebrating the black community and all its accomplishments.

The event took place from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the T building, celebrating by having a dance performance by LBCC dancers, a distinguished panel with four speakers and a variety of food for guests to enjoy.

Lee Douglas, dean of Language Arts and Communication and coordinator of the event said, “We wanted to do something to celebrate black heritage and bring the campus community together, to honor the past, to celebrate the present, and to re-

ally reflect on what’s going to happen in the future.”

The beginning of the event held a reception presenting the four panelist speakers, former Long Beach City Council Al Austin II, John Howard, Owner/Operator of Chick-fil-A at Long Beach Towne Center, Tasha W. Hunter, president of the Arts Council for Long Beach, Donnell Jones, Student Trustee for Long Beach , and Sharon McLucas, owner of the “Forgotten Images” exhibit.

LBCC students and other guests attended the event, students like Senay Kenfe said, “I’m a supporter of black history month and I try to come to things that are related on campus.”

“I come to these kind of things to see

the younger students on campus, their investment, their own culture and community and see how these events bring out the youth, and how I as an older person can connect the dots and where we can shift this energy and participation into.”

The event also had a display that showed several historical artifacts that honored Africa, African-American traditions, and historical folks that had contributed to the black community.

Not only was there a dance performance by LBCC students but also a sing along, where everyone joined together to sing the song “Lift Every Voice and Sing”

by James Weldon Johnson, which is often referred to as the “Black National Anthem.”

The event lead to panel discussions that

were monorated by student Maya Smith and Ramon Knox dean of Student Support Services.

Guests were able to talk about their own perspectives on what financial literacy meant to them and other topics that were announced.

Panelist Tasha W. Hunter spoke about her own black awakening, “I remember seeing my mother in the mirror patting her fro, dancing before she would head to work everyday and seeing that reflection of who she is was my black awakening.”

Topics that were brought up during the panel discussion spoke about inclusivity in the black community, equity, black awakening, financial literacy, and prison in the black community.

February 28, 2019

LIFESTYLE

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Photos by jorge hernandez A group of different Deadpools, above, poses together at the Long Beach Comic Expo Sunday Feb 16. Below, cosplayer raises her jedi lightsaver while dressed as a sith.

MARVEL-OUS

Long Beach Comic Expo brings out cosplayers and comic enthusist alike Story by Iman Palm and Abel Reyes Viking staff The City of Long Beach hosted the annual Long Beach Comic Expo on Feb. 16-17 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center.

Cosplayers, exhibitors, artists, and former LBCC students attended the two day event.

Former LBCC students, Eric Coffman and Shannon Howe, attended the event as members of the 501st Legion, an organization that raises money to support charities such as Make A Wish, Children’s Hospital of Orange County, and walk events that support research funds for diseases such as autism and alzheimer’s.

“We go to the hospital to see them (the children) when they are sick and can’t come outside. They just wanna see a superhero you know. We go in there in our nerd suits and we are crying on the inside of the buckets but on the outside you know the kids are loving us,” Howe said.

According to their website, 501st.com, the organization has raised a total of $800,800 for charities.

While attending LBCC, Howe majored in costuming and uses the skills she learned for the school in her job as a seamstress.

Golden Apple Comics attended the event and brought new comic books to intrigue a younger audience.

Rey Wilde who works for Golden Apple Comics understands how important it is bringing in more people, af-

ter Meltdown Comics, the biggest comic book store in the West Coast closed last year.

Cosplayer Jesse Olivia, who attended LBCC for one semester as a film major dropped out due to financial issues.

“I had to get a job, which was easy, but it was incredibly boring, and so I’ve always liked cosplayers, and a few years ago I decided to go for it at Los Angeles Comic Con,” Olivia said.

Former Liberal Arts major Eleana Diaz, attended comic con to promote the upcoming Marvel movie Captain Marvel.

Diaz and her coworkers, Josh Petersen and Paul Diaz, work with a third party company called Allied, a company was contracted by Marvel Studios to promote their movie.

“People here are very very excited about Captain Marvel and this new movie in this universe and this new character in this universe that hasn’t been introduced yet and the excitement really helps to get me more excited to work,” Petersen said The company has worked to promote other movies such as Teen Titans, Ralph Breaks the Internet, and Mary Poppins.

“We just do promotion events for different movies and different events. It is really cool to come out here to promote different Marvel and Disney movies. It is pretty cool, pretty unique opportunities,” said Petersen.

OPINION

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Homeless bill a good start

Bill AB-302, a bill that would allow homeless students to sleep in their cars overnight on campus, is still in committee at the state level and even though it has not passed yet, it has already sparked a debate on campus.

If it passes, it will have an immediate and positive impact for the school and its students upon implementation.

Students that are homeless face many difficulties in their day to day lives that make it challenging to be successful when facing a difficult school curriculum.

For one, when a student doesn’t have a steady place to sleep, they’re faced with tough decisions on where to sleep, and how safe it might be.

In addition to that, without consistent access to a restroom,or bathing facilities, those students also have to deal with issues

of sanitation.

With AB-302, those problems that our enrolled homeless students face could be alleviated enough for them to focus properly on their studies.

As long as the state assembly is diligent in providing the necessary funds for the upgrades and manpower that is needed to ensure the safety and sanitation needs of the students, our school should have no problem providing the necessary amenities.

For example, we have a large parking lot that is underutilized near Veterans stadium that would be perfect for our homeless students to park overnight.

Concerning safety, that area is relatively secure with controlled entrances and exits, and it’s near Public Safety.

Personal hygiene is an issue that was already addressed in 2016 with AB-1995, a law that stipulates that homeless students have access to shower facilities.

With LBCC, the policy for the school is that any student that needs a shower can go use the shower on campus, as long as it’s within operational hours.

According to Stacy Toda, the associate director of public relations for LBCC, those hours are from 6 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. in the men and women’s locker rooms at LAC, or from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday and Wednesday, 8 a.m. to noon on Tuesday and Thursday, and from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday at the Fitness Center at PCC. The bottom line is, if the law passes, LBCC has the space to implement it rather easily, and upon that, students who may feel left behind because of their homeless status will have the tools to help themselves achieve the level of normalcy needed in that aspect of their lives, so they can dedicate the time needed for their studies.

Here’s what our readers are saying about our stories on social media.

Fistfight on Campus A fistfight occurred near the library building on Feb. 25. The Viking published photos on social media. On of the fighters lost his shoes during the melee, which some of the comments were regarding. Here’s what you had to say on social media.

Editor-in-chief: Steven Matthews Managing editor: Abel Reyes News editors: Andrea Ramos Cassandra Reichelt Opinion editors: Fernando Pacheco Iman Palm Lifestyle editors: Dylan Keith Shani Crooks Sports editors: Malik Reeves Johana Trujillo

Trudy Resh Jennifer Vidal Hannah Buckley Melanie Gerner Sabriyya Ghanizada Ryan Cholico Nehemia Balaoro Brianna Rasar Aspyn Sewell

Brandon Silva Alexis Turner Abrielle Lopez Marissa Lopez Arlene Guerrero Jorge Hernandez Takota Haas Sebastian Angulo

Adviser: Walter Hammerwold Photo and online adviser: Chris Viola

“I bet the guy in white socked the other guy pretty good.”

John Enriquez Facebook

The deadline for news, advertisements and letters to the editor is the Thursday before publication.

The Viking is published by Journalism 80, 81, 82, 83, 86, 87 and 88 students of the LBCC English Department, with funding from the Associated Student Body.

“How it feels to get socked by a guy in socks” Darian G Hamilton Facebook

“Why don’t they just build a dorm for homeless students.”

Matthews White Facebook

VIKING NEWS

Staff

Voices of The Viking social media pages

“Omfg this is the first time in my years at LBCC that I’ve heard a fight happen on campus. Freshmen....”

Gabriel Acosta Facebook *** Homeless students could possibly sleep in cars on campus A new bill in consideration at the state assembly would allow enrolled students to sleep in their vehicles in the parking lots overnight. Full story on page 3. Here’s what you had to say on social media.

February 28, 2019

Photo by Steven Matthews A fiight on Monday between students spark conversations across social media platforms

“Much better than living in the streets.. this is so sad regardless” Sandy Cajas Facebook *** Governor Newsom visits LBCC campus Newly elected California Governor Gavin Newsom visited LBCC to hold a conference with selected mayors of California cities to discuss compliance with the state’s affordable housing laws. Full story on page 2. Here’s what our readers had to say about it on social media.

“Welcome to Fascism 101.............more Government Control.”

Curtis Christmas Facebook “Not his burden /not his problem / not his money /not his city issues /not his he doesn’t gave live with this . Shoving his issues on others . Shoving his inabilities to manage his own problems. He can complete a little train line . But wants shove his bullshit down all these city’s throats .”

Paul Reese Facebook

The Viking newsroom is located at LBCC, LAC 4901 E. Carson St., Long Beach, Calif., 90808, Room N108, mail code Y-16, Telephone (562) 938-4285 or contact the staff by email to vikingnews@lbcc.edu or on social media.

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February 28, 2019

SPORTS

LBCC’s attempt at redemption

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StoryBy Malik Reeves Viking Staff

The Vikings men’s volleyball team hosted Orange Coast College on Wednesday Feb 13, in which they were defeated 3-1, (25-15, 25-21, 25-20,25-22).

Trying to avenge their lost to the Pirates early in the season the Vikings came out with high energy in the first set against a top ranked OCC team by taking an early 12-5 lead against the Pirates.

Freshman Uriel Batista lead the charge in the first set with five kills. The Vikings took control for much of the first set wining the set 25-15.

The second was more competitive one with each team taking turns taking the lead, with a 13-13 tie midway through the set.

The Pirates would eventually regain some momentum and finish off the set against the Vikings 25-12.

Vikings were not able to play with the same intensity as they did in the first set which gave them the huge lead, coach Jonathan Charette discussed how his team failed to execute off their early lead.

“I think we got a bit comfortable, we came out the gate fired up made some big plays everyone was playing very hard, and I just think we got complacent and against a good team like Orange Coast you have to keep your foot on the gas.” Charette said.

The third and fourth sets Vikings trailed big, being down 13-5 in the fourth set but were able to eventually tie the game at 20-20.

The Vikings tried to feed off their momentum but the Pirates were able to close out the final set 25-22. First year student

Photo by Malik Reeves Sophomore Kyle Anema, a first year student, spikes the ball against Orange Coast college to give LBCC an early lead.

Kyle Anema discussed what things the team could do differently for the next game.

“We just have to regroup and get better

we lost to a good team in Orange Coast but we showed that we can be a real good team when we play together, but we just have to

move on to the next game.” Anema said.

With the lose against OCC, the Vikings record goes to 4-2.

LBCC athletic director leaves for Saddleback Story By Johana Trujillo Viking Staff Athletic Director and former head coach of the men’s volleyball team Randy Totorp resigns to take new AD position at Saddleback College.

Totorp expressed how difficult the decision was for him to depart from LBCC. “This was a very difficult decision for me, Long Beach and Long Beach City College has been a big part of my life. The long term impact for me and my family ultimately became my focus over my deep connection to the college and the city”, Totorp said.

He also went on to explain why he chose Saddleback College, “My new position keeps me in athletics, while adding Associate Dean responsibilities as part of an academic division.

According to Totorp, “Saddleback is a top notch college with a focus on excellence and a strong future, but I am excited to be here to provide leadership for the student athletes, staff and community”.

Totrop who led the men’s volleyball team to three state championships was also a former LBCC alumni, who played two seasons for the men’s volleyball team from 1994-1995.

Melbe Perez, a member of the volleyball team said, “His volleyball IQ is off the charts.”

Several staff members were shocked to hear he was resigning because he was so respected and appreciated in Long Beach.

Johnathan Charette, the current LBCC head coach of the men’s volleyball team, said, “I was split when I first heard that Randy was leaving LBCC to take a new position at Saddleback, my initial thought was

that I was happy for him and his family on getting a better position, but of course I was bummed.”

Head coach Charette was also a former player for the LBCC volleyball team and played for Totorp while he was head coach.

Reffering to Totorp, “As a coach was very thorough with his vision and had a plan for the team, did a very good job at motivating his players and knowing that they can achieve more” Charette said.

Team members from the volleyball team were also shocked when they heard that Randy was resigning.

“Randy was a great volleyball coach who I’ve known for almost two years, he helped me a lot with volleyball and school, making sure I was on track with everything, the athletic department is definitely going to miss Randy keeping everyone and everything intact” said Perez.

Photo of Randy Totorp

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SPORTS

February 28, 2019

LBCC becomes co-champions Story by Arlene Guerrero Viking Staff

Freshmen guard Jace Bass set a career-high of 39 points leading Long Beach City College men’s basketball team with their last win of the season by a score of 103-86 against visiting team L.A. Southwest Cougars on Feb 22.

Vikings were up the entire game and ended the first half with a score of 51-38, never giving the Cougars a chance to take the lead.

Long Beach City College celebrated Sophomore Night and honored the eight sophomores on the team, Jordan Heard, Garrett Roberts, Nicolas Stuart, Daniel Canales, Matthew Wooten, Jeremiah Sadler, Jamiu Akinbile, and Charles Smith.

Vikings were 72% at the line, and 39.3% at the three pointer mark.

Sophomore Jordan Heard made three consecutive three pointers along with Sophomore Daniel Canales making two consecutive three pointers both within the first two minutes of entering the game.

Aside from guard Jace Bass, forwards Charles Smith, and Matthew Wooten also finished the game in double digits.

Smith ending with 11 points, five rebounds, one assist and Wooten ending with 12 points, eight rebounds, and one assist.

Along with setting a career-high with 39 points, Bass finished with six assists, two steals, and 11 rebounds.

Bass pushed through the game on defense as well as offense leaving the first half with 27 points.

“I let the game come to me, and I’m just blessed that it happened. We got our win and now we make the next move, playoffs,” said Bass.

Photo by Arlene Guerrero Guard Jace Bass taking a shot at the 3 point line setting a career high for the men’s basketball team on Feb. 22 vs. Southwest L.A.

Vikings are ranked No. 6 in the state and share the title with Cerritos College of South Coast Conference co-champions after the win on Friday night as both teams went 9-1 in the South West Conference.

Throughout the season, The Vikings worked together as one and ended the sea-

son how they wanted.

“Our team improved on playing together as one team, in the beginning it was just one man but we succeeded in working together and finished the regular season making it to the playoffs,” Bass added.

Vikings pushed to end the season with

a win and succeeded in accomplishing what they planned and worked for.

Vikings got their first conference championship since 2015, as they finished the regular season with the record of 24-4, and having nine consecutive wins.

Women’s basketball team finish playoffs strong Story By Arlene Guerrero Viking Staff Long Beach City College Vikings ended their season with a 30 point win over visiting team Los Angeles Southwest Collegewith a score of 81-51 on Feb 22.

The Vikings went into the half up by 13 points with a score of 40-27 taking the lead the entire game.

With the Cougars only having five players on the team, and no reserves on the bench, at the fourth quarter they played three on five as Diamond Mims and Jada Tamez both fouled out for Los Angeles.

Consecutive fouls were called on the Cougars giving the Vikings to be at the line and making 72.7% of free throws.

Although the ladies had a rough sea-

son, they pushed through the last game of the season finishing off with 27 assists as a team.

All five starters of the Vikings finished off in double digits.

Naomi Winston-Ellis with 24, Rosalinda Taosoga with 20, Taja Ward with 14, Kaylin Brown with 11, and De’Brianna Hampton with 10 points.

“I played the best of my ability, I even got hurt but I pushed through it and didn’t take a seat, and I’m glad it’s over,” said forward De’Brianna Hampton, who finished off the game with 10 points nine rebounds and eight assists.

“This season was not easy it definitely was hard for all of us but at the end, we all learned how to work together,” Hampton added.

Photo by Arlene Guerrero Long Beach City College Rosalinda Taosoga dribles against Southwest L.A .defense.