Posted: Dec 13, 2013
42nd Annual Riverside Holiday Basketball Tournament, Day 3 (of 5), Riverside City College
Palomar
(4-7)
59
Riverside
(4-6)
61
| Final | 1 | 2 | OT | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Palomar (4-7) | 40 | 17 | 2 | 59 |
|
Riverside (4-6) | 28 | 29 | 4 | 61 |
RIVERSIDE – The host Riverside City College (RCC) Tigers men's basketball team trailed for nearly the entire game, but found a way to pull out a 61-59 overtime win over the Palomar College Comets to conclude the third day of action in the 42nd annual Riverside Holiday Basketball Tournament Thursday evening (Dec. 12) at Wheelock Gymnasium.
Riverside City (4-6) trailed, 40-28, at halftime and, 47-33, with 16:39 to play in regulation, but a tip-in by sophomore forward D.J. Muepo (Rancho Cucamonga / Los Angeles – Dorsey HS) gave the Tigers their first lead at 53-51 with 4:49 left in regulation. Muepo later shoveled in a fast break lay-in at 1:11 in overtime to give RCC the final 61-59 margin. Muepo finished with 12 points.
Palomar (4-7) sophomore guard Derick Jones (El Camino HS) connected on a 47-foot desperation three-pointer at the end of regulation which tied the game at 57-57 and sent the game into overtime. Jones had a game-high 18 points for the Comets.
In other action Thursday at Wheelock Gymnasium, the San Bernardino Valley College Wolverines (12-2) built a 22-8 lead and hung on for the 50-49 win over the number one-ranked team in the state, Saddleback (10-1). SBVC sophomore guard Gerry Blakes (Morningside HS), already committed to Arizona State, pumped in a game-high 18 points. Dayton Boddie (El Camino HS) had 13 for Saddleback.
The East L.A. Huskies (10-2) fought off a pesky bunch of Brahmas from L.A. Pierce (5-9) to win, 75-71. Freshman guard Je'Ron Primus (Westchester HS) hit a bucket to break a 67-67 tie, and freshman guard Marcus Romain (Progressive Christian HS) had a field goal and four free throws in the last 40 seconds.
Sophomore forward Zach Hinton (Franklin HS) poured in a game-high 22 points and added a team-high 12 rebounds for the Huskies. Sophomore wing Terrell Funches (Chatsworth HS) dropped in a team-high 16 points and Nick Prachencko had a game-high 18 rebounds for L.A. Pierce.
The Chaffey College Panthers (11-2) led from the start en route to an 85-74 win over the L.A. Trade Technical College Beavers (7-3). Sophomore guard Adom Jacko (Alta Loma HS) had a team-high 25 points on 11 of 13 shooting from the floor for Chaffey, while teammate Jeff Nibo (Hacienda Heights / Glen A. Wilson HS) added 20 points and a game-high 14 rebounds. Sophomore forward Kyle Reid had a game-high 30 points for L.A. Trade Tech.
In the consolation quarterfinal round at Huntley Gymnasium, the Citrus College Owls (5-3) eliminated the Fullerton College Hornets (3-8) with a 77-62 win. Freshman forward Chris Reyes (Damien HS) had a game-high 24 points and 16 rebounds for the Owls. Freshman guard Carnell Gray (Delaware Valley HS) had 16 points for the Hornets.
In another consolation quarterfinal round game, the El Camino College-Compton Center Tartars (3-6) stayed alive with a 71-62 win over the College of the Desert Roadrunners (2-11). Sophomore guard Jemell McMiller (Banning HS) had 19 points for the Tartars. COD sophomore guard Mike Karimu (Rancho Cucamonga HS) had a game-high 30 points.
The highly regarded Antelope Valley College Maruaders (9-3) – ranked No. 6 in the state – had trouble with Santa Rosa JC (3-6), but hung on for a 76-74 win in double overtime. AVC sophomore guard Daviyon Draper (Locke HS) poured in 29 points. Sophomore guard Alec Kobre (Montgomery HS) tossed in 25 points for SRJC.
And in the surprise of the day, the College of the Sequoias Giants (3-8) shocked Mt. San Jacinto College (6-3), 58-56, in overtime to eliminate the No. 7-ranked team in California. Chris Smith (Santa Monica HS) had a game-high 21 points for the Giants, MSJC sophomore guard Dewayne Benjamin (Northside HS) – already committed to Oregon – had a team-high 19 points for the Eagles.
The schedule for Friday, Dec. 13, is as follows: at 12 p.m. Citrus will face Compton in Huntley in one consolation semifinal game, before Antelope Valley meets Sequoias at 2 p.m. in the other consolation semifinal game at Huntley.
On the championship side of the bracket at Wheelock Gymnasium, in the 1 p.m. fifth-place semifinal game, Saddleback will face L.A. Pierce before L.A. Trade Tech meets Palomar at 3 p.m. in the other fifth-place semifinal game. At 5 p.m. in the first championship semifinal, San Bernardino Valley will take on East L.A. before Riverside hosts Chaffey at 7 p.m. in the other championship semifinal game.