SF Tyler Barber scored 19 pts to lead #4 Canyons to an 82-76 win over visiting Santa Monica Saturday afternoon as the Cougars completed their first WSC-South title since 2007 with a 9-1 division record.
Four players scored in double digits for the Cougars, which took a 22-14 lead with a 10-0 run midway through the first half and led the rest of the way. Canyons (19-7, 9-1) opened a 19-point lead early in the second half and held on for the 6-point win.
Santa Monica (14-8, 6-4), desperately needing a win to stengthen its playoff credentials, particularly in light of the once-certain WSC-South conference tournament now in limbo, rallied within five points in the game's final minute but ran out of time against the host Cougars.
The Corsairs got within five points after a 3-point play by SF Madison Higgins off a pass from SG Keilan Horton with 29 seconds left that made it 79-74. Then Santa Monica fouled COC PG Terrez Scott, sending him to the free throw line with 22 seconds to play.
Scott made the first free throw to make it 80-74. He missed the second, but SG Jaylen Bland got the rebound for a putback try, which missed. Santa Monica Ctr Admassu Williams got the rebound of Bland's miss. But Bland stole the ball back and passed it to Ctr Ron Harris for a lay-up that made it 82-74 and clinched the win for the Cougars.
Santa Monica held a 14-12 lead midway through the first half before Canyons went on a 10-0 run to take a lead. Two lay-ups by SF David Horst, sandwiched around a 3-pointer by PG Jawhar Purdy, pushed the Cougar advantage to 22-14 with 8:24 left in the first half.
Canyons extended its lead to double digits when Bland hit a 3-pointer - his first field goal of the game - with 4:05 left in the first half to make it 31-19. A basket by PF Temjae Singleton after a steal by Scott made it 33-19. Canyons led, 39-26, at the half.
Canyons pushed its lead to 15 points at 49-34 after a 3-pointer by Barber early in the second half. Harris hit a short jumper to make it 51-34. A baseline jumper by Singleton pushed Canyons' lead to 19 at 53-34 just over four minutes into the second half.
Canyons continued to hold a double-digit lead until SF Deandre Henderson hit a 3-pointer with 8:09 left to bring the Corsairs within 9 points at 62-53. Canyons pushed its lead back to 14 points aftr a 3-point play by Singleton with 6:17 left made it 67-53. But then Santa Monica rallied again.
A 3-point play by Horton brought Santa Monica within eight points at 70-62 with 4:24 left. Then PG Adam Griffin hit a baseline jumper to make it 70-64. Canyons briefly pushed its lead to 75-64 when Bland scored off a pass from Scott, after a Rondo-like ball fake from Scott under the basket. But then Santa Monica rallied once again.
A 3-pointer by Horton brought the Corsairs back within eight points at 77-69 with 1:23 remaining. Two free throws by Horton with 54 seconds left made it 77-71. Scott scored for Canyons with 41 seconds left to make it 79-71, but Higgins' 3-point play with 29 seconds left brought Santa Monica within five points. However, that would be as close as the Corsairs would get.
For Canyons, Barber had a team-best 19 pts, including 4 three-pointers. Bland had 16 pts despite a 5-for-19 line from the floor, but dished out a game-high 9 asts. Harris had 16 pts on 6-for-9 from the floor. Singleton had a double-double with 14 pts and a game-high 14 rebs.
For Santa Monica, PF David Nwaba scored a game-high 21 pts and added a team-best 10 rebs plus 3 asts, 3 blocks and 2 steals. Horton had 16 pts, though he was just 3-for-13 from the floor, and added 6 rebs and a team-high 6 asts. Griffin chipped in with 12 pts.
The win improves Canyons' record to 19-7 overall, while Santa Monica falls to 14-8 overall and 6-4 in the WSC-South. A conference tournament has been planned for Thursday and Friday of this week that would feature all 6 teams in the division. But as of late Saturday, the fate of that event is uncertain, which would not help Santa Monica's late-season drive to make the postseason.
box score
Saturday, February 16, 2013 - 3 pm
at College of the Canyons, Santa Clarita
WSC-South
Santa Monica Corsairs 76:
1-Madison Higgins, SF - 4/11 fg, 1/1 ft, 4 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl, 1 pf, 9 pts
5-Adam Griffin, PG - 4/12 fg, 2/2 ft, 1 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl, 1 pf, 12 pts
10-Keilan Horton, SG - 3/13 fg, 9/11 ft, 6 reb, 6 ast, 1 pf, 16 pts
11-David Nwaba, PF - 9/14 fg, 3/9 ft, 10 reb, 3 ast, 3 blk, 2 stl, 2 pf, 21 pts
21-J'yron Moss, C - 1/1 fg, 2 reb, 1 blk, 1 stl, 3 pf, 2 pts
4-Michael Ratliff, F - 1/2 fg, 0/1 ft, 3 reb, 2 pf, 2 pts
0-Deandre Henderson, F - 2/4 fg, 1/2 ft, 2 ast, 1 blk, 1 pf, 6 pts
12-Winfred Clark, G - 1 stl, 2 pf, 0 pts
14-William Taylor, G - 2/3 fg, 2 reb, 1 pf, 5 pts
32-Admassu Williams, C - 1/2 ft, 7 reb, 1 blk, 2 pf, 1 pt
22-Damon Harvin, F - 1/2 fg, 1 pf, 0 pts
team rebounds: 7
Totals: 27/62 fg (.435), 17/28 ft (.607), 42 reb, 15 ast, 6 blk, 6 stl, 17 pf, 76 pts
3-pt fg (5): Griffin 2, Horton, Henderson, Taylor
Turnovers (17): Griffin 3, Nwaba 3, Higgins 2, Horton 2, Moss 2, Henderson 2, Williams 2, Ratliff
Canyons Cougars 82:
5-Jaylen Bland, SG - 5/19 fg, 4/4 ft, 4 reb, 9 ast, 1 blk, 2 stlk, 3 pf, 16 pts
15-Temjae Singleton, PF - 6/14 fg, 2/6 ft, 14 reb, 1 ast, 4 stl, 1 pf, 14 pts
25-Ronald Harris, C - 6/9 fg, 4/5 ft, 5 reb, 1 ast, 2 pf, 16 pts
30-Terrez Scott, PG - 3/5 fg, 1/2 ft, 4 reb, 7 ast, 1 tsl, 3 pf, 8 pts
31-Tyler Barber, SF - 7/13 fg, 1/2 ft, 4 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 3 pf, 19 pts
11-David Horst, F - 2/9 fg, 5 reb, 2 ast, 3 pf, 4 pts
14-Lionel Poole, F - 0/3 fg, 2 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl, 1 pf, 0 pts
34-Jawhar Purdy, G - 1/2 fg, 2/2 ft, 4 reb, 1 ast, 1 pf, 5 pts
44-John Green, C - 0 pts
21-Dalibor Nonkovic, C - 1 pf, 0 pts
team rebounds: 3
Totals: 30/74 fg (.406), 14/21 ft (.667), 45 reb, 23 ast, 2 blk, 9 stl, 18 pf, 82 pts
3-pt fg (8): Barber 4, Bland 2, Scott, Purdy
Turnovers 912): Scott 4, Purdy 4, Bland, Harris, Barber, Nonkovic
Halftime Score: Canyons 39, Santa Monica 26
Updated Records: Canyons (#4-South, #9-Calif) 19-7 overall, 9-1 in WSC-S; Santa Monica 14-8 overall, 6-4 in WSC-S
Canyons went on a 10-0 run to lead 22-14 midway through the 1st half and led the rest of the way.
Canyons led by 19 at 53-34. Santa Monica got within 5 at 79-74 in the final minute.
Scott made 1 FT with 22 seconds left, missed the 2nd, but that led to a Bland steal & pass to Harris for a score that clinched the win for COC.
