Troy Anderson posted a triple-double with 10 pts, 16 rebs and 10 blocked shots and Jordan Belasco scored 23 pts as #14 San Joaquin Delta likely assured itself of a playoff berth with a 65-58 win over visiting American River Friday night in Stockton.
Delta (18-9, 8-6) gained a share of third place in the Big 8 with the win, while American River (15-10, 7-7) still holds a slim hope of joining the postseason field after falling into a fifth-place tie with defending state champion Santa Rosa.
Friday, Delta went on an early 10-0 run, erasing a 9-7 American River lead, and led the rest of the way. The Mustangs led by 8 at the half and by as many as 13 early in the second half, though the Beavers cut the margin to 6 with about 6 minutes left and to 5 in the final minute.
Belasco made 5 of his first 6 shots of the game, helping stake Delta to a 32-24 halftime lead. He made a 3-point field goal, then blocked a shot on defense, then scored on a traditional 3-point play with 8:55 left in the first half to finish the 10-0 run and give Delta a 17-9 lead.
And the Delta defense - led by Anderson, who got 9 of those 10 blocked shots in the second half - and efficiency allowed the Mustangs to hold on for the win. Delta shot just 29% from the floor for the game, but made 10 threes, shot 84% from the line and turned the ball over just 7 times in the game.
Delta led by as many as 12 points in the first half after Anderson scored off a pass from Corey Demourelle to make it 28-16. American River cut the margin to 8 at the half after Jericho Avery scored off an inbounds play with about 10 seconds left in the first half, but in the second half Delta pushed the lead to 13 points after Justin Nieto connected on a three to make it 46-33.
American River cut the deficit to six points with just under six minutes left when Tyrone Potts made a three - ARC's only three of the game - to make it 51-45.
But Delta pushed its lead back to double digits. A free throw by Treyvon Merriweather made it 52-45. Then a blocked shot by Anderson led to two free throws by Belasco with 3:16 left to make it 54-45. It was 58-49 after two more free throws by Merriweather when Anderson blocked consecutive shots to preserve the lead, and Merriweather made two more free throws with 1:18 left to push Delta's lead to 11 at 60-49.
American River made one last rally, starting with a 3-point play by Potts with 1:01 left to cut the margin back to 8 at 60-52. Then a steal by Keishaun Sinclair near midcourt led to two free throws that made it 60-54 with 53 seconds left. After Dwayne Lee split two free throws for Delta with 45.5 seconds to go, Marcelas Perry scored on a lay-up for American River with 34.7 seconds left to make it 61-56.
But that's as close as ARC would get. Belasco made two free throws with 26.9 seconds left to push the Mustang lead back to 7 at 63-56. Then Anderson blocked another shot - his 10th of the game, completing the triple-double - and Belasco got the rebound. He was fouled and made two more free throws with 12.8 seconds left to make it 65-56 and clinch the win for Delta.
Belasco led all scorers with his 23 pts, which included 4 threes, and he went 7-for-7 from the free throw line. He also had 5 rebs, 5 asts, 2 steals and a blocked shot. Anderson had 10 pts plus game-highs of 16 rebs and 10 rebs. Lee chipped in with 12 pts, including 3 threes, though he was 3-for-16 from the floor.
Avery led American River with 14 pts, which came on 6-for-9 from the floor, and he also had 5 rebs. But he was the only ARC starter to score in double digits. Perry had 9 pts and Sinclair had 8. Eugene Crockett had 5 pts and 11 rebs. Potts came off the bench for a very strong game, posting a double-double with 13 pts and a team-high 12 rebs.
box score
Friday, February 20, 2015 - 7:30 pm
at Blanchard Gym, Delta College, Stockton
Big 8 Conference
American River Beavers 58:
4-Jarvis Watkins, SG - 2/7 fg, 1/2 ft, 7 reb, 6 ast, 1 stl, 4 pf, 5 pts
11-Marcelas Perry, PG - 4/9 fg, 1/2 ft, 2 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl, 2 pf, 9 pts
12-Jericho Avery, PF - 6/9 fg, 2/2 ft, 5 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl, 2 pf, 14 pts
23-Keishaun Sinclair, SF - 2/8 fg, 4/6 ft, 2 ast, 2 blk, 2 stl, 5 pf, 8 pts
44-Eugene Crockett, C - 2/7 fg, 1/2 ft, 11 reb, 2 blk, 2 pf, 5 pts
10-Austin Lobo, F - 2/5 fg, 5 reb, 2 pf, 4 pts
3-Richard Reed, G - 0/3 fg, 1 pf, 0 pts
22-Tyrone Potts, F - 5/13 fg, 2/3 ft, 12 reb, 1 ast, 2 pf, 13 pts
5-Christopher Mullin, G - 0/2 fg, 1 reb, 1 stl, 0 pts
team rebounds: 6
Totals: 23/63 fg (.365), 11/17 ft (.647), 49 reb, 12 ast, 5 blk, 6 stl, 20 pf, 58 pts
3-pt fg (1): Potts
Fouled Out: Sinclair 26.9 seconds left
Turnovers (13): Crockett 4, Watkins 3, Perry 2, Avery, Sinclair, Reed, Potts
Delta Mustangs 65:
12-Dwayne Lee, SG - 3/16 fg, 3/4 ft, 1 reb, 1 ast, 3 pf, 12 pts
13-Troy Anderson, C - 3/8 fg, 4/4 ft, 16 reb, 10 blk, 1 stl, 3 pf, 10 pts
15-Jordan Belasco, PG - 6/13 fg, 7/7 ft, 5 reb, 5 ast, 1 blk, 2 stl, 1 pf, 23 pts
20-Treyvon Merriweather, SF - 0/4 fg, 5/6 ft, 5 reb, 1 stl, 3 pf, 5 pts
23-Justin Nieto, PF - 2/7 fg, 1/2 ft, 4 reb, 1 ast, 4 pf, 6 pts
22-Amir Butler, F - 1/6 fg, 3 reb, 1 pf, 2 pts
14-Justin Pollman, F - 2/3 fg, 1 reb, 2 ast, 2 pf, 6 pts
30-Corey Demourelle, G - 0/1 fg, 1 reb, 1 ast, 2 pf, 0 pts
5-Michael Easter, G - 0 pts
10-Benjamin Simi, C - 1/2 ft, 1 pt
team rebounds: 3
Totals: 17/58 fg (.293), 21/25 ft (.840), 39 reb, 10 ast, 11 blk, 4 stl, 19 pf, 65 pts
3-pt fg (10): Belasco 4, Lee 3, Pollman 2, Nieto
Turnovers (7): Belasco 2, Merriweather 2, Anderson, Nieto, Butler
Halftime Score: San Joaquin Delta 32, American River 24
Updated Records: San Joaquin Delta (#14-North) 18-9, 8-6 in Big 8; American River 15-10, 7-7 in Big 8
ARC led 9-7 early, but Delta went on a 10-0 run and led the rest of the way.
Delta led by as many as 13 points (46-33) but it was a 5-point game in the final minute.
