SF Robert (Reggie) Arnold had 21 pts, SG Jason West had 15 and, perhaps just as importantly, reserves SG Raymond Cody and SF Durrell Norman both scored in double figures as well for host #5 Antelope Valley (22-6, 8-0) in its 74-66 win over San Bernardino Valley (10-12, 5-3) Saturday night in Lancaster.
Cody had 11 pts, 5 asts and 4 steals, while Norman had 10 pts, all in the second half, as the AVC reserves outscored the SBVC bench, 27-2 in the game. In fact, just three SBVC players made a field goal, and foul trouble ravaged the undermanned Wolverines with three starters fouling out in the second half.
Until the AVC depth took effect, and the profound SBVC foul trouble began taking players out of the game, the Wolverines looked primed for an upset. After falling behind, 5-2, in the early going, SBVC got 3-pointers from PG Jacob Letson and SF Lewis Leonard to take an 8-5 lead. Then, Letson rebounded a Leonard miss and scored on the putback to make it 10-5.
The rest of the half belonged to SBVC, which pushed its lead to double figures at 41-30 on a Leonard three, and increased that margin to 13 at halftime after a pair of Letson free throws with 6.6 seconds left before the break. And when Leonard scored again early in the second half, SBVC had a 15-point lead at 45-30.
But soon foul trouble, and SBVC's lack of depth, began to take its toll. Ctr Johnny Barnes picked up his 4th foul of the game with 12:03 left; Norman grabbed a rebound, drew the foul and scored on the play. Then he made the free throw to complete the 3-point play and cut the SBVC lead to 9 at 52-43.
Just less than two minutes later, SG Bo Harrison picked up his 4th foul with SBVC clinging to an 8-point lead. Moreover, that foul was SBVC's 10th of the half, putting AVC into the double-bonus with 10:07 left. A Norman free throw on the Harrison foul made it 54-47.
With 8:22 left, SBVC coach Gerry Wright gambled, and put both Barnes and Harrison back into the game. But the dice came up snake eyes moments later, when Harrison fouled Arnold just 42 seconds later on a 3-point shot attempt. That sent Harrison, and his 6 pts and 5 steals, to the bench for good with 7:40 left, and when Arnold made two of the three free throws, AVC trailed by just 4 points at 54-50.
SBVC got a 4-point play from Leonard to push the lead back to 8 at 58-50, but then the dice came up snake eyes for the Wolverines when Barnes was called for his 5th foul - an off-the-ball play where Barnes was trying to get around Cody. That sent Barnes, who already had a double-double with 14 pts and 10 rebs, to the bench for good with 6:34 left.
Cody made the two free throws, and on the next trip down Arnold made two more to bring AVC to within 4 points again at 58-54. A pair of free throws by SG Netsnaet Hailu pushed SBVC's lead back to 6 at 60-54, but AVC would control the rest of the game. And those would be the only points SBVC reserves would score all night.
AVC got within two points at 60-58 on two free throws by West, which came on PF Frank Ragsdale's 5th foul of the game with 3:58 left. Then the Marauders tied the game on a fast-break basket by Cody on a pass from PF JaVaughn Espritt following a steal by PG Jacobe Shannon with 3:30 left.
Finally, with 2:05 left, AVC went into the lead on a short jumper by Arnold from just inside the free throw line. That was the first Marauder lead since 5-2 in the game's early moments. SBVC tied the game at 62 on a pair of free throws by Letson with 1:44 left, but then AVC went back in front for good.
West put the Marauders in front, 65-62, when he scored on a putback, drew a foul and made the free throw with 1:26 left. After an SBVC turnover, Arnold knocked down a pullup jumper with just under a minute left to make it 67-62. West blocked a shot to help AVC preserve the lead, and then Cody made four free throws in the final 33 seconds to seal the win.
For AVC, Arnold led the way with 21 pts, 3 rebs, 2 blocks and 3 steals. West had a very strong game with 15 pts on 5-of-6 shooting, plus 4 rebs and 2 blocked shots. Cody had 11 pts, 5 asts, 4 steals and drew the 5th foul on Barnes, a key player for SBVC. Norman added 10 pts, all in the second half. Espritt had just 4 pts but battled Barnes much of the night and pulled down a team-high 7 rebs. And Shannon had a solid game with 5 pts, 5 rebs, 5 asts and 2 steals.
For SBVC, Leonard, California's leading scorer at 25.3 pts per game, scored right about on his average with 26 pts. Letson was solid with 16 pts, 3 asts and 2 steals, and Barnes had the double-double with 14 pts and 10 rebs before fouling out. But the other 5 SBVC players combined for just 10 points - all on free throws - and 8 of those came from Harrison and Ragsdale, who also fouled out.
With the win, AVC improves to 8-0 and stands atop the Foothill Conference. The Marauders' next game is at College of the Desert, who would be the Foothill leaders but for a paperwork snafu that resulted in 14 forfeits and a ruined season.
SBVC falls to 10-12 overall but is 5-3 in conference and therefore very much alive in the playoff picture.
box score
Saturday, February 2, 2008 - 7 pm
at Marauder Gym, Lancaster
Foothill Conference
San Bernardino Valley Wolverines 66:
1-Lewis Leonard, SF - 9/16 fg, 4/4 ft, 5 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl, 4 pf, 26 pts
5-Jacob Letson, PG - 5/13 fg, 4/4 ft, 4 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl, 4 pf, 16 pts
15-Bodunrin Harrison, SG - 0/2 fg, 2/2 ft, 3 reb, 2 ast, 5 stl, 5 pf, 2 pts
23-Johnny Barnes, C - 6/12 fg, 1/1 ft, 10 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk, 2 stl, 5 pf, 14 pts
30-Frank Ragsdale, PF - 0/4 fg, 6/7 ft, 6 reb, 5 pf, 6 pts
31-Jason Hurns, F - 0/1 fg, 1 blk, 1 stl, 3 pf, 0 pts
44-Chris Razo, C - 0/ 1fg, 1 reb, 1 pf, 0 pts
32-Netsnaet Hailu, G - 0/6 fg, 2/2 ft, 2 reb, 1 stl, 1 pf, 2 pts
team rebounds: 8
Totals: 20/55 fg (.364), 19/20 ft (.950), 39 reb, 8 ast, 2 blk, 12 stl, 28 pf, 66 pts
3-pt fg (7): Leonard 4, Letson 2, Barnes
Fouled Out: Harrison 7:40 left, Barnes 6:34 left, Ragsdale 3:58 left
Turnovers (29): Letson 5, Harrison 5, Ragsdale 5, Leonard 4, Barnes 4, Razo 2, Hailu 2, Hurns, team
Antelope Valley Marauders 74:
5-Jason West, SG - 5/6 fg, 5/6 ft, 4 reb, 2 blk, 4 pf, 15 pts
12-Jacobe Shannon, PG - 2/5 fg, 1/2 ft, 4 reb, 5 ast, 2 stl, 2 pf, 5 pts
21-Reggie Arnold, SF - 6/13 fg, 7/8 ft, 3 reb, 1 ast, 2 blk, 3 stl, 3 pf, 21 pts
22-JaVaughn Espritt, PF - 2/6 fg, 7 reb, 2 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl, 4 pts
32-Mahamoud Diakite, C - 1/3 fg, 2 pts
11-Raymond Cody, G - 2/10 fg, 7/8 ft, 3 reb, 5 ast, 4 stl, 4 pf, 11 pts
1-Durrell Norman, F - 2/3 fg, 6/8 ft, 3 reb, 4 pf, 10 pts
10-Jovan McIver, G - 0/ 1fg, 1 ast, 1 stl, 0 pts
34-Jerome Moten, C - 3/4 fg, 0/2 ft, 2 reb, 1 blk, 1 stl, 1 pf, 6 pts
2-Chevy Wade, G - 1 pf, 0 pts
team rebounds: 3
Totals: 23/51 fg (.451), 26/34 ft (.765), 29 reb, 14 ast, 6 blk, 12 stl, 19 pf, 74 pts
3-pt fg (2): Arnold 2
Turnovers (23): Arnold 7, Norman 5, Shannon 4, Espritt 3, West 2, Diakite, Cody
Halftime Score: SBVC 43, AVC 30
Updated Records: AVC (#5-South, #9-Calif) 22-6, 8-0 in conf; SBVC 10-12, 5-3 in conf
SBVC led by 15 at 45-30 early in the 2nd half. AVC finished the game on a 20-6 run over the last 4:39.
