PF James Hudson scored 32 pts on 16/17 FGs and grabbed 10 rebs, but it was Ctr Dwan Robinson who made a pair of huge plays in the final seconds to allow host Oxnard (6-17, 2-6 in WSC-N) to get past Moorpark (9-12, 4-4) Wednesday night.
It was a devastating loss for Moorpark, which remains a half-game behind LA Pierce in the race for second in the division. Not only is Oxnard the division's last-place team, but Moorpark had a chance to win the game in the final seconds before letting Oxnard pull out the win.
With the game tied at 82, Moorpark SG Mike Gentry stole the ball from Oxnard SG Marcus Travis, and passed to PG Johnny Gray. Gray missed a short jumper, but SF Kevin Thrower got the rebound and was fouled trying a putback with 9.7 secs left. But Thrower missed both FTs, and Ctr Courtney McCoy grabbed the rebound, giving Oxnard one last chance with 8.2 secs remaining.
And moments after losing the ball, and seemingly the game, Travis got redemption. He took the ball the length of the court and passed to Robinson, who scored on a turnaround layup with 2.0 secs left to give Oxnard an 84-82 lead. And following a Moorpark timeout, Robinson made his second huge play by intercepting Moorpark's final pass at midcourt, giving Oxnard the win.
The final margin reflected how close this game was throughout the night. Oxnard built an 11-point lead in the first half, and Moorpark had an 8-point lead midway through the second half, but neither team was able to pull away. SF Lagunza Tibbs and PF James Hudson each scored a pair of baskets to help Oxnard build a 37-26 lead midway through the first quarter, but steals by Thrower and PF Earnest Williams, plus threes by SG Todd Tomlinson and Gentry allowed Moorpark to rally. Oxnard held a 3-point lead at the half after a 28-foot three by PG Herman Hardy, but Gentry spurred a Moorpark run early in the second, allowing the Raiders to take a 55-47 lead. Hudson and Tibbs spurred a 13-4 Oxnard run that erased that deficit and gave the Condors a 1-point lead. Moorpark later went ahead on a pair of FTs by Williams, a three by Gray and a layup by Williams to take an 82-79 lead, but a dunk by Hudson and a FT by Travis tied the game with 1:01 left, setting the stage for the dramatic final seconds.
Hudson had a remarkable game, making 16 of his 17 shots from the floor. He made his first 2, missed one, and made his final 14 attempts. He also grabbed a game-high 10 rebs. Tibbs added 21 pts. Travis had 9 pts and 8 asts, including a very important feed on the game-winning basket.
For Moorpark, Williams led the way with 29 pts, 7 rebs and 6 asts. Gray had 24 pts (4 threes) and 7 asts, while Gentry had 15 pts including 3 threes. Thrower led the Raiders with 9 rebs and also had 3 asts, but missed his only 2 FT attempts of the game, and that turned out to be rather important.
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Wednesday, February 4, 2004 - 7:40 pm
at Oxnard College
Moorpark Raiders 82:
0-Earnest Williams, PF - 9/13 fg, 10/12 ft, 7 reb, 6 ast, 3 stl, 29 pts
1-Johnny Gray, PG - 10/20 fg, 1 reb, 7 ast, 1 blk, 3 stl, 24 pts
21-Marques Allen, C - 1/4 fg, 3 reb, 1 stl, 2 pts
22-Mike Gentry, SG - 5/8 fg, 2/2 ft, 1 ast, 2 stl, 15 pts
23-Kevin Thrower, SF - 3/12 fg, 0/2 ft, 9 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl, 6 pts
3-Todd Tomlinson, G - 2/7 fg, 6 pts
4-Allen McMillen, F - 1 reb, 0 pts
33-Robin Hankins, G - 0/1 fg, 1 reb, 0 pts
15-Slobodan Cvijovic, C - 0/1 fg, 1 reb, 1 stl, 0 pts
40-Jeremiah Turner, F - 0 pts
team rebounds: 2
Totals: 30/66 fg (.455), 12/16 ft (.750), 25 reb, 17 ast, 1 blk, 12 stl, 82 pts
3-pt fg (10): Gray 4, Gentry 3, Tomlinson 2, Williams
Fouled Out: McMillen 2:49 left
Technical Foul: Coach McCarthy
Turnovers (16): Williams 5, Gray 5, McMillen 3, Gentry, Thrower, Tomlinson
Oxnard Condors 84:
10-Herman Hardy, PG - 3/7 fg, 2 reb, 6 ast, 2 stl, 7 pts
14-Marcus Travis, SG - 2/5 fg, 5/6 ft, 5 reb, 8 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl, 9 pts
22-Lagunza Tibbs, SF - 9/16 fg, 6 reb, 4 ast, 21 pts
32-James Hudson, PF - 16/17 fg, 0/1 ft, 10 reb, 2 ast, 2 blk, 32 pts
54-Courtney McCoy, C - 3/6 fg, 1/3 ft, 7 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk, 7 pts
30-Albert Soria, G - 0/1 fg, 0 pts
34-Anthony Scott, G - 0/1 fg, 2/2 ft, 3 reb, 2 ast, 2 pts
44-Jermain Scott, C - 0 pts
50-Dwan Robinson, F - 3/4 fg, 1 reb, 3 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl, 6 pts
team rebounds: 3
Totals: 36/57 fg (.632), 8/12 ft (.667), 37 reb, 26 ast, 5 blk, 4 stl, 84 pts
3-pt fg (4): Tibbs 3, Hardy
Turnovers (26): Hardy 6, Hudson 5, A.Scott 5, McCoy 4, Travis 3, Robinson 3
Halftime Score: Oxnard 44, Moorpark 41
Updated Records: Oxnard 6-17, 2-6 in WSC-N; Moorpark 9-12, 4-4 in WSC-N
Note: Robinson scored the winning basket on a feed from Travis with 2.0 secs left, and also intercepted Moorpark's last-ditch inbounds pass to seal the win.
