SF Terrel Funches scored 25 points and SG Myles Mungcal and Ctr Andre Smith scored 12 points each as #13 LA Pierce had little trouble with visiting Cuesta, pulling away for an 80-63 win to keep pace in the WSC-South.
It was an odd scene at Pierce (16-8, 5-2) as two of the Brahmas' top players, PF Codye Hatcher and SG Donte Williams, were sidelined with minor injuries. And longtime head coach Ed Babayan was nowhere to be found, off serving a one-game administrative suspension for failing to keep up with some paperwork.
But that just gave others a chance to step forward. Funches took Williams' spot in the starting line-up and scored a game-high 25 pts. Mungcal took Funches' spot coming off the bench and had 12 pts, 7 rebs, 2 asts and 3 steals. Smith got a lot of minutes that would normally have gone to Hatcher and scored 12 points. And acting coach Charles White, capably assisted by former Oxnard head coach Jason Cunningham, posted his first college victory.
Things started out well enough for Cuesta (16-12, 3-4), which took an early 8-4 lead and also led, 10-6. Then Pierce went on a 12-1 run, taking the lead on a 3-pointer by Funches and pushing its advantage to seven points at 18-11 after a short jumper by PF Bobby Johnson.
Cuesta rallied from that deficit, taking a 22-21 lead on a 3-pointer by PF Plamen Hristov. The lead went back and forth the next several minutes, with Ctr Khirey Carson tying the game with a pair of free throws that made it 27-27.
Then Pierce went on a 14-0 run to take a lead it would hold the rest of the game. Funches broke the tie and started the run with a 3-pointer, and scored 10 of the 14 points in the run. His two free throws with 3:42 left made it 38-27, and another 3-pointer completed the run and made it 41-27. Pierce would lead by double digits the rest of the game.
Cuesta cut the deficit to 12 points at 43-31 after a driving lay-up by PG Kenny Robinson in the last minute of the first half. But Pierce quickly expanded the lead when the second half began. SG Victor Evans, who sat out most of the first half with foul trouble, scored on an alley-oop pass from PG J.R. Williams in the opening seconds of the second half.
From there, the Pierce lead expanded quickly. PF Michael Claus scored in close to make it 47-31, also in the first minute of the half. A 3-pointer by Evans made it 50-33.
Cuesta made one last rally, cutting the deficit to ten points at 52-42 after a 3-pointer by SG Jerremy Landenbergue with just over 13 minutes to go. But then Mungcal answered with a 3-pointer for Pierce, and Funches scored on a traditional 3-point play off a pass from Williams to make it 58-42. Funches scored off another Williams pass on another break to make it 60-42.
Then came a sequence that kind of sums up the afternoon for Cuesta and coach Rusty Blair. As Pierce got ready to inbound the ball along the baseline, Blair shouted to the officials for a timeout. Play continued, and SG Chris McCarthy took a pass from Evans and scored to make it 62-42. After Cuesta got the ball across the halfcourt line, Blair finally got his timeout. And on the restart, PF Arne Ingebrigtsen's inbounds pass was intercepted by Williams, who went in for an uncontested lay-up to make it 64-42.
After that, the only threat to Pierce finishing the victory came from Smith, whose thunderous slam dunk with about 5 minutes left pulled the rim down about 60 degrees. Smith also had a similar dunk with 1:40 remaining. But the basket stood firm each time, giving the Brahmas the win and Coach White his first career victory as a college head coach.
Funches finished with a game-high 25 pts, with 20 in the first half, on 9-for-12 from the floor, plus 6 rebs and 4 asts. Mungcal, who played with Funches at nearby Chatsworth HS, had 12 pts on 5-for-6 from the floor, plus the 7 rebs, 2 asts and 3 steals. Smith was the other Brahma to score in double figures with 12 pts, though Evans had 9 pts and missed 3 dunks in the final minutes. Williams had a huge game orchestrating the Brahma attack with 15 assists. Pierce shot 57% from the floor for the game.
For Cuesta, Hristov came off the bench but still had team-highs of 14 pts, including 4 threes, and 6 rebs. Landenbergue had 11 pts, 4 asts and 2 steals. Carson added 10 pts. But Cuesta shot just below 30% from the floor and now falls below .500 in WSC-North play.
box score
Saturday, February 9, 2013 - 5 pm
at LA Pierce College, Woodland Hills
WSC-North
Cuesta Cougars 63:
1-Jeremy Landenbergue, SG - 3/9 fg, 4/5 ft, 2 reb, 4 ast, 2 stl, 11 pts
3-Kenny Robinson, PG - 2/7 fg, 3 reb, 5 ast, 1 stl, 3 pf, 4 pts
21-Oscar Pedroso, SF - 1/9 fg, 2/2 ft, 2 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl, 4 pf, 4 pts
32-Khirey Carson, C - 2/7 fg, 5/6 ft, 3 reb, 1 stl, 10 pts
44-Arne Ingebrigtsen, PF - 2/5 fg, 1/3 ft, 3 reb, 2 ast, 1 pf, 6 pts
35-Plamen Hristov, F - 5/16 fg, 6 reb, 1 ast, 4 pf, 14 pts
24-Vasil Bachev, G - 1/5 fg, 1 reb, 1 ast, 3 pts
55-Mohamed Ali Ben Ammar, C - 2/3 fg, 2/2 ft, 4 reb, 1 blk, 1 pf, 6 pts
33-Dmitry Utolin, F - 2/4 fg, 1 reb, 1 stl, 5 pts
0-Ellis Gibson, G - 0/2 fg, 1 ast, 0 pts
team rebounds: 7
Totals: 20/67 fg (.299), 14/18 ft (.778), 32 reb, 15 ast, 1 blk, 7 stl, 13 pf, 63 pts
3-pt fg (9): Hristov 4, Landenbergue, Carson, Indebrigtsen, Bachev, Utolin
Turnovers (11): Indebrigtsen 4, Hristov 2, Gibson 2, Landenbergue, Pedroso, Bachev
LA Pierce Brahmas 80:
1-J.R. Williams, PG - 2/8 fg, 4 reb, 15 ast, 3 stl, 1 pf, 4 pts
13-Victor Evans, SG - 4/8 fg, 1 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl, 4 pf, 9 pts
21-Michael Claus, PF - 3/6 fg, 6 reb, 3 pf, 6 pts
25-Terrel Funches, SF - 9/12 fg, 4/5 ft, 6 reb, 4 ast, 1 pf, 25 pts
34-Charles Honest, C - 3/4 fg, 1/1 ft, 5 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk, 3 pf, 7 pts
24-Myles Mungcal, G - 5/6 fg, 0/2 ft, 7 reb, 2 ast, 3 stl, 1 pf, 12 pts
15-Bobby Johnson, F - 1/3 fg, 1/2 ft, 8 reb, 2 ast, 3 pts
32-Andre Smith, C - 6/10 fg, 5 reb, 1 ast, 2 pf, 12 pts
22-Chris McCarthy, G - 1/2 fg, 1 ast, 2 pts
33-Hassan Pressley, G - 0/1 fg, 1 ast, 1 pf, 0 pts
team rebounds: 3
Totals: 34/60 fg (.567), 6/10 ft (.600), 45 reb, 29 ast, 1 blk, 7 stl, 16 pf, 80 pts
3-pt fg (6): Funches 3, Mungcal 2, Evans
Turnovers (18): Evans 5, Williams 3, Smith 3, Mungcal 2, Johnson 2, Pressley 2, Funches
Halftime Score: LA Pierce 43, Cuesta 31
Updated Records: LA Pierce (#13-South) 16-8 overall, 5-2 in WSC-N; Cuesta 16-12 overall, 3-4 in WSC-N
Cuesta led 8-4 and 10-6 early. Pierce went on a 12-1 run to lead 18-11.
Cuesta led 22-21 and it was tied at 27. Then Pierce went on a 14-0 run and led handily the rest of the way.
1st College Win for Charles White (subbing for Pierce HC Ed Babayan - administrative suspension).
