PG Jeffrey Dockett scored 31 pts and PF Taj Spencer scored 14 of his 20 pts in the second half as #12 Pasadena rallied from a 20-point deficit to claim an 84-77 victory over visiting Compton and take over first place in the SCC-North division.
After falling behind, 41-21, late in the first half, Pasadena 16-5, 4-1) used its size and the shooting of Dockett to wear down the Tartars and get the win. Combined with East LA's loss at Mt. San Antonio, the win gives Pasadena sole possession of first place in the ultra-competitive SCC-North.
For nearly 20 minutes, however, it looked like Pasadena was in serious trouble as Compton (7-12, 3-2) exploded for a 28-6 run from midway through the first half until taking a 41-21 lead with 2:31 left in the half. SG Wesley Harris had three 3-pointers during the run, and PG Ray Foote was on pace for a triple-double at halftime.
But Pasadena coach Mike Swanegan called timeout, and when play started again the Lancers went on an 8-0 run to get back into the game. A 3-point basket by SF Adrian Miles and a 3-point play by Ctr Faruk Oyalade followed by a fast break basket by Dockett made it 41-29, and Pasadena still trailed by just 12 at 43-29 at the half.
And in the second half, Pasadena wasted little time in wiping out the rest of the deficit. A fast-break basket by SF Jonathan Henderson got the margin down to 10 points at 51-41. Then a slam dunk by Spencer and a short jumper by PF Bryce Clifton got Pasadena within six points at 51-45.
Compton recovered to push the lead back to double figures on a 3-pointer by SF Kyle Hawkins that made it 55-45, and when PF Luis Engleton scored on a putback the Tartars had an 11-point lead at 58-47. But there were still nearly 14 minutes remaining, and Compton was already starting to show signs of fatigue.
And the Pasadena comeback continued. Dockett made back-to-back 3-pointers to cut the deficit to five points at 58-53. Then Clifton scored off a pass from Spencer to make it a 3-point game at 58-55 with well over half of the second half left to play.
At that point, Pasadena had some trouble pulling even. The Lancers trailed by three points at 58-55, 60-57, 62-59 and 65-62. And then Pasadena had the ball for well over a minute, missing four shots and getting the ball back on offensive rebounds each time, before Miles finally tied the score with a 3-pointer with 5:40 left.
Compton went back into the lead twice more after that, but a slam dunk by Spencer made it 70-69 and gave Pasadena the lead for good. A steal by Oyalade led to two free throws by Miles with 3:51 left that made it 72-69. A steal by Oyalade led to a lay-up by Dockett that made it 74-69.
And at that point, Compton was out of energy and offered little resistance the rest of the way. Oyalade split two free throws with 2:05 left to make it 77-71. Spencer scored on a runner to make it 79-71. Two free throws by Oyalade with 51.5 seconds left make it 81-71 and clinched the win for the Lancers.
Dockett led all scorers with his 31 pts, which included 4 three-pointers, and he added 5 rebs, 3 asts and 5 steals. Spencer just missed a double-double with 20 pts and 9 rebs. Miles had 14 pts. Oyalade chipped in with 7 pts and 8 asts. SG Jevon Shields did not score but dished out a team-high 9 asts.
For Compton, Foote had a team-high 24 pts and a game-high 10 asts. Harris had 17 pts and 6 steals. But that duo combined for 12 made baskets in the first half; in the second half they each made one field goal. They also combined for 18 turnovers for the game, as Harris matched NBA standout Kevin Durant's total of 11.
Engleton had 15 pts and a game-high 15 rebs for the Tartars. Hawkins had 11 pts, 8 asts and 3 steals. Ctr Fred Jones chipped in with 10 pts. But Compton's reserves combined for 0 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist, undoubtedly a huge factor in the way the second half went.
box score
Wednesday, January 22, 2014 - 5 pm
at Hutto-Patterson Gymnasium, Pasadena
SCC-North
Compton Tartars 77:
1-Luis Engleton, PF - 7/10 fg, 0/1 ft, 15 reb, 1 blk, 2 stl, 4 pf, 15 pts
3-Ray Foote, PG - 7/14 fg, 9/10 ft, 6 reb, 10 ast, 2 blk, 2 stl, 3 pf, 24 pts
4-Wesley Harris, SG - 7/14 fg, 1 reb, 2 ast, 1 blk, 6 stl, 3 pf, 17 pts
22-Kyle Hawkins, SF - 4/10 fg, 5 reb, 8 ast, 3 stl, 1 pf, 11 pts
25-Fred Jones, C - 5/6 fg, 0/2 ft, 4 reb, 1 blk, 10 pts
12-Jamell McMillan, G - 0/1 fg, 1 pf, 0 pts
35-Justin Bedford, F - 0/4 fg, 2 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 1 pf, 0 pts
32-Fabian Green, F - 0/1 fg, 0 pts
13-Deon Preston, F - 0/1 fg, 0/2 ft, 1 pf, 0 pts
team rebounds: 3
Totals: 30/61 fg (.492), 9/15 ft (.600), 36 reb, 21 ast, 5 blk, 14 stl, 14 pf, 15 pts
3-pt fg (8): Harris 3, Hawkins 3, Engleton, Foote
Turnovers (28): Harris 11, Foote 7, Hawkins 3, Engleton 2, Bedford 2, Jones, McMillan, Green
Pasadena Lancers 84:
12-Jeffrey Dockett, PG - 13/24 fg, 1/2 ft, 5 reb, 3 ast, 5 stl, 3 pf, 31 pts
22-Adrian Miles, SF - 4/12 fg, 4/4 ft, 2 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl, 3 pf, 14 pts
24-Taj Spencer, PF - 9/13 fg, 2/2 ft, 9 reb, 2 ast, 2 blk, 1 pf, 20 pts
32-Faruk Oyalade, C - 1/4 fg, 5/7 ft, 8 reb, 1 blk, 3 stl, 7 pts
40-Jevon Shields, SG - 0/5 fg, 5 reb, 9 ast, 1 blk, 3 stl, 2 pf, 0 pts
00-Bryce Clifton, F - 4/7 fg, 1 reb, 2 ast, 3 stl, 1 pf, 8 pts
14-Brandon Joseph, G - 0/2 fg, 3 reb, 2 stl, 0 pts
21-Rashad Smith, F - 0/2 fg, 2/2 ft, 5 reb, 1 ast, 2 pts
23-Jonathan Henderson, F - 1/6 fg, 4 reb, 4 ast, 1 blk, 2 pf, 2 pts
team rebounds: 1
Totals: 32/75 fg (.427), 14/17 ft (.824), 43 reb, 24 ast, 5 blk, 19 stl, 12 pf, 84 pts
3-pt fg (6): Dockett 4, Miles 2
Turnovers (22): Spencer 5, Dockett 3, Oyalade 3, Shields 3, Clifton 3, Joseph 2, Miles, Smith, Henderson
Halftime Score: Compton 45, Pasadena 31
Updated Records: Pasadena 16-5, 4-1 in SCC; Compton 7-12, 3-2 in SCC
Compton went on a 28-6 run to lead by 20 at 41-21 with 2:31 left in the 1st half.
Pasadena tied it at 65 with 5:40 left and took the lead for good on a Spencer slam that made it 70-69.
