LA Pierce opened its newly-refurbished gym Saturday night, and the Brahmas had four players score in double figures in a 71-66 win over WSC-North rival Oxnard, moving Pierce squarely into the race for first in the division.
Played before a large, rowdy (but well-behaved) crowd on a beautiful new floor with spiffy new bleachers, the game was a gritty, foul-filled affair that saw neither team led by more than five points until the final minute when Pierce (10-9, 4-1) took what turned out to be an insurmountable six-point lead at 68-62.
This one was close all the way, much to the delight of the big crowd, including members of the Pierce volleyball team, who engaged the Oxnard cheer squad in a duel of somersaults and even pyramid cheers in the final minutes of the game. Oxnard may have gotten the better of the cheer contest, but Pierce made the plays on the court down the stretch to get the win.
Pierce took a 12-7 in the early minutes of the game after a 3-pointer by PG Ever Lopez and a basket by PF Javael Boykins. But Oxnard rallied to tie the game at 19, and took a 25-23 lead on a short jumper by PG Ryan McLucas. The lead went back and forth the rest of the first half, which ended with Oxnard in front, 34-33.
Pierce started the second half on a 7-1 spurt to take a 40-35 lead after a 3-pointer by SG Bertrand Kamga, but again that was as wide as the margin would get for quite some time. Oxnard stayed close finally tying the game, 53-53, on a McLucas 3-pointer with 8:40 left, and taking their largest lead of the game a minute later after a pair of free throws by SG Gerald Pitts made it 56-53.
Pierce went back into the lead, and it was tied 57-57 until SF Daniel St. Hubert made a pair of free throws for the Brahmas with 4:50 left to make it 59-57. Then neither team scored again until PF Terran Carter converted a feed from PG Josh Thomas to score and made it 61-57 with just under three minutes left.
Oxnard got within a point at 63-62 after a pair of free throws by PF James Ennis with 1:46 left, but never quite pulled even. A driving lay-up by Thomas with 1:20 left made it 65-62, and then Lopez scored after a pass from Thomas to make it 67-62. Carter's free thorw after a rebound made it 68-62 with 39.4 seconds left.
Oxnard mounted one final rally, as Ennis made a pair of free throws after a rebound to make it 68-64 with 29.8 seconds left. Then after Carter split two free throws for Pierce to make it 69-64, McLucas scored on a driving lay-up to bring the Condors within three points at 69-66 with 14.9 seconds left.
But Oxnard finally ran out of time. Forced to foul, the Condors sent St. Hubert to the line with 13.3 seconds left, and his two free throws made it 71-66 and clinched the win for Pierce.
For Pierce, Boykins led the way with 16 pts and 6 rebs, both team-highs, while Carter came off the bench for 12 pts on 5-for-6 from the floor. St. Hubert and SF Jeremy White each had 11 pts. Lopez had 7 pts and a team-best 5 asts.
For Oxnard, McLucas led all scorers with 21 pts on 8-for-13, and added 6 rebs, 2 asts and 4 steals in a very strong performance. Ennis had 20 pts plus 8 rebs and 5 asts, but also had 8 turnovers. SF Phillip Holmes added 10 pts and 5 rebs.
The win leaves Pierce tied with Cuesta a half-game behind Moorpark in the WSC-North race, but all three of those teams are even in the loss column with one loss each. And Pierce figures to have the edge down the stretch, playing the bulk of its schedule in its sparkling new gym.
box score
Saturday, January 23, 2010 - 7 pm
at the New LA Pierce Gymnasium, Woodland Hills
WSC-North
Oxnard Condors 66:
11-Ryan McLucas, PG - 8/13 fg, 3/4 ft, 6 reb, 2 ast, 4 stl, 2 pf, 21 pts
12-Gerald Pitts, SG - 1/3 fg, 2/3 ft, 1 reb, 1 ast, 3 stl, 4 pf, 4 pts
15-Phillip Holmes, SF - 4/9 fg, 2/4 ft, 5 reb, 2 pf, 10 pts
33-Rashad Stuckey, C - 4/8 fg, 4 reb, 3 blk, 5 pf, 8 pts
34-James Ennis, PF - 4/9 fg, 12/16 ft, 8 reb, 5 ast, 5 pf, 20 pts
3-Jason Townsley, G - 1/2 fg, 1 pf, 2 pts
32-Devonta McCulley, F - 0/1 fg, 1/4 ft, 2 reb, 2 pf, 1 pt
24-Bryce Showalter, G - 0/1 fg, 0 pts
team rebounds: 3
Totals: 22/46 fg (.478), 20/31 ft (.645), 29 reb, 8 ast, 3 blk, 7 stl, 21 pf, 66 pts
3-pt fg (2): McLucas 2
Fouled Out: Stuckey 1:07 left, Ennis 26.5 seconds left
Turnovers (24): Ennis 8, McLucas 5, Holmes 4, Pitts 2, Stuckey 2, Townsley 2, team
LA Pierce Brahmas 71:
3-Daniel St. Hubert, SF - 2/3 fg, 7/9 ft, 2 reb, 3 ast, 2 pf, 11 pts
23-Bertrand Kamga, SG - 1/3 fg, 2 ast, 1 stl, 3 pf, 3 pts
31-Ever Lopez, PG - 3/7 fg, 4 reb, 5 ast, 2 pf, 7 pts
32-Anthony Morton, C - 0/2 fg, 3 reb, 2 ast, 1 blk, 2 stl, 2 pf, 0 pts
34-Javael Boykins, PF - 7/12 fg, 6 reb, 2 ast, 1 pf, 16 pts
5-Malcolm Collins, F - 0/3 fg, 1 reb, 0 pts
22-Terran Carter, F - 5/6 fg, 2/4 ft, 3 reb, 2 stl, 3 pf, 12 pts
21-Jeremy White, F - 5/8 fg, 1/2 ft, 4 reb, 1 ast, 3 stl, 5 pf, 11 pts
55-Josh Thomas, G - 1/4 fg, 5/6 ft, 3 ast, 2 stl, 3 pf, 7 pts
33-Michael Aguilar, C - 1/3 fg, 0/2 ft, 2 reb, 1 pf, 2 pts
13-Arash Riahi, C - 1/1 fg, 2 stl, 3 pf, 2 pts
24-Ryan Rubino, G - 0/1 fg, 1 stl, 1 pf, 0 pts
team rebounds: 6
Totals: 26/53 fg (.491), 15/23 ft (.652), 31 reb, 18 ast, 1 blk, 13 stl, 26 pf, 71 pts
3-pt fg (4): Boykins 2, Kamga, Lopez
Fouled Out: White 43.6 seconds left
Turnovers (20): Thomas 5, St. Hubert 3, Kamga 2, Lopez 2, Morton 2, Boykins 2, White 2, Carter, Riahi
Halftime Score: Oxnard 34, LA Pierce 33
Updated Records: LA Pierce 10-9 overall, 4-1 in WSC-North; Oxnard 9-11 overall, 2-3 in WSC-North
This was the first game in the refurbished Pierce College Gymnasium
Neither team led by more than 6 pts (Pierce 68, Oxnard 62 in the final minute) the whole game
