In its final regular season visit to Mt. San Jacinto, #2-ranked Antelope Valley held on by the narrowest of margins, escaping with a 60-57 win Saturday afternoon to remain in a 3-way tie atop the Foothill Conference.
Don't blame Code Red. Mt. San Jacinto's famous - or notorious, depending on one's loyalties - cheering section was in top form Saturday, screaming and pounding the bleachers the entire game. The first "Sit Down, Coach!" exhortation to AVC helmsman John Taylor came just 2 seconds into the game. And the Code Red cacophony prompted AVC to miss 4 straight free throws down the stretch, including two different front ends of one-and-one situations in the final 36.3 seconds.
But Antelope Valley (14-6, 6-1) held on for the win when Mt. San Jacinto (14-8, 2-5) failed to convert any of its three 3-point attempts in the final 29.4 seconds. SG Sam Natt had two good looks but misfired, and SF Dwayne Benjamin's try with just a few seconds left went halfway in before rimming out. The Eagles had one last desperation try as the horn sounded but it was not close to the basket.
All that followed a closely-contested match that saw AVC take a lead early in the second half and nurse a narrow advantage for the final 18 minutes of the game. The most the Marauders led by was 8 points at 53-45 with just under 8 minutes left, but Mt. San Jacinto erased most of that lead in about three minutes, pulling within two points with just under 5 minutes to go.
The Eagles were within three points after a 3-point basket by PF Montreal Harris made it 58-55 with 1:30 left. PF Larry Slaughter tipped in a miss of a shot by PG Michaelyn Scott for AVC with just over a minute left to make it 60-55, but Mt. San Jacinto got within three points once agaqin when PG D'Antony Peterson made two free throws wtih 45.5 seconds left. But despite the three good looks at game-tying shots, and the efforts of Code Red, the Eagles never quite pulled even.
Mt. San Jacinto actually took what would be the largest lead of the game in the first half when SG Mylin Jordan hit a 3-pointer to spark a 9-0 run, extending a 2-point Eagle lead to 11 at 23-12. But Antelope Valley quickly wiped out most of that deficit, answering with a 13-4 run to get within two points at 27-25 after SG Lucciano Gamiz knocked down a short jumper off the backboard.
AVC got within a point at 32-31 after a steal by PF John Washington led to a fast break on which Scott scored off a pass from Gamiz with just over a minute left in the half. Jordan answered with a 3-pointer for Mt. San Jacinto to make it 35-31. But Antelope Valley got the last basket of the half when Ctr Dwan Caldwell scored on a putback late in the half, making it 35-33 and prompting an enthusiastic reaction from his coach Taylor. Mt. San Jacinto's Patrick Springer apparently took exception to Taylor's exuberance, and both coaches were issued technical fouls as the teams went to the locker room at halftime.
AVC got a free throw from SF Daviyon Draper 27 seconds into the second half and a basket by Caldwell about two minutes into the half to take a 38-37 lead. The Marauders would hold the lead for the rest of the game.
But things got tense for AVC after the Marauders took the 53-45 lead. Harris hit a 3-pointer and Benjamin knocked down a floater from the baseline to make it 52-50. AVC got a basket to make it 54-50, but then Benjamin was in the lane and trapped. He appeared to try to toss the ball off the backboard to himself a la Danilo Gallinari, but his throw was off the mark and instead went right into the basket to make it 54-52.
Moments later, Caldwell was called for a charging foul, picking up his 5th foul of the game and heading to the bench with 4:02 left. Caldwell left with 16 rebounds, easily a game-high, and was replaced by PF Vadal Faniel. Then Mt. San Jacinto SF Dajuan Smith just missed a lay-up that would have tied the game.
But AVC held on to the lead, thanks in large part to Faniel. Slaughter made two free throws with 3:20 left to make it 56-52. Then Faniel blocked a shot at the rim to get the ball back for AVC. And on the offensive end, Faniel scored on a left-handed scoop shot to make it 58-52 with 2:42 left. Mt. San Jacinto would finish the game with just 57 points.
For Antelope Valley, Draper had a team-high 14 pts. Caldwell had a double-double with 10 pts and the game-high 16 rebs before fouling out. Gamiz had 10 pts, including a pair of threes, and 4 asts. Faniel came off the bench for 10 pts, 6 rebs and a big blocked shot. Scott had 8 pts and a game-high 6 asts, though all of that came in the first half and he missed the two one-and-one opportunities in the final 36.3 seconds.
For Mt. San Jacinto, Benjamin led all scorers with 15 pts and added 7 rebs and 5 asts. Harris just missed a double-double with 10 pts and 9 rebs, though he was just 4-for-16 from the floor. Peterson had 9 pts and 3 asts and Jordan came off the bench for 9 pts. But Mt. San Jacinto made just 8 of 30 shots (26.7%) in the second half, scoring 22 points.
The win keeps Antelope Valley in a 3-way tie with Chaffey and San Bernardino Valley atop the rugged Foothill Conference race. Mt. San Jacinto falls to 2-5 in conference, and faces two key games this week against Barstow and College of the Desert, both of whom beat the Eagles the first time through the schedule.
And this trip closes a chapter for Antelope Valley, which is expected to join the Western State conference next season and therefore will not likely make another regular-season journey to Mt. San Jacinto. For their part, the Eagles are expected to join the Pacific Coast conference.
box score
Saturday, January 26, 2013 - 3 pm
at Mt. San Jacinto College
Foothill Conference
Antelope Valley Marauders 60:
11-Daviyon Draper, SF - 6/14 fg, 1/3 ft, 2 reb, 2 pf, 14 pts
12-Michaelyn Scott, PG - 4/14 fg, 0/2 ft, 5 reb, 6 ast, 1 stl, 2 pf, 8 pts
20-Lucciano Gamiz, SG - 4/6 fg, 3 reb, 4 ast, 1 pf, 10 pts
24-Larry Slaughter, PF - 1/3 fg, 2/4 ft, 5 reb, 2 blk, 1 stl, 4 pts
42-Dwan Caldwell, C - 4/10 fg, 2/2 ft, 16 reb, 5 pf, 10 pts
2-Terrance Berry, G - 1 pf, 0 pts
21-Vadal Faniel, F - 5/8 fg, 0/2 ft, 6 reb, 1 ast, 1 lbk, 1 stl, 2 pf, 10 pts
1-Joe Prince, G - 0/1 fg, 3 ast, 2 stl, 0 pts
10-Julius Bilbrew, F - 0/2 fg, 1 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl, 0 pts
32-John Washington, F - 2/3 fg, 6 reb, 1 stl, 4 pts
33-Zachary Hollis, F - 2 reb, 0 pts
team rebounds: 2
Totals: 26/61 fg (.426), 5/13 ft (.385), 48 reb, 17 ast, 3 blk, 8 stl, 13 pf, 60 pts
3-pt fg (3): Gamiz 2, Draper
Technical Foul: Coach Taylor 0:00 1st
Fouled Out: Caldwell 4:02 left
Turnovers (18): Scott 3, Bilbrew 3, Draper 2, Gamiz 2, Faniel 2, Prince 2, Washington 2, Caldwell, Hollis
Mt. San Jacinto Eagles 57:
1-Hassante Manning, C - 2/6 fg, 1/4 ft, 9 reb, 1 ast, 3 pf, 5 pts
3-Sam Natt, SG - 1/9 fg, 1 reb, 2 ast, 3 pf, 2 pts
4-D'Anthony Peterson, PG - 3/5 fg, 2/2 ft, 1 reb, 3 ast, 1 pf, 9 pts
5-Dwayne Benjamin, SF - 7/12 fg, 7 reb, 5 ast, 2 pf, 15 pts
13-Montreal Harris, PF - 4/16 fg, 9 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 2 pf, 10 pts
15-Dajuan Smith, F - 2/5 fg, 1/2 ft, 3 reb, 4 ast, 5 pts
24-Donavan Clark, C - 1/1 fg, 1 ast, 1 pf, 2 pts
21-Carlos McCormick, G - 0/1 fg, 1 ast, 1 pf, 0 pts
23-Mylin Jordan, G - 3/9 fg, 1/2 ft, 3 reb, 2 stl, 9 pts
team rebounds: 2
Totals: 23/64 fg (.359), 5/10 ft (.500), 35 reb, 18 ast, 2 blk, 3 stl, 13 pf, 57 pts
3-pt fg (6): Harris 2, Jordan 2, Peterson, Benjamin
Technical Foul: Coach Springer 0:00 1st
Turnovers (12): Jordan 3, Peterson 2, Benjamin 2, Clark 2, Manning, Natt, Harris
Halftime Score: Mt. San Jacinto 35, Antelope Valley 33
Updated Records: Antelope Valley (#2-South, #4-Calif) 14-6 overall, 6-1 in conf; Mt. San Jacinto 14-8 overall, 2-5 in conf
MSJC led 23-12 midway through the 1st period. AVC took a 38-37 lead early in the 2nd half.
MSJC had 3 good looks at 3-pointers in the final 29.4 seconds but all (Natt 2, Benjamin) missed.
MSJC shot 26.7% from the floor in the 2nd half.
