In a showdown of unbeaten, ranked teams, #3 Citrus was at peak level, demolishing #2 Mt. San Antonio, 90-72, in the championship game of the Neil Edwards Classic at Citrus College in Glendora.
Citrus never trailed, taking an early 7-2 lead and pushing the lead to double digits with a 9-0 spurt midway through the first half that made it 31-20. The lead was 10 points at the half, 47-37, after the Owls shot 53% from the floor with just 8 turnovers despite a lively pace in the half.
It wasn't going to be easy to keep up that pace, but that's precisely what the Owls did, shooting 54% in the second half and gradually pulling away. Mt. SAC scored the first 4 points of the half to make it 47-41, and last got within single digits at 71-62 with 7:19 left.
But the Mounties never really threatened the Owls. And Citrus closed it out with a 19-8 spurt, building the lead to 20 points at 90-70 after a 3-pointer by Ctr Keith Thompson with 1:10 left.
For Citrus, Thompson had a team-high 18 pts and a game-high 9 rebs. SG Jose Rivera had 13 pts, including 3 threes, and a game-high 6 asts. SF Jerry Santos had 12 pts and Ctr Cameron Khoury came off the bench for a huge effort, just missing a double-double with 10 pts and 8 rebs.
Perhaps the most frightening aspect (for prospective conference foes anyway) is that Citrus was not at full strength. The Owls won despite missing SF DeAndre Haskins, a bounceback from Valparaiso who has signed with Cal State Fullerton for next season, who is day-to-day with a sprained ankle and did not play. Sharpshooting SG Terance Reaves also missed the game with a back injury.
For Mt. SAC, PF Laquenten Jones led all scorers with 25 pts, and he also had 4 asts and 2 steals. SF Dontay Sanford had 14 pts and PG Antonio Biglow had 11 pts and 5 asts despite battling foul trouble in the second half.
Rivera was named tournament MVP. Thompson, SF Darin Stewart and PF Randy Hunter of Citrus, as well as Biglow and Jones from Mt. SAC, were named to the All-Tournament team.
Scroll past the box score below for a scoring play-by-play
box score
Sunday, November 29, 2009 - 6 pm
Neil Edwards Classic @ Citrus College, Glendora
Championship
Citrus Owls 90:
15-Jose Rivera, SG - 4/8 fg, 2/4 ft, 3 reb, 6 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl, 2 pf, 13 pts
20-Randy Hunter, PF - 4/4 fg, 1 reb, 1 blk, 2 stl, 4 pf, 8 pts
23-Derrick Rodgers, PG - 1/1 fg, 3 reb, 4 ast, 1 stl, 2 pf, 2 pts
32-Darin Stewart, SF - 3/7 fg, 5 reb, 3 pf, 9 pts
45-Keith Thompson, C - 6/16 fg, 5/6 ft, 9 reb, 3 ast, 2 blk, 1 stl, 3 pf, 18 pts
5-Jerry Santos, F - 5/7 fg, 2/3 ft, 2 ast, 1 blk, 12 pts
10-Donnel Phifer, G - 1/2 fg, 1 ast, 2 pts
14-Cameron Nettles, F - 2/4 fg, 1 reb, 1 ast, 2 pf, 4 pts
12-Hakeem Washington, G - 3/6 fg, 2/3 ft, 5 ast, 1 pf, 8 pts
50-Tom Granado, C - 2/4 fg, 2 reb, 1 ast, 3 pf, 4 pts
40-Cameron Khoury, C - 2/3 fg, 6/8 ft, 8 reb, 1 pf, 10 pts
team rebounds: 5
Totals: 33/62 fg (.532), 17/24 ft (.708), 37 reb, 23 ast, 5 blk, 5 stl, 21 pf, 90 pts
3-pt fg (7): Rivera 3, Stewart 3, Thompson
Turnovers (18): Rodgers 4, Thompson 4, Rivera 2, Nettles 2, Khoury 2, Hunter, Stewart, Phifer, Washington
Mt. San Antonio Mounties 72:
3-Ariel Hall-Jones, SG - 2/5 fg, 2/2 ft, 4 reb, 2 ast, 2 pf, 7 pts
4-Laquenten Jones, PF - 9/16 fg, 7/8 ft, 2 reb, 4 ast, 2 stl, 3 pf, 25 pts
20-Rashad Bias, SF - 1/3 fg, 5 reb, 2 ast, 2 pf, 2 pts
24-Antonio Biglow, PG - 4/14 fg, 1/1 ft, 1 reb, 5 ast, 1 stl, 4 pf, 11 pts
33-Josh White, C - 2/6 fg, 0/1 ft, 7 reb, 4 pts
11-Dontay Sanford, F - 2/2 fg, 10/11 ft, 2 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 3 pf, 14 pts
32-Demarkus Isom-Jones, F - 0/4 fg, 2/2 ft, 1 reb, 1 ast, 3 pf, 2 pts
34-Kaimyn Pruitt, C - 2/3 fg, 1/4 ft, 4 reb, 2 ast, 2 blk, 3 pf, 5 pts
23-Kane Robinson, F - 1/3 fg, 1 reb, 1 stl, 2 pts
team rebounds: 4
Totals: 23/56 fg (.411), 23/29 ft (.793), 31 reb, 17 ast, 2 blk, 5 stl, 20 pf, 72 pts
3-pt fg (3): Biglow 2, A.Jones
Turnovers (20): L.Jones 4, A.Jones 3, White 3, Sanford 3, Bias 2, Pruitt 2, Biglow, Isom-Jones, Robinson
Halftime Score: Citrus 47, Mt. SAC 37
Updated Records: Citrus (#3-South, #4-Calif) 7-0, Mt. San Antonio (#2-South, #3-Calif) 8-1
Rivera (Citrus) was named Tournament MVP.
Hunter, Stewart & Thompson (Citrus) and Biglow & L.Jones (Mt. SAC) were named to the All-Tournament team.
Scoring Play-by-play.
I don't do this very often since it's kind of a lot of work. But this was a battle of unbeaten, ranked teams so I figured it was worth the effort...
C - Hunter fg from Thompson (Citrus, 2-0)
M - White fg from Biglow (tied, 2-2)
C - Thompson driving lay-up (Citrus, 4-2)
C - Rivera 3-pt fg (7-2)
M - L.Jones 2 FT (7-4)
C - Hunter putback (9-4)
M - L.Jones from Biglow (9-6)
C - Thompson jam from Rivera (11-6)
M - A.Jones 3-pt fg (11-9)
C - Hunter fg from Phifer (13-9)
C - Nettles runner (15-9)
M - Sanford 2 FT (15-11)
M - Sanford fg from L.Jones (15-13)
C - Santos fg from Rivera (17-13)
M - Sanford fg from L.Jones + FT for 3-pt play (17-16)
C - Granado fg from Santos (19-16)
M - L.Jones fg from Biglow (19-18)
C - Rivera 3-pt fg (22-18)
M - Biglow from the lane (22-20)
C - Thompson 1/2 FT (23-20)
C - Khoury putback (25-20)
C - Phifer driving lay-up (27-20)
C - Thompson 2 FTs off inbounds play (29-20)
C - Santos short jumper (31-20)
M - L.Jones lay-up (31-22)
C - Washington lay-up (33-22)
C - Rivera 1/2 FTs (34-22)
M - Sanford 2 FTs (34-24)
M - Biglow 3-pt fg (34-27)
C - Nettles 1-hander (36-27)
M - A.Jones 2 FTs (36-29)
C - Thompson jumper (38-29)
M - White own putback (38-31)
C - Santos fg on fast break (40-31)
C - Rivera fg from Thompson + FT for 3-pt play (43-31)
M - Robinson fg from Pruitt (43-33)
M - L.Jones driving lay-up (43-35)
M - L.Jones 2 FTs (43-37)
C - Thompson fg from Granado (45-37)
C - Rodgers driving lay-up (47-37)
M - Pruitt jam ruled after the horn
halftime
M - Bias baseline drive (47-39)
M - Biglow from A.Jones (47-41)
C - Stewart 3-pt fg (50-41)
M - Sanford 2 FT (50-43)
C - Khoury 1/2 FTs (51-43)
C - Washington driving lay-up (53-43)
M - L.Jones inside (53-45)
C - Khoury from Washington (55-45)
C - Santos 1-hander (57-45)
C - Santos 1/2 FTs (58-45) (Biglow's 4th pf 15:46 left)
M - Sanford 1/2 FTs (58-46)
M - A.Jones putback (58-48)
M - L.Jones steal & lay-up (58-50)
C - Stewart 3-pt fg (61-50)
M - Sanford 2 FTs (61-52)
C - Santos fg from Washington + FT for 3-pt play (64-52)
C - Washington 2 FTs (66-52) (Biglow back in for Mt. SAC 10:41 left)
M - Biglow 3-pt fg + FT for 4-pt play (66-56)
M - L.Jones lay-up (66-58)
C - Khoury 2 FTs (68-58) (8:09 left)
M - L.Jones from Biglow (68-60)
C - Stewart 3-pt fg (71-60)
M - L.Jones 2 FTs (71-62) (7:19 left)
C - Thompson fg (73-62)
C - Rivera 3-pt fg from Thompson (76-62)
M - Pruitt 1/2 FTs (76-63)
M - Pruitt from L.Jones (76-65)
C - Granado from Rivera (78-65)
M - L.Jones 1/2 FTs (78-66)
C - Khoury 1/2 FTs (79-66)
C - Khoury 2 FTs after rebound (81-66) (4:13 left)
C - Washington lay-up (83-66)
M - L.Jones inside (83-68)
C - Hunter from Rodgers on inbounds play (85-68)
C - Thompson 2 FTs (87-68)
M - Pruitt putback (87-70)
C - Thompson 3-pt fg (90-70) (1:10 left)
M - Isom-Jones 2 FTs (90-72)
game over
