Isaiah Cooper drained a 15-foot jumper with 2.5 seconds left to lift LA Valley to a 58-57 win over Mira Costa in the final game of the 2014 SoCal Fall JUCO Jamboree at Cerritos College.
It was an emotion-filled final game of the weekend for both teams, and was closely contested throughout as neither team ever led by more than six points. And down the stretch the lead went back and forth, with Mira Costa holding a 57-54 lead after a 2-point free throw by Trevell Hector with 47.7 seconds remaining.
Cooper made a 2-point free throw with 33.3 seconds left to bring Valley within a point. Then Mira Costa turned the ball over with 15.6 seconds left, allowing Valley a chance to win it, and Cooper took full advantage.
That final sequence typified the game, with neither team able to get a clear advantage. Mira Costa led, 15-10, midway through the first half, only to see Valley rally to take an 18-17 lead a few minutes later. Then Mira Costa went back in front and took a 26-20 lead on a 3-pointer by Travon Tucker, and led 29-23 at the half.
Valley quickly erased that deficit, getting within a point at 31-30 on a 3-pointer by Taturs Maberry and taking a 32-31 lead moments later on a short jumper by Val Gazarov. The lead went back and forth the rest of the way, the final time being on Cooper's winning jumper.
Maberry led Valley with 10 pts, and he also had 4 rebs. Kenny Brooks had 9 pts while Cooper and Michael Morrissey each scored 6. Myles Cronkite had just 2 pts but dished out a game-high 5 asts.
For Mira Costa, Buddha Boyd had a tremendous game with game-high totals of 19 pts and 12 rebs, plus 4 asts and a steal. Tucker had 11 pts, including 3 three-pointers, and 4 asts. Fareed Ahmed just missed a double-double with 9 pts and 9 rebs.
box score
2014 SoCal Fall JUCO Jamboree
Sunday, September 21st @ Cerritos College
Court 3 - 6:50 pm
Mira Costa 57:
2-Donny Punter, G - 0/2 fg, 1 stl, 0 pts
3-Travon Tucker, G - 4/9 fg, 2 reb, 4 ast, 11 pts
13-Travell Hector, F - 0/3 fg, 1/1 ft, 2 ast, 2 blk, 1 stl, 4 pts
33-Buddha Boyd, F - 8/17 fg, 0/1 ft, 12 reb, 4 ast, 1 stl, 19 pts
44-Fareed Ahmed, C - 3/10 fg, 1/2 ft, 9 reb, 9 pts
12-Tristan Neihart, G - 1/3 fg, 2 ast, 3 pts
31-Trevor Monahan, F - 0/1 fg, 1 reb, 1 ast, 0 pts
10-Jordan Holmes, G - 0/1 fg, 0 pts
43-Brennan Merchant, C - 1/4 fg, 1/1 ft, 2 reb, 1 ast, 4 pts
32-Ryan Somers, F - 3/5 fg, 3 reb, 7 pts
14-David Morgan, G - 2 reb, 0 pts
11-Gabe Gonzalez, G - 1 ast, 0 pts
team rebounds: 7
Totals: 20/55 fg (.364), 3/5 ft (.600), 38 reb, 15 ast, 2 blk, 3 stl, 57 pts
3-pt fg (5): Tucker 3, Boyd, Neihart
Flagrant Foul: Merchant (FL-1)
Turnovers (15): Boyd 3, Neihart 3, Hector 2, Ahmed 2, Merchant 2, Tucker, Somers, Morgan
LA Valley 58:
12-Myles Cronkrite, G - 1/4 fg, 0/1 ft, 3 reb, 5 ast, 1 stl, 2 pts
22-Michael Morrissey, G - 2/5 fg, 3 reb, 6 pts
31-Roger White, F - 2/4 fg, 1 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 5 pts
40-Taturs Maberry, F - 2/7 fg, 2/3 ft, 4 reb, 1 blk, 10 pts
45-Travis Harlin, C - 1/6 fg, 1/2 ft, 2 reb, 2 blk, 4 pts
30-Geordan Sayles, G - 0 pts
35-Sam Bauer, F - 1/4 fg, 0/1 ft, 4 reb, 2 pts
21-Isaiah Cooper, G - 2/2 fg, 1/1 ft, 2 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 6 pts
32-Kenny Brooks, F - 4/10 fg, 2 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 9 pts
33-Kevin Cabrera, F - 0/1 fg, 0/1 ft, 1 stl, 0 pts
44-Jordan Nelson-Brown, G - 1/2 fg, 1/1 ft, 4 reb, 2 blk, 4 pts
23-Kewon Bowman, G - 0/3 fg, 2/2 ft, 3 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl, 4 pts
24-Guillermo Blas, G - 1/2 ft, 2 pts
10-Val Gazarov, G - 2/3 fg, 1 reb, 1 ast, 4 pts
team rebounds: 4
Totals: 18/51 fg (.353), 8/14 ft (.571), 33 reb, 10 ast, 5 blk, 7 stl, 58 pts
3-pt fg (5): Morrissey 2, White, Maberry, Brooks
Flagrant Foul: Conkrite (FL-1)
Turnovers (10): Gazarov 2, Conkrite, Morrissey, Sayles, Bauer, Brooks, Nelson-Brown, Bowman, Blas
Halftime Score: Mira Costa 29, LA Valley 23
Cooper's jumper with 2.5 seconds left won it for LA Valley
