January 2008 Archives
The Wolverines won impressively in Foothill conference play. The men defeated previously undefeated the College of the Desert Roadrunners, 95-88, while the women blew out the Roadrunners 102-44.
In the men's game, Wolverines (5-2 9-12) sophomore forward Lewis Leonard led all scorers with 25 points, and sophomore guard Johnny Barnes added a double-double (19 points 12 total rebounds), in a close win over the Roadrunners. Behind key players like freshman guard Netsanet Hailu (Riverside Poly) who added 12 points and sophomore guard Jacob Letson (REV) who had 20 points, the narrow margin of victory was preserved.
The Roadrunners (6-1 17-6) entered the game undefeated in conference play, five players hit double figures for scoring, including sophomore guard Julius Lang who had 23 points, freshman guard Andrew Avalos (Colton) with 18 points, freshman forward Robert Marshall (Moreno Valley) contributed 17 points, freshman guard Antoine Davis added 13 points, and freshman forward Spencer Dayton (Palm Desert) had 12 points in the loss.
In the women's game, sophomore forward Ronisha Edwards (Riverside La Sierra) totaled 16 points and 12 total rebounds, in the first game of the year which Wolverines have scored over 100 points. As the state's number one defense, the Wolverines (7-1 18-5) pressured the Roadrunners into 24 turnovers and converted them into points.
Sophomore guard Shy Walter (Perris) scored 17 points, sophomore forward Sylvia Roland (Rialto) contributed 14 points, and freshman guard Dwayanna Pullum had 12 points in the blowout win. The Roadrunners (3-5 6-16) were led by sophomore guard Charlene Cota (Thermal Coachella Valley) who had a game high 18 points, and sophomore guard Bianca Barragan (Thermal Coachella Valley) contributed 11 points in the loss.
With the win the Wolverines are in sole possession of first place in the Foothill conference; all players scored for the fourth time this season in their seventh win in a row.
Copyright © 2003-2007, San Bernardino Valley College. All right
The word is out on the Cal Poly Pomona men’s basketball team: Make someone other than Larry Gordon beat you.
Gordon had his typical game Friday — scoring 24 points and pulling down 13 rebounds — and the Broncos got contributions from everyone else, stunning No. 17 Humboldt State 76-61 at Kellogg Gymnasium.
“Unbelievable,” coach Greg Kamansky said, shaking his head in disbelief. “What an effort. I couldn’t be prouder. We had a lot of guys step up and for once it wasn’t just one guy carrying us.”
Gordon went 9-for-9 from the free-throw line to stretch his streak of attempts made to 23.
All five Bronco starters finished in double figures, with Donnelle Booker scoring 13 points, Angelo Tsagarakis 11 and Tobias Jahn and Kevin Neveu 10 apiece.
Jahn’s contribution was huge since he started in place of Kaelen Daniels, who was nursing a neck injury. And Jahn himself missed two days of practice this week with a sprained ankle.
Even those who didn’t reach double figures shined. Guard Rich Collins hit two 3-pointers, including one with two minutes left that stopped Humboldt’s momentum. Seldom-used Kyle Krause hit a couple of clutch free throws in the closing minutes.
“That’s really what we needed,” Kamansky said. “The other guys really came to play tonight. We can’t do it with one guy. Tonight we didn’t have to.”
Cal Poly Pomona (7-7, 6-3) used a run early in the second half to take the lead for good. The Broncos trailed 29-23 at the half but forced 10 turnovers in the first eight minutes of the second half, taking a 48-37 lead in that span.
The run was highlighted by Gordon and Booker slam dunks off Lumberjack turnovers.
A putback by Gordon on the next possession made it 48-37.
The Broncos maintained that lead the rest of the game. The closest the Lumberjacks (12-4, 7-2) would get was six points, that deficit being 48-42 after Mike Kehrig’s lone bucket of the game.
But the Broncos got a 3-pointer by Collins seconds later. Then came a putback by Neveu, helping the Broncos restore order at 53-40 with 8:51 to go.
The visitors were within single digits twice after that, trailing 56-47 with 6:37 to play and 60-51 with 3:11 left.
Collins’ second 3-pointer of the game made it 63-51 and it was over.
“It may seem like it but I never feel like I have to carry the team,” Gordon said. “The other guys really played hard and came through. That was big for us.”
The Broncos missed a chance to bury the Lumberjacks early when they weren’t playing well. But Cal Poly played only slightly better and held a 12-5 lead eight minutes into the half.
The rest of the half was close with the teams tied five times, the last at 21. Humboldt heated up and closed out the half with an 8-2 run highlighted by 3-pointers from Will Sheufelt and Everett Smith.
Not only did the Broncos force 22 turnovers but they held Devin Peal, the leading scorer in the conference to just seven points and one rebounds.
Next up for the Broncos is another 7:30 home game tonight, this one against Sonoma State.
The Wolverines (1-1) split a pair of games against El Cajon Grossmont (1-1), 15-8 and 6-1, respectively.
In the first game the Wolverines won behind the 4-for-5 of sophomore catcher Zach Baker (Rancho Cucamonga).
The Griffins opened the game scoring four runs in the top of the first, the Wolverines responded by scoring seven runs in the bottom of the first. The Wolverines finished the game with 15 runs on 19 hits and 2 errors.
In the second game, the only run for the Wolverines came in the bottom of the third. Valley freshman third baseman James Fredrick (Rialto) went 3-for-4 and Baker went 3-for-3 in the loss.
San Bernardino Valley College has appointed two coaches, although one is not necessarily new. Tricia Rossman, 32, had been named women’s volleyball coach while Kristin Hauge has been re-appointed as women’s soccer coach.
Both started in their positions on Jan. 14. Hauge had been the Wolverines coach for the last four years but did so as a walk-on. The position was elevated to full-time status so she had to go through the application and interview process again.
Athletic director Dave Rubio said he was pleased with the pool of applicants for both positions.
“I am ecstatic at the quality of coaches we were able to get,” he said. “They are really going to help us.”
The volleyball position has experience the most turnover. Rubio had been the longtime coach but had to give up that job when he was named athletic director early in the summer. SBVC had trouble finding a successor and finally tabbed former Eisenhower coach Jafna Davies as the interim coach two weeks before the first match.
Rossman, a native of Huntington Beach, graduated from San Diego Christian where she was a two-year starter. She got her master’s degree in physical education from Azusa Pacific and spent the last two years heading Fairmont Preparatory in Anaheim. She was named Express League Coach of the Year the past season.
“I have always wanted to coach at this level,” she said. “They have had good teams here in the past so I hope to take the program to the next level.”
Rossman said her first priority will be introducing herself to the area high school coaches and recruiting since the team had just two freshman last season.
She is not totally unfamilar with the area since she was active in club volleyball for 11 years.
Hauge, who had been teaching at Colton High School, directed the Wolverines to a playoff berth this season for the first time in school history. SBVC also recorded its first playoff win, beating Foothill conference for Victor Valley 1-0.
Rubio added that Hauge will also coach softball this season, since the previous coach bailed. Hauge has experience in that sport as well, having played it at Cal Poly Pomona where she earned her undergraduate degree.
The close games have been few and far between for the No. 1 Mt. SAC women’s basketball team. But the Mounties should be tested tonight as conference rival Pasadena City (20-3) comes in for a 5:30 p.m. showdown.
The Lancers are ranked sixth in the state and have seven players averaging double figures including local product Kinyada Johnson (Diamond Ranch), a freshman point guard.
Defending state champion Mt. SAC (22-1) has won 22 straight since dropping its season opener to Orange Coast. Sophomores Jazlyn Davis (17.4 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 2.7 apg) and Carmen Deal (14.9 ppg, 8.6 rpg) have led the charge. Three others players are close to double figures - Etiwanda High graduate Safiyah Brown (9.2 ppg, 7.8 rpg), Blaire Edgardo (8.9 ppg) and Alexis Brown (8.2 ppg).
Mt. SAC is averaging 76 points a game and is giving up an average of only 51.7, further evidence of lopsided wins.
“We’re really looking forward to it,” coach Laura Beeman said. “It will be great to play with that kind of energy and atmosphere because we haven’t had a lot of close games. It will be nice to be really tested.”
Beeman added that the rivalry has developed over the last five years. It intensified in 2004 when the Mounties beat the Lancers in a state championship game between conference foes.
Pasadena is one of the few teams that has been able to compete with Mt. SAC. The teams split games last season with the Lancers winning the first meeting 70-63 and the Mounties the second 69-56.
Beeman added that at least eight Division I colleges will be represented at the game, most notably Auburn, Arizona State and California-Berkeley.
The battle in the post is expected to be the key with the Mt. SAC women having their hands full with the sister tandem of Keisha Phelps and Florence Wilson.
“There will be a lot of great players on the floor, especially in the post,” Beeman added. “It’s a great chance not just for the coaches to see some good players but see them against other great players.”
DAVID RENFROE
Chaffey College
Basketball
The lowdown: The 6-foot-6, 230-pound sophomore forward has helped the Panthers (12-9, 2-3) contend in the always-tough Foothill Conference. He is averaging 4.8 rebounds and 4.1 points for a balanced Chaffey team that uses 12 players. His best showing came in a 114-66 win over Barstow where he contributed 10 points, 14 rebounds and four blocked shots. also had a 10-point game against East Los Angeles. Transferred to Chaffey from Division III Menlo College where he played as a freshman.
Age: 19
Hometown: Pomona
High school: Diamond Ranch, 2006
Major: Kinesiology/sports management
Favorite athlete: Baron Davis
Favorite team: Los Angeles Lakers
Role model: My parents
Can’t miss TV show: Anything on ESPN
Most embarrassing moment: Once I forgot my jersey at home.
Most memorable sports moment: Winning the league title in high school.
Person most influential in your athletic success: My parents
Celebrity you most want to meet: Denzel Washington
Favorite food: Steak
Favorite movie: Boys N the Hood
Last good book you read: Black Boy
Other hobbies: Going out
Favorite vacation spot: South Carolina
What’s in your CD player/iPOD: Naj
Best advice anyone has given you: Never give up
What do you want to be doing in five years: I would love to be going to dental school.
What do you want to be doing in five years: Working or finishing school.
- Compiled by Michelle Gardner
By Michelle Gardner
Staff Writer
SAN BERNARDINO - San Bernardino Valley College's Lewis Leonard didn't start the game on Wednesday night, but he finished it in fine fashion, boosting the Wolverines men's basketball team to a 96-93 upset of Chaffey in Foothill Conference play.
Leonard entered the game as the state's leading scorer at 25 points per game, but was benched in the first half by coach Gerry Wright for disciplinary reasons. He came back in the second half and scored 18 points, including a key basket in the last seconds, and then blocked a Chaffey shot to preserve the win.
"He's a great player and he knows how to get it done," Wright said. "It's not how you start the first half, it's how you finish."
San Bernardino Valley (5-11, 1-1) took its first lead, 90-89, on a pull-up jumper by Johnny Barnes with 2:41 remaining. Chaffey retook the lead and was ahead, 91-90, when Leonard scored inside with 46 seconds left to put the Wolverines up, 92-91.
On Chaffey's ensuing possession, Leonard swatted away a 15-footer by Brandon Clemons and Barnes grabbed the rebound with 30 seconds to play. The Wolverines then secured the victory at the free-throw line in the final minute.
The Wolverines got a stellar effort from freshman Jason Hurns, who had a career-high 19 points, making his first start of the season in place of Leonard. Hurns was one of five Wolverines in double figures. Barnes had a team-high 23 points with 15 rebounds, Jacob Letson had 14 points and Netsanet Hailu had 10.
Chaffey (11-7, 1-1) was led by freshman guard Jordan Block with 17 points. Troy Allen had 13, Jamal Sloan 12 and Winston Robinson 11.
"We needed this to stay in the hunt," said Wright, whose team lost its Foothill Conference opener last Saturday against Antelope Valley. "There are a lot of good teams in this conference, so every game is going to be important."
Nine of SBVC's 11 losses have been by single digits.
Chaffey came in as the top scoring team in the state at 96 points per game. They were coming off what is believed to be a school-record 133 points Saturday against Barstow.
San Bernardino Valley College will play Saturday at Mt. San Jacinto at 3 p.m. Chaffey hits the road to play College of the Desert on Saturday.
By Michelle Gardner
Staff Writer
SAN BERNARDINO - The last thing the San Bernardino Valley College women's basketball team could afford was to get off to an 0-2 start in Foothill Conference play. After dropping its opener to Antelope Valley on Saturday, that's what coach Sue Crebbins faced.
But the Wolverines bounced back, beating neighborhood rival Chaffey 71-57 on Wednesday at Snyder Gymnasium.
The teams came in as favorites to fight it out for the Foothill championship, along with Mt.San Jacinto. So Crebbins was pleased to see her team bounce back from defeat.
"Our focus was a lot better tonight," she said. "Sometimes we get complacent and we stop working hard in practice, and that's what happens. We're hard-headed that way, but the lesson was learned."
The Wolverines (12-5, 1-1) let a 16-point lead dwindle down late in the second half, after leading by double digits much of the way. SBVC led 48-37, but the Panthers scored 10 of the next 12 points, creeping within three on a driving layup by Tamesha Jackson that cut the lead to 50-47.
The Wolverines answered on their end with Shy Walter getting loose inside for a basket that put the lead back to five, 52-47. Chaffey (15-4, 1-1) was limited to one missed shot on three of its next four trips down the court. The Panthers missed both free throws on the other possession, and was not in striking distance again.
The Wolverines' defensive pressure set the tone in the first half as the Panthers committed 10 turnovers, many leading to easy opportunities on the other end.
"We did a good job frustrating their guards to our pressure. We didn't shoot very well, but were able to make things happen with our defense and get a lead," Crebbins said.
SBVC led from the start, surging out to an 11-3 lead on a 3-pointer by La'quita Jordan. Its biggest lead in the half was 16 points, that edge coming on a 3-point play by Walter that made it 27-11 with 7:04 left.
Chaffey scored the next six points to cut the lead to 27-17. The half ended with SBVC up 34-23.
Chaffey shot just 31.7 percent in the half. SBVC wasn't much better, at 37.5, but it benefitted from a 31-19 advantage in rebounding.
"I can count on one hand the number of good possessions we had in the first half," Chaffey coach Gary Plunkett said. "It was our worst half of basketball all season. We were lucky we weren't down by more."
Sophomore point guard Jasmine Marshall led the Wolverines with 24 points. Jordan added 16, and Ronisha Edwards chipped in with 12.
SBVC will travel to Mt. San Jacinto Saturday while Chaffey treks to College of the Desert.
Six players from the Foothill Conference champion Victor Valley College women's soccer team have signed with NAIA Kansas Wesleyan, in Salinas. The group is led by conference player of the year Jackie Osuna and also includes Sarah Macy, Brittnie Bernardino, Teresa Candelario, Courtney Eargle and Anna Flores.
Rams coach Mike Bradbury has developed a rapport with Coyotes coach Mike Dibbini, who is a native of Palmdale. Last year's team included two past VVC standouts as well seven from Mt. SAC.
"We have a trust," Bradbury said. "If I am going to send players that far away, I want to know they will be well taken care of."
The group helped the Rams to a 17-7-3 overall record and a 9-0-1 mark in conference play.
Kansas Wesleyan competes in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference. It has won two straight conference titles and three straight conference tournaments. Among the players on last year's team were former Rams standouts Nikki Ware, Marina Crittenden and Marylou Casillas.
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It was the fourth such honor for Wilt already this season and her seventh selection in the past two seasons.
The former Sultana High School (Hesperia) star averaged 29.5 points and 12 rebounds a game in the Coyotes' back-to-back home wins over Cal State L.A. and Cal State Dominguez Hills as the Coyotes improved to 10-1 overall and a conference-leading 4-0 in the CCAA.
In an awesome display of her dominance in the post, Wilt tied the all-time single-game scoring record of 39 points in the team's 81-52 win over Cal State L.A. She made 14 of 17 shots from the field and sank 11 of 16 free throw attempts to equal the mark set in 1993-94 by Kim Young.
Wilt also had three assists, three blocked shots and three steals in the game while playing 36 minutes.
Against the pre-season CCAA favorites from Dominguez Hills, Wilt ran into foul trouble and sat out 16 minutes of the 40-minute contest. Yet, in the 24 minutes she played she produced 20 points and 14 rebounds with two blocked shots as the Coyotes won in overtime 64-60.
She was eight-for-11 from the field against the Toros, four-for-nine at the foul line.
Amazingly, she has produced a double-double in points and rebounds in all 11 games this season and leads the CCAA in scoring (23.3 ppg), rebounding (13.8 rpg) and blocked shots with 29 (2.6 per game).
Wilt is averaging 30.75 points a game over her last four games.
The Coyotes will be on the road this week facing Cal State Stanislaus on Friday and the nation's No. 22 team --
JASMINE MARSHALL
San Bernardino Valley College
Basketball
The lowdown: The 5-foot-5 sophomore point guard is averaging 10.6 points, 5 steals, 3.1 assists and 3.6 rebounds for the Wolverines (11-5), who are ranked 18th in the state and 10th in Southern California. Season high of 20 points came in Saturday’s Foothill Conference opener against Antelope Valley. Had 11 steals in one gmae this season. Was Most Valuable Player at the Barstow tournament earlier this season. Averaged 9.4 points, 2.8 steals, 3.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists as a freshman, earning all-conference honorable mention and leading SBVC to an 18-10 record.
Age: 19
Hometown: San Bernardino
High school: Arroyo Valley High School, 2006
Major: Undecided
Favorite athlete: Kobe Bryant
Favorite team: Los Angeles Lakers
Most embarrassing sports moment: I airballed a free throw my junior year of high school.
Role model: My grandmother
Person most influential in your athletic success: My coaches Sue Crebbin and Julia Smith.
Last good book you read: The Bible
Favorite movie: Friday After Next
Can’t miss television shows: I Love New York
Favorite vacation spot: Bahamas
Favorite food: Barbecue
Celebrity you most want to meet: T.I. (Actor and rapper)
Best advice anyone has given you: Believe in yourself
Pre-game ritual or superstition: Pray
Other hobbies: shopping, talking on the phone
What do you want to be doing in five years: Spending money
- Compiled by Michelle Gardner
By Michelle Gardner
Staff Writer
SAN BERNARDINO — A slow start may have been enough for most critics to write off the San Bernardino Valley College men’s basketball team. But the Wolverines showed they might not be dead yet, finishing nonconference play with a 76-59 win over visiting Long Beach City on Wednesday.
SBVC (4-10), the 2006-07 Foothill Conference champion, begins defense of its title Saturday when Antelope Valley, one of the favorites, makes a visit.
Second-year coach Gerry Wright stopped short of saying his team had turned the corner, but he was satisfied.
“I haven’t quite gotten my finger on the pulse of this team yet,” he said. “Just when I think they’ve got it, we go out the next game and we haven’t got it. But some of the things I have been driving home seem to have finally gotten through.”
One of those things is the importance of the supporting cast. Lewis Leonard entered the game as the state’s leading scorer at 26 points a game and Johnny Barnes was 11th at 21. Both of those players held up their end with Lewis scoring 18 and Barnes 16. But it was the others that carried the team to just its fourth win in 14 tries.
Sophomore point guard Jacob Letson had a season-high 23 points, 14 of those coming in a first half in which he hit 6 of 8 field-goal attempts. He also had five rebounds, four steals and five assists.
His former Redlands East Valley High School teammate, Bo Harrison chipped in with 13 points, four steals and four assists.
“Those guys (Barnes and Leonard) are going to get theirs,” Letson said. “It is up to the rest of us to contribute, too.”
The Wolverines were never really challenged, something that was probably unexpected because they had lost to the same team three weeks ago, 84-75.
The game was tied at 6, but the Wolverines surged ahead with 18 of the game’s next 22 points and never looked back. Lewis had seven points in that run, which also featured a three-point play by Letson and ended with a fastbreak layup by Harrison that came after a steal at midcourt.
The Wolverines led, 41-28, at the half and the Vikings (11-9) were never within single digits.
Wright’s team also played smart. It had been averaging 84 points a game, but slowed the pace in the second half after Barnes picked up his fourth foul with 9:17 left and SBVC ahead, 63-48. Later, Lewis was called for his fourth foul with 5:16 to go and the Wolverines up, 67-51.
“Coach has been after me about knowing the situation and managing the game,” Letson said. “That’s something I have really been trying to focus on.”
While the Wolverines’ record is sub-par, Wright has never lost faith. Eight of their 10 losses have been by single digits.
“We have had games where we were up by seven, eight points and were racing up and down the court putting shots up,” he said. “We did a much better job of playing under control tonight. I don’t want to pull back the reigns altogether, but you have to understand the situation.”
The Wolverines shot 58.5 percent (31 for 53) in the game, including 69 percent (18 for 26) in the opening half.
Long Beach shot 50 percent (21 for 42) in the game. Sophomore Matt Richard had a team-high 26 points and six rebounds and Wynton Johnson had 16, 10 of those from the free-throw line. Barstow native Cameron Herbert, out of Silver Valley High School, had six points and two assists.
