December 2008 Archives

The Chaffey College men's basketball team rolled into the championship game of the 19th annual Cougar Classic, cruising past West Los Angeles 88-68 Sunday night at College of the Canyons.

It was the ninth straight win of the Panthers (15-2), who entered ranked sixth in the state. The win was especially impressive because Chaffey was coming off a draining win over No. 12 Ventura the previous night.

"It was one of the games we had a bit of a letdown after coming off a huge game," Chaffey coach Jeff Klein said. "We were always 10, 12, 14 points up but did some good things defensively in the end to pull away."

Chaffey led 42-30 at the half and never looked back.

Sophomore Nick Turner led the bucket brigade with 17 points, highlighted by a 5-for-10 showing from 3-point range.

Winston Robinson added 14 points and and eight rebounds. Lamar Williams, Anthony Cammon and Anthony Soares chipped in with 10 points each. Cammon and Soares also had three steals each.

On the night Chaffey hit 12 of 32 3-point tries while West Los Angeles (7-11) went 0-for-10.
Chaffey will play in Monday's 6 p.m. championship game against either Pasadena City or host Canyons.

In other games earlier in the day Big Bend (Wash.) defeated Bartow 102-59 in consolation action.

The No. 6 ranked Chaffey Panthers surged to their eighth straight win, beating No. 12 Ventura 94-83 in first round play at the 19th annual Cougar Classic Saturday at College of the Canyons.

Sophomore guard Nick Turner led the Panthers with 23 points, highlighted by five 3-pointers. Also finishing in double figures were Winston Robinson (15), Anthony Soares (13) and Lamar Williams (10).

Chaffey, the second-highest scoring team in the state, only led 43-40 at the half but took control with a 20-3 run to start the second half.

Ventura, which saw an 11-game win streak snapped, was led by sophomore guard Danny Benson with 21 points. Freshman forward Randy Hunter chipped in with 14 points and 14 rebounds.

Chaffey (14-2) advances to face West Los Angeles (10-7) at 6 tonight. That school advanced with an 85-81 win over Los Angeles Harbor.

Several players that contributed to the Foothill Conference championship by the San Bernardino Valley College women's basketball team are excelling at their four-year colleges.

Junior forward Shy Walter has moved into the starting lineup at Cal State Los Angeles. She started the week averaging 6.6 points and 3.9 rebounds but tallied 26 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block in losses to Western Oregon and Northwest Nazarene.

Guard La'Quita Jordan is the leading scorer at Alaska-Fairbanks. She is averaging 13.9 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists and has hit 11 of 27 tries from 3-point range. She has a high game of 23 and has been the team's leading scorer in three of its last four games.

Forward Ronisha Edwards is a teammate of Jordan's. She is averaging 9 points and 7.9 rebounds and has a high rebounding effort of 12.

Hesperia native Florida Siaosi is back on the basketball court -- this time at Antelope Valley College.

The 5-foot-11 center was a multi-sport standout at Sultana, graduating in 2006. She excelled in both track and basketball and had Division I offers in both. She spent her freshman year at Cal State Bakersfield but got homesick and returned to the High Desert after one season.

She sat out the 2007-08 season but was seen working out at Victor Valley College last fall.

Now she is back leading Marauder team that is expected to be in the hunt for a Foothill Conference title. Siaosi is averaging 16.1 points, 11.9 rebounds and 1.8 blocks -- all team highs.

Siaosi has scored in double figures in 14 of 15 games, with a high of 24 points twice. She has reached double figures in rebounds nine times with a high of 23 rebounds against Mt. SAC, 19 of those on the defensive end.

Chaffey College sophomore soccer standout Tyler Mitchell was named to the NSCAA/Adidas Junior College All-American first team.

Mitchell, out of Upland High School, was the Panthers' team captain for two years. He also earned first-team All-Foothill Conference honors both seasons, leading the Panthers (15-5-2) to their best season in school history.

Among the other 25 players chosen nationwide was Mt. SAC freshman defender Ivan Armenta, an Ontario High School product who led the Mounties to a state runner-up finish.

The All-America selections will be recognized at the annual All-America Luncheon, to held in St. Louis, Mo., on Jan. 17, as part of the 2009 NSCAA Convention.

PASADENA -- The San Bernardino Valley College women's basketball team has already had plenty of ups and downs and the season is barely one-third over.

So it is no surprise that was again the case when the Wolverines took the floor against Santa Monica in the consolation final of the Rose City Classic on Saturday at Pasadena City College. Fortunately for coach Sue Crebbin, the Wolverines finished on a high note and walked away with a 67-50 victory.

The Wolverines (6-6) turned over their roster almost completely, having graduated their top six scorers from a team that won a Foothill Conference title and set a school record for wins.
Only three players are back and they have been asked to shoulder more of the load. The growing process also has been slowed by injuries to two key players.

If that wasn't enough, she had two assistant coaches leave for other jobs just as school started.

"We have some potential, but the girls are still trying to figure where they fit in," Crebbin said. "And the girls we had last year are in different roles now. They came off the bench when there really wasn't any pressure. Now they're in there at crunch time and having to make decisions."

SBVC went from being up by 10 to down by four to winning the game handily. Much of the reason for the roller-coaster ride was the 28 turnovers.

The Wolverines were ahead 32-27 just 2:30 into the second half but had seven turnovers in the next seven minutes, allowing the Corsaiers (3-6) to go up 40-36 on a putback by Chantel Diaz for their biggest lead of the contest.

As quickly as the Wolverines lost control, they gained it back. The contest was even at 46 with 6:23 to go, but SBVC tallied the next 11 points, with four players factoring in that run. A driving layup by all-tournament selection Eisha Sheppard put SBVC up 48-46.
She added a layup off a fastbreak sparked by a rebound from Dwayanna Pullum that later made it 51-46 and the Wolverines never looked back.

The run ended with a pair of free throws by Pullum and a fastbreak bucket by Angela Green for a 57-46 lead with 3:42 to play.

"I'm not sure they're always aware of the situation and maybe that's a good thing," Crebbin said. "They just keep playing and keep shooting. They don't seem to worry or panic too much."

Sheppard chalked up a team-high 18 points to go with six rebounds and five steals. Kim Kipp added 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Pullum contributed 12 with nine boards.

Santa Monica relies on its long-distance shooting and made six 3-pointers in the game. The Corsaiers was led by Audriel Wyrick with 10 points. They were represented on the all-tournament team by Diaz.

"This was just one of those grind it out kind of games," Crebbin said. "It was good to win one like that."

Lamar Williams scored 30 points and Winston Robinson added 20 with 10 rebounds as Chaffey (12-2) downed Santa 86-84 to win the Roadrunner Roundup at Rio Hondo.

Williams' seventh 3-pointer of the night tied the score at 82 with 1:30 left. He then ripped the ball loose from Santa Ana's D'Andre Denan and scored giving the Panthers an 84-82 lead.

Two free throws by Nick Turner with 22 seconds left upped the lead to 86-82. Santa Ana inbounded the ball scrambled up court to get a shot off, but an intentional foul was called on Chaffey. Denan knocked down both free throws to make the score 86-84 with 2.6 seconds in regulation.

Santa Ana received the ball back setting up the last second play to Tyler Averill, but Turner stole the ball as time expired.

All 14 Panthers contributed over the three game tournament.

The Chaffey men's basketball team is off to a 9-2 start, finishing first in the Grossmont Tournament over the weekend. Coach Jeff Klein's team surged past Southwestern 96-74, Cuesta 79-73 and Cypress 97-85.

"I really like this team," he said. "I thought we had more depth than last year, I just didn't know how it would all come together because we have so many new players. I thought we had some talent last year, but there were so many ups and downs I never got a handle on it."

The Panthers have gotten stellar play out of several individuals, most notably sophomore guard Lamar Williams (11.8 points per game, 5.3 rebounds per game, 2.1 assists per game), who was named most valuable player in that tournament. He played sparingly two years ago then sat out last season but returned bigger and stronger.

"Two years ago he was the youngest player on a veteran team and I think his confidence got a little rattled," Klein said. "He has come back a stronger, more mature player."

Also averaging double figures are sophomore Nicklas Turner (14.6 ppg) and freshman guard Anthony Cammon (10.3 ppg), with sophomore Winston Robinson (9.1 ppg, 5.0 rpg) close.

Klein said the biggest improvement in his team has come at point guard where several players are shouldering the load. Williams and Jamal Sloan (6 ppg, 1.8 apg) are the veterans with Cammon and freshmen Trone Jackson and Andre Perkins also seeing time there.

Klein thinks as many as six teams could win the Foothill Conference with Chaffey in the mix. The traditional powers Antelope Valley, Mt. San Jacinto, San Bernardino and College of the Desert will all be formidable foes, as will a much-improved Victor valley team.

But next up for the Panthers is a tournament which starts Thursday at Rio Hondo. Chaffey faces Glendale in the first round.

San Bernardino Valley College men's basketball coach Quincy Brewer is going to get a chance to see exactly where his young team stands.

The Wolverines (8-2) open play in the 39th annual Wells Fargo Holiday Classic at Riverside Community College at 7 p.m. Wednesday against defending state champion Citrus (10-1).
The field includes 16 teams with four first-round games on tap Tuesday and four more on Wednesday.

The No. 9 Wolverines turned over their entire roster so one would think Brewer would be happy with his team's first 10 games. But that isn't exactly the case.

"I am disappointed with those two games because there are things we could have done better. We didn't execute," he said.

The event is a grind with some teams playing four games in as many days and others playing that many in five days. It is one reason Chaffey, which has traditionally played in the event, pulled out, opting instead for another three-game tournament.

Brewer has been using 11 players and thinks his team is good enough shape physically to handle the rigorous schedule.

"I worked them pretty hard in the preseason," he said. "It is probably more taxing mentally than physically."

Brewer is starting five newcomers - sophomore guard Warren Fuselier (16.9 ppg, 4.5 apg) and freshmen guards D'Shaun Holden (6.4 ppg, 3.8 rpg) and Alex Jacobs (7.5 ppg), freshman forward Aaron Edwards (13.4 ppg, 7.4 rpg) and freshman center Orlando Brazier (10.9 ppg, 3.9 ppg).

The Wolverines also have two players averaging double figures off the bench in Nathan Roth (10 ppg, 3.4 apg) and Maurice McGee (10.5 ppg).

Brewer has been particularly pleased with Jacobs, a San Gorgonio product who quit the team early in the fall, only to return a few days later. He was 8-for-14 from 3-point land earlier against Ventura.

No. 2 Citrus had a 31-game win streak that dates back to last season snapped when it lost to Reedley 72-68 on Nov. 29 at a tournament it hosted.

It's last previous loss came to Antelope Valley last year in the semifinal of the same tournament at Riverside.

The Owls also rely on their balance with sophomore guard Justin Johnson (13.7 ppg), freshman guard Jose Rivera (13.4 ppg), sophomore forward Troy Payne (10.8 ppg, 11.1 rpg), sophomore guard Steven Bennett (10.3 ppg, 3.9 apg) all in double figures.

SBVC and Citrus are two of the teams that carry lofty state rankings into the event. Riverside (10-3), which opens play tonight against College of the Desert, is No. 5.
Others are No. 9 Yuba and No. 19 Pasadena City College.

RCC is led by sophomore guard Robert Robinson (17.2 ppg, 6.5 rpg) and sophomore forward Charles Garcia (12.9 ppg, 7.2 rpg). Among the other key players are freshman guard Daniel Redmon (5.5 ppg, 4.7 apg) and freshman forward Kevin Bradshaw (5.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg), both out of Upland High School.

 at Riverside CC

Tuesday's games

Fullerton (4-4) vs. East Los Angeles (4-6), 1 p.m.
Mt. San Jacinto (6-4) vs. Long Beach City (4-4), 3 p.m.
West Los Angeles (6-4) vs. Compton (1-9), 5 p.m.
Desert (5-4) vs. Riverside (10-3), 7 p.m.

Wednesday's games
Antelope Valley (6-6) vs. Pasadena (7-3), 1 p.m.
Yuba (6-1) vs. Palomar (4-4), 3 p.m.
Saddleback (4-5) vs. Imperial Valley (1-7), 5 p.m.
Citrus (10-1) vs. San Bernardino Valley (8-2), 7 p.m.