February 2009 Archives
Staff Writer
RANCHO CUCAMONGA - Even Chaffey College basketball coach Jeff
Klein knew his team's 19-1 run to start the game wouldn't hold up. It
didn't. But the Panthers hung on to beat visiting Bakersfield College
82-78 in the second round of the community college state playoffs.
The game featured two teams that like the up-tempo game so it
isn't unusual for the teams to exchange runs. The teams did that much
of the game.
``That's the way we both play,'' Klein said. ``It's a game of runs
and fortunately we had the last one. We knew it wasn't going to be
easy and they were coming back.''
The eighth-seeded Panthers (27-6) stormed out to a 19-1 lead with
the ninth-seeded Renegades (23-10) going 0-for-12 from the field and
not managing their first field goal until 13:34 was left in the half.
Bakersfield rallied back and got within two at 40-38 with 40
seconds left but trailed 43-38 at the break.
Chaffey again put some distance between itself and its foe,
establishing a double digit lead next at 64-53 with 11:53 left. Again
Bakersfield answered, this time cutting it to 68-66 on a bucket by
Darrin Dorsey.
It was tight the rest of the way but it was the Renegades making
the mistakes down the stretch. Down 77-72 with 2:43 left Bakersfield
turned the ball over on two straight possessions. Later trailing
78-72 with 1:14 to play, Dorsey missed two free throws.
The Panthers were eventually pushed. Eion Lewis scored on a runner
in the lane to cut the deficit to two at 78-76 with 48 seconds
remaining. The Renegades' Jamar Harrison then stole the ensuing
inbounds and went up for an easy two to tie the game for the first
time at 78.
Then it was Chaffey sophomore forward Winston Robinson taking
over. He hit two free throws for a two-point lead with 34 seconds to
go, then converted two more after yet another Bakersfield turnover,
its 23rd of the night with six seconds left.
Robinson tallied 29 while Lamar Williams contributed 12 and Nick
Turner 13.
``I like the pressure,'' Robinson said. ``I feel like I worked
hard enough to come through in those situations. I feel comfortable
when the game is in my hands.''
Chaffey's win continued a strong run by the Foothill Conference
which qualified five teams for the playoffs. All four that have
played thus far have won a playoffs game with San Bernardino Valley
College playing a home playoff game tonight against West Los Angeles.
``We feel like we have the toughest conference in the state and
those games get us ready for situations like this,'' Klein said.
The Panthers advance to play next Saturday against the winner of
tonight's game between Saddleback, the top-seeded team in the
Southern region, and No. 17 seed Cerritos.
The SAC Dons (12-4, 1-0 OEC) posted a pair of runs in each of the first three innings to quickly put Riverside (9-7, 0-1 OEC) in a hole.
In the first inning with two outs, freshman 1B Chris Miller singled to left field and went to second when the ball skipped past sophomore LF Bryce Holland for an error. Miller went to third on a wild pitch before sophomore C James Davis drew a walk. Up stepped sophomore RF Jake Eccles who promptly socked a 0-1 pitch down the left-field line for a two-run double and Santa Ana led, 2-0. Little did anyone realize that Eccles was just getting started on a seven-RBI day.
In the Santa Ana third inning, Davis singled to center and Eccles crushed a 1-1 pitch to straightaway left field for a two-run home run, his team-leading eighth round tripper of the season.
For good measure in the top of the ninth, Eccles capped the four-run uprising with a three-run home run to dead center field for his ninth circuit clout of the year.
Riverside got on the board in the bottom of the third. Sophomore SS Richie Jimenez drew a one-out walk before sophomore C Brett Hambright stroked a run-producing double to right-center field, scoring Jimenez. With two outs, pinch-hitter Landon McMath, who inherited a 0-2 count, took a pitch for ball one and then turned on a 1-2 pitch and laced a RBI-double down the left-field line, plating Hambright.
Santa Ana starter, sophomore LHP Nick Capito went the first six innings and allowed only two earned runs on six hits to improve to 3-0. Riverside starter, Kessler Reifel (0-1) went just 2-1/3 innings and allowed six runs (four earned) on five hits to get the loss.
Both teams return to OEC action on Saturday, Feb. 28, at noon when Riverside visits the Fullerton College Hornets and Santa Ana hosts the Cypress College Chargers.
First-year San Bernardino Valley College coach Quincy Brewer led his team to a Foothill Conference championship. That accomplishment was recognized by his peers as Brewer was named Coach of the Year.
Brewer took a team with 12 newcomers and led it to a 25-8 record, despite playing in what is the strongest conference in the state. Five teams are competing in the playoffs with the Wolverines opening play at home on Saturday.
Mt. San Jacinto sophomore point guard Melvin Goins was named Player of the Year. He averaged 17.1 points in leading the Eagles to a second-place showing.
SBVC had three first team selections - forward Orlando Brazier, point guard Nate Roth and forward Maurice McGee. It also had two honorable mentions in warren Fuselier, the lone sophomore on the team, and freshman forward Aaron Edwards.
Chaffey, third in the conference, placed Winston sophomores Winston Robinson and Nick Turner and first team and Anthony Cammon and Lamar Williams on second team.
The first team also included sophomore Dwight Gordon of Victor Valley. The Los Osos High School product led the conference in scoring (21.3 ppg) and helped the Rams qualify for the playoffs for the first time in at least a decade.
Player of the Year - Melvin Goins, Mt. San Jacinto
Coach of the Year - Quincy Brewer, SBVC
Other first team selections - Dwight Gordon, Victor Valley, So.; Orlando Brazier, San Bernardino Valley, Fr.; Nate Roth, San Bernardino Valley, Fr.; Mark Williams, Mt. San Jacinto, So.; Jeffrey West, Mt. San Jacinto, Fr.; Winston Robinson, Chaffey, So.; Nick Turner, Chaffey, So.; Rod Singleton, Antelope Valley, Fr.; Maurice McGee, San Bernardino Valley, Fr.; Maurice Cole, Rio Hondo, Fr.; Kyisean Reed, Antelope Valley Fr.;
Honorable Mention
Galander Abdelrahman, Barstow, Fr.; Warren Fuselier, San Bernardino Valley, So.; Aaron Edwards, San Bernardino Valley, Fr.; Darryl Alexander, Rio Hondo Fr.; Dusty Simcox, Rio Hondo, So.; Curtis Bush, Mt. San Jacinto, So.; Terrance Williams, Mt. San Jacinto, Fr.; Anthony Cammon, Chaffey, Fr.; Lamar Williams, Chaffey, So.; Jerome Moton, Antelope Valley. So.; Raymond Cody, Antelope Valley, So.; Deanard Crouch, Victor Valley, So.; Tory Dudgeon, Victor Valley, So.; Andrew Avalos, Desert, So.; Patrick Rochell, Desert, So.
San Bernardino Valley College and Chaffey will square off in a men's and women's twinbill on Wednesday at Chaffey, with the women tipping off at 5 p.m.
Both games will feature state-ranked teams jockeying for position in the Foothill Conference with four games left.
On the men's side, SBVC (22-7, 9-1) has a one-game lead over Mt. San Jacinto, with Chaffey (23-5, 7-3) sitting in third. The No. 11 Wolverines have inexplicably dropped six places in the state poll despite not losing in that stretch. Chaffey is No. 13.
On the women's side, No. 11 SBVC (19-8, 10-0) has a one-game lead on Antelope Valley, with No. 15 Chaffey (19-8, 6-4) tied for third.
SBVC has owned the rivalry as of late on both sides. Sue Crebbin's Wolverines have won the past four meetings, with Chaffey's last victory coming 50-49 the first of two times the teams played in the 2006-07 season.
The situation is the same on the men's side, although the Panthers rallied from a 21-point deficit and forced overtime earlier this season.
"This is a big game for us," Chaffey coach Jeff Klein said. "They are a very good team and I don't know if they'll lose one game, much less two. But we're playing well right now."
Former Citrus basketballer Virgil Buensuceso is one of 17 finalists for the Bob Cousy Award given to the nation's top point guard in all NCAA Divisions.
Buensuceso (11.1 ppg, 7.2 apg), now at Division II Brigham Young-Hawaii (16-1), was a pivotal factor in the team's run to a state title last season.
The finalists were chosen from more than 60 candidates from NCAA Division I, II and III institutions across the country. Of the finalists, 13 are from Division I schools. Two are from Division II and two are from Division III.
Among the other bigger name candidates are Stephen Curry (Davidson), Etiwanda-product Darren Collison (UCLA), AJ Price (UConn), Jeff Teague (Wake Forest) and Ty Lawson (North Carolina).
