Coyotes, Broncos to square off in tournament final

Well the CCAA braintrust may have decided to ship the conference tournament all the way north to thriving metropolis of Arcata but that doesn't mean Southern California teams still aren't the cream of the crop.

The championship game on the men's side will be an All-Inland Empire affair as top seed Cal Poly Pomona square off against local rival Cal State San Bernardino, which was seeded third. Game time is 7:30 p.m. If you want to view the game go to the CCAA website (GoCCAA.org) and follow the links. The quality of the broadcast is pretty good.

The game will also be aired on KCAA-AM (1050) which carries all Coyote games.

The Coyotes advanced with a hard-fought 64-55 win over the host Lumberjacks. It is a tough place to play for sure but the Coyotes seem to have the Lumberjacks number, winning 11 of 15 meetings. Losing the last time they were there sure had to be some incentive. Junior point guard Corey Caston was nothing short of spectacular, knocking down all the big shots.

Meanwhile the Broncos survived Chico State, blowing a 17-point lead but winning 80-77. A desperation jack from three-quarters court by Jay Flores lipped off the rim. It would have been something had THAT gone in.

Cal State and Cal Poly have played twice this season, with each wining on the road. Now it's on neutral court. It will be interesting to see who the Humboldt faithful root for, if they show up. My guess is it will be Pomona because San Bernardino seems to be public enemy No. 1

The Broncos have won 15 games in a row. The one thing the Broncos have going for them is Dwayne Fells and Donnelle Booker are playing far better now than they were in either of the previous meetings between the teams. Fells had a career-high 19 against the Wildcats on Friday.

More food for thought . . . There is a pretty good shot the two could be squaring off again next week in the West Region tournament, likely to be held in Seattle. The Broncos are currently ranked third which means they would draw the No. 6 in the quarterfinal. The Coyotes are currently seventh but could very well move up, even if they lose tonight, based on their win Tuesday over a quality San Fran team as well as Friday's win over No.; 5 Humboldt

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