Recently in San Bernardino Valley College Category
The California Community College poll is loaded with Inland Empire teams.
San Bernardino Valley split games last week but it's win over then-No. 3 Mt. San Jacinto was more impressive than its loss to now No. 19-Chaffey was disappointing because the Wolverines moved up two spots.
Chaffey was in the rankings much opf the year but dropped out after a loss to Victor Valley two weeks ago. Two wins last week, including the one over SBVC, were enough to propel the Panthers back in.
Here it is:
1. San Francisco
2. Citrus
3. Yuba
4. Mt.San Jacinto
5.Santa Rosa
6. San Bernardino Valley
7. Fresno
tie Mt.San Antonio
9. Diablo Valley
10. Antelope Valley
11. Imperial Valley
12. Cabrillo
13. Sierra
14. Saddleback
15. Los Angeles Southwest
16. Foothill
17. San Diego City
18. Ohlone
19. Chaffey
20. Las Positas
Southern California
1. Citrus
2. Mt.SanJacinto
3. SanBernardinoValley
4. Mt.SanAntonio
5. Antelope Valley
6. Imperial Valley
7.Saddleback
8. Los Angeles Southwest
9. San Diego City
10. Chaffey
11. Cuesta
12. Ventura
13. Riverside City
14. Allan Hancock
15. tie, Ventura and Los Angeles Valley
With spring sports in full swing now, there are a lot of sporting events in the area from which to choose. Here's the rundown on what's going on locally . . .
WEDNESDAY
Men's basketball
Chaffey at College of the Desert, 7 p.m.
San Bernardino Valley at Rio Hondo, 7 p.m.
Barstow at Mt. San Jacinto, 7 p.m.
Antelope Valley at Victor Valley, 7 p.m.
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps at La Verne, 7:30 p.m.
Occidental at Redlands, 7:30 p..m.
Pomona-Pitzer at Caltech, 7:30 p.m.
Women's basketball
San Bernardino Valley at Rio Hondo, 5 p.m.
Chaffey at Desert, 5 p.m.
Antelope Valley at Victor Valley, 1 p.m.
Barstow at Mt. San Jacinto, 5 p.m.
Baseball
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps at Azusa Pacific, 5 p.m.
THURSDAY
Women's basketball
Redlands at Whittier, 7:30 p.m.
La Verne at Occidental, 7:30 p.m.
Caltech at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, 7:30 p.m.
Cal Lutheran at Pomona-Pitzer, 7:30 p.m.
Baseball
Azusa Pacific at Cal State San Bernardino (at Fiscalini Field), 2 p.m.
FRIDAY,
Men's basketball
Cal State Dominguez Hills at Cal State San Bernardino, 7:30 p.m
Cal Poly Pomona at Chico State, 7:30 p.m.
Women's basketball
Cal State Dominguez Hills at Cal State San Bernardino, 5:30 p.m.
Cal Poly Pomona at Chico State, 5:30 p.m.
Baseball
Whitworth (Wash.) at Pomona-Pitzer, 2 p.m.
St. Martin's (Wash.) at Cal Poly Pomona, 2 p.m.
Cal State San Bernardino at Azusa Pacific, 2 p.m.
San Bernardino Valley and Chaffey at College of the Desert Tournament
Victor Valley at Grossmont, 2 p.m.
Softball
Cal Baptist at Cal State San Bernardino (DH), noon
Redlands at Azusa Pacific, 5 p.m.
SATURDAY
Men's basketball
Cal State Los Angeles at Cal State San Bernardino, 7:30 p.m.
Cal Poly Pomona at Cal State Stanislaus, 7:30 p.m.\
Victor Valley at Chaffey, 3 p.m.
Antelope Valley at San Bernardino Valley, 3 p.m.
Rio Hondo at Barstow, 3 p.m.
La Verne at Cal Lutheran, 7 p.m.
Redlands at Pomona-Pitzer, 7 p.m.
Whittier at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, 7 p.m.
Women's basketball
Cal State Los Angeles at Cal State San Bernardino, 5:30 p.m.
Cal Poly Pomona at Cal State Stanislaus, 5:30 p.m.
Antelope Valley at San Bernardino Valley, 1 p.m.
Victor Valley at Chaffey, 1 p.m.
Cerro Coso at Barstow, 1 p.m.
La Verne at Cal Lutheran, 5 p.m.
Whittier at Clarmeont-Mudd-Scripps, 5 p.m.
Redlands at Pomona-Pitzer, 5 p.m.
Baseball
La Verne at Biola, 1 p.m.
St. Martin's at Cal Poly Pomona (DH) 11 a.m.
Azusa Pacific at Cal State San Bernardino (at Fiscalini Field) , 1 p.m.
San Bernardino Valley, Chaffey at College of the Desert Tournament
Victor Valley at Southwestern, noon.
Softball
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps at Azusa Pacific, noon
Pomona-Pitzer at vanguard, noon.
Swimming and diving
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps at Redlands, 10 a.m.
Caltech at La Verne, 10 a.m.
Pomona-Pitzer at Occidental, 10 a.m.
SUNDAY
Baseball
St. Martin's at Cal Poly Pomona, 11 a.m.
Chaffey at Desert Tournament
Softball
Redlands at Concordia-Irvine, 11 a.m.
Want to check out some of the local college sports action? Well there are a lot of contests to choose from!
MONDAY
Women's basketball
Cerro Coso at Chaffey, 5 p.m.
WEDNESDAY
Men's basketball
Chaffey at San Bernardino, 7 p.m.
College of the Desert at Barstow, 7 p.m.
Rio Hondo at Victor Valley, 7 p.m.
La Verne at Caltech, 7:30 p.m.
Occidental at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, 7:30 p.m.
Pomona-Pitzer at Whittier, 7:30 p.m.
Women's basketball
Cal Lutheran at Redlands, 7:30 p.m.
Chaffey at San Bernardino, 5 p.m.
Rio Hondo at Victor Valley, 5 p.m.
College of the Desert at Barstow, 5 p.m.
THURSDAY
Men's basketball
UC San Diego at Cal Poly Pomona, 7:30 p.m.
Cal State San Bernardino at San Francisco State, 7:30 p.m.
Women's basketball
UC San Diego at Cal Poly Pomona, 5:30 p.m.
Cal State San Bernardino at San Francisco State, 5:30 p.m.
Redlands at Occidental, 7:30 p.m.
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps at Pomona-Pitzer, 7:30 p.m.
Whittier at La Verne, 7:30 p.m.
FRIDAY
Baseball
Westmont at Pomona-Pitzer, 2 p.m.
SATURDAY
Men's basketball
Cal State San Bernardino at Cal Poly Pomona, 7:30 p.m.
Barstow at Chaffey, 3 p.m.
Mt. San Jacinto at San Bernardino, 3 p.m.
College of the Desert at Victor Valley, 3 p.m.
La Verne at Redlands, 7 p.m.
Pomona-Pitzer at Occidental, 7 p.m.
Cal Lutheran at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, 7 p.m.
Women's basketball
Cal State San Bernardino at Cal Poly Pomona, 5:30 p.m.
Mt. San Jacinto at San Bernardino, 1 p.m.
Desert at Victor Valley, 1 p.m.
Barstow at Cerro Coso, 1 p.m.
Cal Lutheran at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, 5 p.m.
Pomona-Pitzer at Occcidental, 5 p.m.
La Verne at Redlands, 5 p.m.
Swimming and diving
La Verne at Pomona-Pitzer, 11 a.m.
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps at Cal Lutheran, 11 a.m.
Redlands at Whittier, 11 a.m.
Here's what's happening in local college sports this week
MONDAY
Women's basketball -
San Bernardino Valley at Cerro Coso, 6 p.m.
Chapman at La Verne, 7:30 p.m.
TUESDAY
Men's basketball
San Francisco State at Cal Poly Pomona, 7:30 p.m.
Women's basketball
San Francisco State at Cal Poly Pomona, 5:30 p.m.
WEDNESDAY
Men's basketball
Rio Hondo at Chaffey, 7 p.m.
San Bernardino Valley at Barstow, 7 p.m.
Victor Valley at Mt. San Jacinto, 7 p.m.
Whittier at La Verne, 7:30 p.m.
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps at Pomona-Pitzer, 7:30 p.m.
Redlands at Occidental, 7:30 p.m.
Women's basketball
San Bernardino Valley at Barstow, 5 p.m.
Rio Hondo at Chaffey, 5 p.m.
Victor Valley at Mt. San Jacinto, 5 p.m.
THUSRDAY
Women's basketball
Occidental at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, 7:30 p.m.
La Verne at Caltech, 7:30 p.m.
Cal Lutheran at Redlands, 7:30 p.m.
Pomona-Pitzer at Redlands, 7:30 p.m.
FRIDAY
Men's basketball
Humboldt State at Cal State San Bernardino, 7:30 p.m.
Cal Poly Pomona at Cal State Dominguez, 7:30 p.m.
Women's basketball
Humboldt State at Cal State San Bernardino,5:30 p.m.
Cal Poly Pomona at Cal State Dominguez, 5:30 p.m.
SATURDAY
Men's basketball
Sonoma State at Cal State San Bernardino, 7:30 p.m.
Cal Poly Pomona at Cal State Los Angeles, 7:30 p.m.
Antelope Valley at Chaffey, 3 p.m.
San Bernardino Valley at College of the Desert, 3 p.m.;
Barstow at Victor Valley, 3 p.m.
Clarmeont-Mudd-Scripps at Whittier, 7 p.m.
Redlands at Caltech, 7 p.m.
La Verne at Pomona-Pitzer, 7 p.m.
Women's basketball
Sonoma State at Cal State San Bernardino, 5:30 p.m.
Cal Poly Pomona at Cal State Los Angeles, 5:30 p.m.
Antelope Valley at Chaffey, 1 p.m.;
Victor Valley at Barstow, 1 p.m.
La Verne at Pomona-Pitzer, 5 p.m.
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps at Whittier, 5 p.m.
Redlands at Caltech, 5 p.m.
The San Bernardino Valley College men's soccer team blanked Chaffey 3-0 this afternoon to secure the first Foothill Conference championship in history.
The title is all the more noteworthy given that the Wolverines won just three games a year ago.
All say team chemistry and lack of work ethic were the major issues that held back what looked to be a talented team, at least on paper.
SBVC got first half goals from Ricardo Sigala and Daniel Topete with Stephen Campos adding an insurance goal in the second half.
Sophomore Daniel Angulo was the usual rock in goal. He collected 12 saves, one of them coming on a penalty kick by Edgar Llamas in the second half. It was his 10th shutout of the season.
There were a few congratulatory handshakes and the obligatory pictures but the celebration was pretty low-key, especially considering it was a first for the team. But that goes to show that this team has more than just a conference title in mind.
Chaffey has a quality team as well. It won the conference title last year and had a lot of those players back. So the Panthers could give other teams a run if they make the field for the playoffs as an at-large qualifier.
The San Bernardino Valley College men's soccer team can secure its first Foothill Conference championship in the sport with a win in Tuesday's 3 p.m. home game against defending champion and local rival Chaffey (9-3-4, 2-2-2).
The Wolverines (13-1-2, 5-0-0) have three games left and a two-game lead over Rio Hondo (7-7-5, 3-2-1) which has just two games remaining.
"Our guys are hungry," SBVC coach Josh Brown said. "They really want this and they're playing like it."
SBVC has already set a school-record for wins in a season and reached double digits in the win column for just the fourth time since the program's inception in 1990. The programs best finishes in the conference were second-place showings in 1991, 1994 and 2003.
SBVC has a nonconference game at Palomar on Friday and rounds out the regular season against Rio Hondo on Nov. 1.
The University of Redlands is busily preparing for its season opener on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Ted Runner Stadium against North Central (Ill.), ranked fourth nationally by D3Football.com. That's one heck of an opener!
Would have liked to have seen this matchup last year when the Bulldogs had a veteran quarterback in Dan Selway. But it is what it is.
The Bulldogs will have junior Chad Hurst at quarterback. He was Selway's backup last year. He played in four games and went 4 of 9 throwing but you can't read much into that because his time was in mop-up duty and the Bulldogs weren't going to be throwing and most of the time didn't have their other first-teamers in the game either.
This one will be tough for the Bulldogs to pull off, not just because of the caliber of the foe and having a new quarterback but because they are opening the season a week earlier than usual.
Coach Mike Maynard had six quarterbacks in the mix but went with Hurst because he was the backup last year so he has a better grasp of the offense. He also executed it better on the practice field.
Other local college games this week:
- San Bernardino Valley College at Chaffey, 6 p.m.
The Wolverines also have a new QB and all-world running back Kristin James is gone. SBVC's success will depend on the showing of the newbies. The defense also must perform better than it did last year because it will tough to have the same offensive production.
Chaffey lacked consistency on offense last year. Coach Carl Beach hopes to have remedied that problem. Charles King will be over center. But the Panthers will be without receiver Alex Jeffries.
- Victor Valley at Mt. SAC, 1 p.m.
You have to feel sorry for the Rams. This just isn't a fair fight. Let's hope the powers that be have a little mercy on the Rams when picking nonconference foes next year. Hopefully Dave Hoover's team can keep their collective headds up and not get too down after the first game.
Cottier, a Redlands High School greaduate, improved dramatically from his freshman year at SBVC to his sophomore year, in which he went from a .114 batting average in 2010 to a .336 batting average in 2011. He started 11 games in 2010 participating in 20 his freshman year, but in 2011, Cottier started 31 of 36 games and participated in 32. He was able to seamlessly move between catcher and first base throughout his sophomore year.
While he finished fourth on the team in batting average, Cottier finished first in slugging percentage with .573, led the team in home runs with 6, and led the team in defensive put outs with 217.
Biola went 38-22 overall and 25-11 in conference play last season. The Eagles got to the Golden State Athletic Conference tournament finals, but fell to Concordia. Then, the Eagles were invited to play in the NAIA Opening Round Tournament, but fell to Oklahoma Baptist University in double elimination.
San Bernardino Valley College basketball standout Paige Haynes has signed a letter-of-intent with Division I Northern Arizona.
The 5-foot-7 guard averaged 12.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.9 assist and 1.9 steals in helping the Wolverines to a 27-2 record and fourth straight Foothill Conference crown.
She led the team in assists and free-throw attempts and recorded a season-high 21 points four times, most notably against College of the Canyons in the Southern California semifinal.
Haynes is the second player from this year's team to head to a Division I porgram. Guard Jasmine Ray signed with Hawaii earlier.
Sophomore defender Monique Thomas, who helped the San Bernardino Valley College women's soccer team to a 20-1-4 record and a state championship, has signed a letter of intent with Minot State University in Minot, N.D.
Thomas, a product of Cajon High School, was an honorable mention All-Foothill Conference selection in 2010, helping fortify a defense that recorded 12 shutout, including five straight to end conference play.
Thomas is the 10th player from the title-winning team to advance to a four-year school.
Minot State is coming off a 9-7-3 season and the school is in transition from NAIA to NCAA Division II.
Salazar, a product of Fontana High School, was an honorable mention All-Foothill Conference selection for his freshman year, the 2009 season.
University of Maine at Machias is located in the town of Machias, about 30 miles southwest of the U.S./Canada border and about 325 miles northeast of Boston. The team went 8-10-1 overall and 7-4 in conference play. UMM is in the Sunrise Conference of the NAIA.
There will be no state title for the San Bernardino Valley College women's basketball team. It's a shame because it was a talented group. The school had already won two titles this school year and this team had a chance to make that three!
SBVC lost to College of the Canyons 69-67 in a third-round thriller at Snyder Gymnasium Wednesday night. It was a fun game to watch with both teams boasting some talented players.
Coach Sue Crebbin made the decision to suspend leading scorer Jasmine Ray for the contest. She came in averaging 13 points a game and she had 16 earlier this season against the same team in a game the Wolverines won handily.
Did Ray's absence make the difference? We'll never know. But give Crebbin credit for sticking to her principles. Let a player get away with something and soon everyone will be bending the rules and trying to get away with something.
SBVC men's coach Quincy Brewer has had to do the same thing.
Ray has already signed with Division I University of Hawaii. Hopefully this will be a lesson learned for her. And hopefully it sends a message to others and Crebbin won't have to resort to that again.
All Foothill-Conference honors have been handed out in men's and women's basketball. The biggest awards went to the most deserving. Some conferences and leagues water down the honors by naming a first and a second team as well as honorable mention. Some even name a third team.
But this conference does it right, just a first team, although the women have honorable mention. It's a tough, deep conference so being named is truly an honor.
Here's the complete list
MEN
Player of the Year - Keon Pledger, So., San Bernardino
Coach of the Year - Jeff Klein, Chaffey
All-Conference selections
Shelton Boykin,Fr., Antelope Valley
Deondre Brodie, So., Chaffey
Daquan Brown, So., Barstow
Dakota Downs, So., Mt. San Jacinto
Donte Godlock, So., Chaffey
Da'Shawn Gomez, So., Antelope Valley
Thair Heath, Fr., San Bernardino
Eric Lawton, So., Mt. San Jacinto
Aaron Moore, Fr., San Bernardino
Steffon Neal, So., Chaffey
LaVanne Pennington, So., Barstow
WOMEN
Player of the Year - Paige Haynes, So., 5-7, San Bernardino Valley
Coach of the Year - Sue Crebbin, San Bernardino Valley
All-Conference selections
Nisha Barrett, Fr., Barstow
Yvette Bennett, Fr., Antelope Valley
Darshae Burnside, Fr., San Bernardino
Amber Chavez, So., Victor Valley
Daniella Cooper, Fr., Mt. San Jacinto
Vanessa Gutierrez, So., Rio Hondo
Stephanie Hoskin, Fr., Cerro Coso
Brittani Jefferson, So., Antelope Valley
Tiana Jones, Fr., Chaffey
Janelle Junior, So., San Bernardino
Arione Nabors, So., Chaffey
Jasmine Ray, Fr., San Bernardino
Danielle Reed, So., Mt. San Jacinto
Missy Spoesltra, Fr., Desert
Honorable mention
[
Rosalind Barnes, So., Chaffey
Malika Jackson, Fr., Antelope Valley
Mechel'La Logan, So., Barstow
Ebony Mease, Fr., Victor Valley
Ashley Milan, Fr., Desert
Jeanette Ramirez, So., Rio Hondo
Terri Todecheeene, So, Mt. San Jacinto
Latosha Trainor, Fr., Cerro Coso
Jennifer Young, So., San Bernardino
The race for a community college state title is on. And there are five area teams still in contention. That group is led by the Chaffey College men and the San Bernardino Valley College women, both of whom won Foothill Conference titles this season.
Here is the complete rundown . . .
MEN
Wednesday's games
No. 17 Long Beach (14-11) at No. 14, Glendale (18-10)\]
No. 20 Oxnard (15-10) at No. 12 Antelope Valley (19-9)
No. 18 L.A. Southwest (16-12) at No. 15 Compton (16-10)
No. 19 Allan Hancock (14-13) at No. 16. L.A. Harbor (14-12)
Friday's games
No. 9 San Bernardino (17-11) at No. 8 Irvine Valley (21-7)
No. 13 L.A. Trade Tech (18-9) at No. 5 Chaffey (19-7)
No. 10 Barstow (22-6) at No. 7 Saddleback (24-6)
No. 11 Mt. San Jacinto (19-8) at No. 6 Riverside (19-10)
Saturday's games
Glendale-Long Beach winner at No. 1 Mt. SAC (21-5)
Oxnard-Antelope winner at No. 4 Citrus (23-5)
Southwest-Compton winner at No. 2 Southwestern (23-2)
Harbor-Hancock winner at No. 3 Santa Monica (20-7)
WOMEN
Wednesday's games
No. 18 Los Angeles Pierce (18-10) at No. 16 Chaffey (18-10)
No. 18 L.A. Trade Tech (15-11) at No. 15 Santa Barbara (20-10)
Friday's games
No. 9 Cypress (18-10) at No. 8 Antelope Valley (21-9)
No. 13 Riverside (17-12) at No. 4 Cerritos (23-6)
No. 10 Mt. San Jacinto (20-8) at No. 7 Canyons (22-7)
No. 14 Moorpark (18-8) at Mt. SAC (26-3)
Saturday's games
Chaffey-Pierce winner at No. 1 Fullerton (27-2)
No. 12 Southwestern (20-5) at No. 5 Orange Coast (22-8)
Santa Barbara-Trade Tech winner at No. 2 San Bernardino (26-2)
No. 11 Ventura (123-6) at No. 6 Pasadena (23-4).
The celebration hasn't stopped for the state champion San Bernardino Valley College women's soccer team.
The latest honor goes to sophomore forward Araceli Sanchez, who's been named the 2010 Division III Junior College National Player of the Year by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA).
Sanchez, 19, will be among the athletes honored at the annual All-America Luncheon to be held in Baltimore, Md., Jan. 15 as part of the 2011 NSCAA Convention.
SBVC coach Kristin Hauge will accompany her on that trip and be recognized for her selection earlier this month as the West Region Coach of the Year.
"It's nice recognition for our program, and lets the four-year schools out there know that we play pretty good soccer," Hauge said. "It lets them know they can come to us and find quality players."
Sanchez and Hauge led the Wolverines to their first 20-win season and state title in school history. It was just the second state title in any women's sport at the school, the first coming in 1974 in archery, which was discontinued four years later.
The Wolverines notched playoff wins over Bakersfield, Cypress and Ventura and followed with victories over Fresno City and Santa Rosa in the state tournament held at College of the Canyons.
"It really was the perfect season," Sanchez said. "We did everything we set out to do, and our hard work paid off."
Sanchez, a graduate of Moreno Valley High School, was earlier recognized as the Foothill Conference Player of the Year. She also earned first-team All-Southern California and all-state honors.
She had 12 goals and six assists in the regular season, and added three goals and two assists in the playoffs.
The next task for Sanchez is to decide on a four-year school. Hauge said that 30 to 40 are interested in Sanchez, who hopes to become a border patrol agent.
"I really haven't narrowed it down yet, but I would like to go out of state," she said. "It will be whatever school is the best for me athletically and academically."
Sanchez is pleased to be part of a group of players that have boosted the program into elite company.
"We had a great run," she said.
The San Bernardino Valley College men's basketball team is a work in progress. Remember it graduated its top nine players from a team that advanced to the state semifinal last March.
So the new look Wolverines are off to a 3-4 start, They did pick up an 86-79 overtime win over L.A. Trade Tech at the Wells Fargo Holiday Classic being held this year at Citrus College. They will face a formidable challenge today against the host Owls.
The Wolverines have played their usual tough schedule with early losses to perennial state title contenders Fresno and San Francisco among others. Coach Quincy Brewer likes to challenge his players and the nonconference schedule certinaly does that.
Sophomore guard Keon Pledger is talented. He was a little out of control today and tried too hard to force the action. He scored 22 points but was just 6 of 18 from the field. Brewer said that has not been characteristic of Pledger this season, sio chalk it up to a bad shooting night.
Kirby Gardner had 16 points with David Rawlinson adding 11 with five assists. Big man Thair Heath also looks to have potential he scored 10 and grabbed 11 rebounds. He was with the Wolverines last year but did not play, working his way back from a knee injury. He is going to get better and better as he gains confidence.
The Foothill Conference is loaded again so a repeat will not be easy.
The men's cross country team from San Bernardino Valley College already has won a state title this month. Could the women's soccer team be far behind?
The Wolverines advanced to the Final Four for the first time in school history with a 4-2 win over Ventura on Saturday. The game was not THAT close. SBVC had 15 shots to six for the Pirates. And the shots they had were all good shots as most of the game was played in the Ventura end of the field.
It was team that came out poised and aggressive from the start. Not even a gusting rain that blew across the field for most of the game could slow the determined Wolverines.
Goals were scored by Crystal Sanchez, Kayla Kellstrom, Amanda Simpson and Mariela Ortega.
Now its on to the state semifinal on Friday at College of the Canyons where SBVC will square off against Fresno at 4 p.m. This is a team that has overcome adverstiy time and time again. So I would not bet against it.
Soccer games don't get much better than the one between the women's teams from Cypress and San Bernardino Valley College which took place today.
The Wolverines (18-1-3) won it in penalty kicks after the teams battled through regulation and two overtimes tied at 1. SBVC had to play a man down for most of the second half and the OT's after a second yellow card to Angelina King.
The game got a little chippy, especially in the second half which led to some hard feelings on each side. SBVC got the short end because it had a player disqualified. The referee did nothing when a player from each tumbled to the ground, then the player from Cypress grabbed a fist full of jersey to prevent the SBVC player from getting up. Our photographer got a great picture of that!
A bit later the goalkeeper from Cypress shoved SBVC's Ruby Leon after a play in which Leon was racing toward the goal and been denied.
Give the SBVC team credit for playing through the adversity of being a person down for the better part of 50 minutes.
Then it went to penalty kicks, 11 for each team.Even the goalkeepers had to kick them. I can't think they have much practice kicking them, They usually have to focus on stopping them.
SBVC keeper Bianca Contreras was one of the heroes for the Wolverines. She made a penalty kick and stopped four, one of those to end the marathon game.
Crystal Sanchez had SBVC's goal in regulation and made her two penalty kicks in the shootout. Jensen Keith and Lauren Evans were stellar on defense all afternoon.
It's been a pretty good fall sports season at San Bernardino Valley College.
The men's cross country team came back from Fresno on Saturday with yet another state championship. That's five in a row and counting. That streak seems like it will go on as long as Wes Ashford is there as coach. This one was a little closer than the others but the streak is still in tact.
The football team went 7-4 overall. The Wolverines were 7-3 in the regular season and finished first in the American Division Mountain Conference. They lost a Bowl game on Saturday at L.A. Pierce but it doesn't take away from a fine season, led by the record-breaking showing of Kristin James.
It's hard to believe this team was 0-10 two years ago.
The women's soccer team is 17-1-3 with three straight Foothill Conference titles. They won a first-round playoff game on Saturday and host Cypress at 2 p.m. on Tuesday.
Those teams all have fine coaches that have done a lot with modest resources. It also goes to show you can win with local talent.
The San Bernardino Valley College men's cross country team coasted to its 15th consecutive Foothill Conference title on Wednesday at Guasti Park in Ontario. Coach Wes Ashford thought Antelope Valley might contend but it was ALL Wolverines.
SBVC placed seven runners in the top eight and 10 in the top 12. Ashford ran 17 athletes and they finished in the top 23 in the 66-man field. Sophomore Raymond Dominguez of SBVC took individual honors with a four-mile time of 20:09. Teammate Jonathan Lopez was second in 20:30.
Antelope Valley boasted the third place and ninth place runners but SBVC took fourth through eighth.
On the women's side Victor Valley repeated, turning back a challenge from Antelope Valley. Cheryl Eastwood, a first-year runner from Victor Valley, won the race in 18:25.
SBVC was fourth in the field with the best showing being a third-place from Yesenia Trujillo.
There are only four area college football games to choose from this week. They are . . .
University of Redlands (2-1) at Pomona-Pitzer (0-3), 7 p.m.
The Bulldogs are coming off a 24-22 loss to Cal Lutheran in which the difference was a blocked 40-yard field goal attempt with 25 seconds left. They are left to ponder the what ifs. Sometimes its hard to regroup after a game like that, especially against a foe whom you have handled easily. The Sagehens have a couple of offensive weapons but they don't have enough. And their defense won't contain the Bulldogs. Should be an easy win for Redlands.
Chapman (1-2) at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (3-0), 7 p.m.
The Stags have looked solid but their three wins are over teams with a collective record of 2-8. we may not know much this week either with Chapman only 1-2. CMS must avoid looking past this game to Redlands next week. I see them getting by here too though.
Occidental (2-1) at La Verne (0-3), 1 p.m.
The poor Leopards can't seem to get a break. They are coming off a 20-14 loss to CMS last week. CMS coach Steve Retzlaff said he was impressed with La Verne's progress but unfortunately for the Leopards that hasn't manifested itself in the win column in too long. La Verne nearly upset Oxy last year and the Tigers don't seem to have quite the firepower they had then. But it's hard to pick a team to win that hasn't proved that it can. Oxy will get by again.
The lone JuCo game on tap as both Chaffey an Victor Valley are idle.
San Bernardino Valley (2-2) at Southwestern (2-2), 6 p.m.
The Wolverines have some momentum with back-to-back wins over Santa Monica and Citrus, the latter coming on the heels of a record-breaking performance by Kristin James who is doing better at hanging on to the ball. SBVC has looked suspect on defense but has gotten bye on its offensive firepower. If James runs wild again, that will open it up for the passing game. Look for SBVC to get past the .500 mark for the first time this season.
Three of the seven area college football teams are off this week and one that is playing will be on the road. So there aren't many games to choose from.
Linfield, Ore. (0-1) at University of La Verne, 12:30 p.m.
Linfield has had two weeks to sit and stew about its 47-42 loss to Cal Lutheran. La Verne lost its opener to what looks like a very good Azusa Pacific team, also two weeks ago. La Verne's running game looked much improved and that's a good thing. It needs to do well there to have any chance at all of pulling a major upset and snapping its 12 game losing streak which dates back to the end of the 2008 season. Would love to call an upset here but it looks highly improbable.
In the community college ranks . . .
Chaffey (2-1) at Ventura (2-1), 6 p.m.
The Panthers are coming off a 17-13 loss to Saddleback which doesn't look as dominating as it has been in the past. Chaffey has some nagging injuries, one of those an elbow injury to talented back Erin Madden who will probably be out a minimum of three weeks according to coach Carl Beach. That will hurt big time. Chaffey's offense has not been firing on all cyclinders and it needs to here to get the win on the road.
Santa Monica (2-1) at San Bernardino Valley (0-2), 6 p.m.
A year ago this might have been an easy game but Santa Monica has improved, although its nonconference schedule has not been as challenging as some. The Wolverines had a lot of players banged up two weeks ago in the loss to Riverside. The key here may be how the secondary of SBVC holds up. It has been torched badly in the first two games. Coverages has to be better for the Wolverines to get the W!
Saddleback (2-1) at Victor Valley (0-3), 1 p.m.
The Rams continue their gauntlet of difficult nonconference games. This looks like the most winnable of the four with the trip to High Desert never an easy one for opponents. The Rams have had a revolving door at quarterback. Dave Hoover finally settled on one - Courtney Patton. But he injured an ankle last week and is questionable. Even if he does go the injury will probably take away some of his mobility which is his strong suit. So the Rams will probably be hard-pressed to pull this one off.
There aren't a lot of games to pick from if you want to take in a local college football game this weeekend.
The University of La Verne (0-1) and San Bernardino Valley College (0-2) are idle and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (1-0), Pomona-Pitzer (0-1) and Chaffey College (2-0) will all be on the road.
The University of Redlands (1-0) will host Whitworth, Wash. (1-1) at 7 p.m. on Saturday at Ted Runner Stadium. The Bulldogs opened their season with a 21-10 win at East Texas Baptist last week. That looks like a good win given that team's big win the previous week.
This will be the second straight week the Bulldogs will be defending a star player. Not that you want to focus and entire game plan on one player, but Whitworth does rely on all-everything back Adam Anderson much the way East Texas revolved around its quarterback Sed Harris.
Redlands has the benefit of a solid quarterback and leader in Dan Selway, who is finally exhausting his eligibilty - foes in the SCIAC wil be happy to know. The Bulldogs do need to develop a running game, something coach Mike Maynard says has been a focal point in practice this week.
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps is going up to Pacific (Ore.) for a 1:30 p.m. game. That team is probably worse than the Lewis & Clark team it beat last week. Expect the Stags to move to 2-0. How good they are is still anybody's guess given the level of competition.
Pomona-Pitzer, which lost to Whitworth 35-7 last week, goes up to Lewis & Clark. So the Sagehens and quarterback Jacob Caron have a good shot at win No. 1.
In the junior college ranks Victor Valley (0-2) will be at Riverside (1-0) for a 6 p.m. showdown. The schedule makers did the Rams no favors. Don't get coach Dave Hoover started on that subject!
Chaffey (2-0) is off to an impressive start too but will face a tough task in marching down to Mission Viejo to square off against Saddleback, the No. 14 team in the state.
Don't look now but it is already time for the area junior colleges to kick off their football seasons. All will be playing their season openers this Saturday. It will be Chaffey (4-6) heading to San Bernardino Valley College (5-5) for a 6 p.m. showdown and Mt. SAC (12-1) heading up the hill to square off against Victor Valley (6-4) in a 1 p.m. tussle.
It should be a very interesting season. At Chaffey, veteran coach Carl Beach has had his hands full. Not just because heading a football program is a time-consuming job. He has the added burden of serving as interim athletic director which gives one a handful of other headaches. Then there's the renovation of the old gym which had housed the football offices, meeting area and weight room. For now things are pretty spread out.
Beach is more confident in his quarterback situation than he has been the last few years. The struggles of the offense were the main reason for the subpar showing recently.
Meanwhile Kevin Emerson worked some magic at SBVC in his debut in 2009, turning a 0-10 team into a more than respectable 5-5 one. The Wolverines won four of their last five games, topped off by a huge upset of then-unbeaten LA Harbor in the regular season finale. That says it all about where this program could be headed if it gets the proper administrative support. And that's a big IF given what seems to be a lack of commitment to athletics in recent years.
Then there is Mr. intensity up at Victor Valley in Dave Hoover. The Rams are always going to play hard and be competitive. Numbers are up and Hoover said he has more depth and quality depth than he has had before in his 10-year tenure. He had problems with a lot of his out-of-state players last year but has weeded out the undesirables, That can only help.
More on all the local teams coming up this week with separate previews of each school.
Former San Bernardino Valley College football standout Mike Langston has been named to the Division II 2010 preseason All-American second team by the Sporting news.
Langston, out of Ramona High School in Riverside, handles all the kicking duties for Dixie State in St. George, Utah.
Langston, who will be a senior, finished seventh in the nation in punting, averaging 41.6 per kick on 70 attempts. He had 14 punts downed inside the 20 and 12 for more than 50 yards.
He also converted nine of 12 field goal tries and 21 of 27 extra points.
Two more San Bernardino Valley College women's soccer players have decided on four-year schools. Sophomore midfielder Sylvia Fuentes is headed to Division I University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff while sophomore midfielder Christine Meza will attend Mississippi Valley State University.
Fuentes, out of Moreno Valley High school, totaled 20 goals and 20 assists in her two years with the Wolverines. She was a two-time first team All-Foothill Conference selection, earning MVP honors as a freshman.
Meza, out of Rialto High School, was a second-team All-Conference selection, with two goals and five assists.
The duo helped SBVC (19-1-4) to the best season in school history as the Wolverines advanced to the Southern California Regional final before losing to Ventura.
Four former baseball standouts at San Bernardino Valley College played together again this season at Mid-American Christian University in Oklahoma.
The quartet is led by junior shortstop James Frederick (Rialto HS), who played third place last year and earned Golden Glove honors for SBVC. He hit .397 in 50 games and led the team in most offensive categories. He had 14 doubles, three triples, six home runs, 39 runs scored and 59 RBI. Among his big hits were two grand slam home runs.
Frederick is now headed to play summer ball with the Watertown Wizards of the New York Collegiate Baseball League.
Junior catcher Adrian Carmona (Riverside Rubidoux HS) played in 29 games. He hit .420 with 12 home runs and 28 RBI.
Junior outfielder Sammy Lewis led the Evangels in runs scored with 49 and hit .321.
On the mound senior right-hander Ryan Vollkommer was 3-5 with an 11.65 ERA in 13 appearances. He did pick up the win in the team's regular season finale by pitching a scoreless ninth inning of a 5-4 win over Oklahoma Christian
The team went 21-27 overall and 9-19 in the Sooner Athletic Conference.
It's a busy day on the local college basketballl front as four teams continue their quest for titles today.
The majority of the action will be going on in the Great Northwest as the Cal Poly Pomona women are at Seattle Pacific to take on Alaska Anchorage in the NCAA Division II West Region Tournament. That game will tip off at 5:30 p.m.
If I had to pick a team it would have to be Anchorage. The Seawolves went to the Final Four the last two years while the Broncos have a roster full of players that have never been to the playoffs. Its a game between the fourth and fifth seeds which is usually a tossup so I hope I'm wrong.
Meanwhile the Cal Poly men and Cal State San Bernardino men are about a 90 mile drive away at Western Washington University for the men's regional. The Coyotes will play CCAA foe Humboldt State (again) at 2:30 p.m. while the Broincos will follow against Dixie State (Utah).
As far as Cal State-Humboldt . . . have to go with the Coyotes who have beaten them two of three meetings this season and, for the most part, have won all the big games against the Jacks, And it's on a neutral court, another reason to favor the Yotes.
Take the Broncos all the way. Dixie is the team most in the tournamenr wanted. Never been to the playoffs,m out of a weak conference, the list of reasons goes on and on. The Broncos are seasoned and playing well. No reason to think they won't win that one.
Closer to home, the San Bernardino Valley College men play Foothill in the community college state quarterfinal at Cal Lutheran in Thousand Oaks at 5 p.m. The Wolverines have won 20 straight games. Make it 21 after today!
The San Berndino Valley College men's basketball team opens play in the CCCAA Elite Eight at 5 p.m. on Friday at Cal Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks. The next foe for Quincy Brewer's Wolverines (30-2), who have won 20 straight games, will be Foothill (22-7).
That seems to bode well for SBVC, the No. 1 seed out of the South, as Foothill is the No. 4 out of the North. Foothill was only the No. 14 seed in the North draw so they are the Cinderella story of the playoffs thus far.
The Owls do play in a competitive conference with their most notable foes being Ohlone and San Francisco, so they can not be overlooked.
The one man playing like a beast right now is Orlando Brazier - 45 points and 24 rebounds in the last two playoffs games. I like SBVC's athleticism and depth. They also have the experience, with an entire team of players that went to the Elite Eight last year, only to lose in triple overtime because they couldn't make a free throw.
All the games will be well worth watching if you're in the area!
Here is the men's quarterfinal schedule . . .
Game 1
Irvine Valley (S-3) vs. San Francisco (N-2), 1 p.m.
Game 2
Saddleback (S-4) vs. Ohlone (N-1), 3 p.m.
Game 3
Foothill (N-4) vs. San Bernardino (S-1), 5 p.m.
Game 4
San Jose City (N-3) vs. Citrus (S-2), 7 p.m.
The women's quarterfinals are on Thursday. Here is that schedule too.
Game 1
Pasadena (S-4) vs. San Francisco (N-1), 1 p.m.
Game 2
Mt. San Antonio (S-3) vs. Santa Rosa (N-2), 3 p.m.
Game 3
Chabot (N-4) vs. Fullerton (S-1), 5 p.m.
Game 4
Laney (N-3) vs. Ventura (S-2), 7 p.m.
The SBVC men's basketball team did it again! This time it was Aaron Edwards lofting up a 3-pointer with 1.4 seconds left to give the Wolverines an 80-77 win over Southwestern in a Southern California Regional Final.
It was the 20th straight win and sends SBVC into the Elite Eight for the second straight year. The tournament will not be in Fresno this year. It will be at Cal Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks.
It wasn't looking good for the home team. It was down 77-72 but scored eight points in the last 37 seconds. It helped that the Jaguars completely melted down and forgot out to inbound.
The furious finish started when Nate Roth hurled up a 3, (he was four steps beyond the arc at the top of the key), with 28 seconds left. That made it 77-75. Then there was a scramble for a loose ball at the same end. Orlando Brazier came up with it and threw it in to Maurice McGee for an easy two - tie game 77-77 with 15 seconds left.
Again the Jaguars threw the ball away. After a time out SBVC got the game-winner. Roth passed th ball to Sydney Hall, who everyone in the gym thought was taking the shot. He has been the guy in that situation all year. But he deferred to Aaron Edwards who had a more open shot - nothing but net.
Brazier was a beast - 25 points and 15 rebounds. He has been the guy coming up huge in the playoffs. No one else wa in double figures although McGee had nine. Hall, Roth and Tre Brewer had eight each. Hall also had seven assists.
Great game! .
The San Bernardino Valley College men's basketball team is on the court getting ready for a 7 p.m., game against Chula Vista Southwestern., One player is no where to be found, at least not yet. That's Maurice McGee.
The only reason it's a little odd is that coach Quincy Brewer benched him for last Saturday's game because he was late showing up for pregame. The Wolverines won without him. Brewer was disappointed because he said McGee had the best week of practice he has had in his two years at the school.
I'll definitely be checking into that situation. McGee is the team's leading scorer. The Wolverines have a lot of depth so they can win without him but it will be tougher. Then again it might be better because having a player not on the same page with the rest of the team can also be a distraction.
If Brewer did kick him off the team it's an admirable move for a team with so much on the line. But it also shows that the coach doesn't put up with crap from anyone.
SBVC has won 19 games in a row but Souithwestern is no slouch. It has won 18 straight.Southwestern has a very large (a round) player in Charles Joseph. But the Wolverines have three athletic big men to throw at him, even without McGee,
We'll see
Well Maurice is here. He wasn't out on the court early when players were shooting around but did come out for the final few minutes. He is not starting though. We'll see when and if he makes his first appearance in the game.
McGee made his first entrance with 11:20 left in the first half. He ended up playing 17 minutes (of the 40) with nine points, six rebounds and two blocks.
One would think that the SBVC basketball players know by now that Coach Quincy Brewer isn't messing around when he sets down the rules. Well one guy hasn't learned.
Sophomore forward Maurice McGee was benched for Saturday's playoff game against Los Angeles Pierce because he showed up late for pregame preparation. This isn't the first time McGee has been benched but it is a bit surprising he can't be counted on the day of a playoff game.
If Brewer can't get through to him, no one can because McGee is his nephew.
The Wolverines prevailed 77-64. It wasn't the prettiest of games. SBVC never got in synch on offense but played well on defense, holding the Brahmas to 36.4 shooting from the field and forcing 23 turnovers.
They got outrebounded 49-44 which virtually never happens because they have so many strong, athletic big men. McGee's absence was noteworthy there.
But Orlando Brazier came up big with 20 points and nine rebounds.Tre Brewer contributed 11 with reserve D'Shaun Holden adding 10.
SBVC, winner of 19 straight games, now will host Chula Vista Southwestern at 7 p.m. next Saturday.Southwestern upset Bakersfield at Bakersfield Friday so the Wolverines are going to need a better effort next time.
But if the coach has his full complement of players it shouldn't be a problem.
Well it was one winner and one loser among the locals as the junior college playoffs started on Friday.
The San Bernardino Valley College women defeated Palomar 58-55 in most dramatic fashion as freshman Janelle Junior hit a three-pointer in the closing seconds for the final margin of victory.It was the only bucket of the game for Junior, who had been a pivotal player in SBVC's stretch run.
Tanee Denson-Griffen tallied 21 points and seven rebounds. She was the lone player in double figures although Kimberly Kipp had nine rebounds and seven blocks, while playing on a very bad knee. Paige Haynes had nine points.
No. 7 SBVC (25-5) now plays the winner of Ventura and Cypress, most likely to be Ventura.
The No. 11 Chaffey men were on the other side of a thriller but came up short, losing to No. 6 Saddleback 66-64. Anthony Cammon led the way with 21 points while Mo Hughley had 14 points and 10 rebounds. Second-leading scorer Matthew Wallace was held to seven poinbts.
Ironically, the SBVC women beat Palomar in the same round last year and the Chaffey men lost a buzzer-beater to the same team, although it was one round later.
The SBVC men are up tonight, hosting L.A. Pierce at 7 p.m. The pressure is squarely on the Wolverines, who are the top seed in the South,
The junior college playoffs get underway this weekend with both San Bernardino Valley College teams and the Chaffey College men in action.
The Chaffey men will play at Saddleback at 7 p.m. on Friday. It's an interesting matchup because the Gauchos eliminated the Panthers from the playoffs last year 63-61 on a last second shot. It will probably one of the better games of the night across the state and features teams from the two premier conferences.
The San Bernardino Valley women are seeded No. 7 and will host No. 10 Palomar, also on Friday. SBVC beat the Comets in the playoffs last year and bested them on a neutral court in the first game this season for both teams.
The SBVC men will wait one more night. They will play at 7 p.m. on Saturday against Los Angeles Pierce. SBVC is the top seed in the South, deservedly so. The Brahmas beat Moorpark on Wednesday to earn a berth opposite SBVC, which has won 18 straight games.
The pairings and seedings are out for the community college playoffs. It should be no surprise that San Bernardino Valley is No. 1 The Wolverines will have a bye and play on Saturday against the winner of Wednesday's game between Los Angeles Pierce and Moorpark.
SBVC (28-2) ran the table in the Foothill Conference and that's not easy to do. It has won 18 straight games with the last loss coming more than two months ago.
Chaffey drew the No. 11 seed and will be on the road Friday at No. 6 Saddleback. Don't count out Coach Jeff Klein's Panthers.
On the women's side SBVC got the No. 7 seed and drew a home game on Friday with Palomar. Coach Sue Crebbin's team played the Comets in the first game of the season on a neutral floor and won.
Here is the rundown . . .
MEN
Wednesday's games
No. 17 Moorpark at No. 16 Los Angeles Pierce
No. 20 Miramar at No. 13 Antelope Valley
No. 19 Mira Costa at No. 14 Los Angeles Valley
No. 20 Santa Ana at No. 15 L.A. Trade Tech
Friday's games
No. 9 Southwestern at No. 8 Bakersfield
No. 12 Cerritos at No. 5 Mt. SAC
No. 11 Chaffey at No. 6 Saddleback
No. 10 Mt. San Jacinto at No. 7 Cuesta
Saturday's games
Moorpark-L.A. Pierce winner at San Bernardino Valley
Santa Ana-LA Trade tech winner at No. 2 Citrus
Mira Costa-L.A. Valley winner at No. 3 Riverside
Miramar-Antelope winner at No. 4 Irvine Valley
WOMEN
Wednesday's games
No. 17 Los Angeles Southwest at No. 16 Santa Barbara
No. 18 Cypress at No. 15 Santa Monica
Friday's games
No. 9 Antelope Valley at No. 8 Grossmont
No. 10 Palomar at No. 7 San Bernardino Valley
No. 14 Mt. San Jacinto at No. 3 Mt. SAC
No. 13 Irvine Valley at No. 4 Pasadena
Saturday's games
LA Southwest-Santa Barbabra winner at No. 1 Fullerton
Cypress-Santa Monica winner at No. 2 Ventura
No. 11 Canyons at No. 6 Los Angeles Trade Tech
A pair of easy victories were not enough to keep the San Bernardino Valley College men's basketball team in the No. 1 spot in the state poll. For the second time this season the Wolverines lost their No. 1 status without losing.
This time it is Ohlone (20-4), out of northern California, that has jumped ahead of the Wolverines (26-2), who have won 16 straight games with the last loss coming on Dec. 18 to Irvine Valley.
But Ohlone totaled 231 points, just one more than SBVC. Rounding out the top 10 are Citrus (188), San Francisco (186), San Jose City (167), Cosumnes River (167), Mt. SAC (165), Saddleback (160), Riverside (156) and Sequoias (156).
Chaffey (17-8), which lost in overtime to Rio Hondo on Friday, fell four spots to No. 17.
No doubt the Wolverines will be back in first next week, This poll has been inconsistent all season.
On the women's side SBVC (22-5) fell from eighth to ninth despite winning both games last week in comfortable fashion.
Four San Bernardino Valley College football players have made decisions on four-year colleges.
Defensive back Dexter Fowler (Silverado HS), a second-team All-Mountain Conference selection, is headed to Division II Southwest Missouri State. He recorded 19 solo tackles and 18 assisted ones with two interceptions, eight pass breakups and one recovered fumble.
Wide receiver Eric Charles (San Gorgonio) and defensive lineman Kemaine Thurston (Arroyo Valley) are both going to Southwest Oklahoma State. Thurston tallied 44 solo tackles and 35 assisted with 1.5 sacks and two recovered fumbles.
Wide receiver Aaron Barlow, who was injured much of last season, is headed to Division II California-Pennsylvania.
The San Bernardino Valley College men's basketball team is back in the No, 1 spot of the state poll for the third time this season. But this time they are tied for the top spot with Riverside,
SBVC (22-2) has won 10 straight games but faces a challenging week. It will host No. 14 Mt. San Jacinto (17-6) on Wednesday and No. 13 Chaffey (15-6) on Friday. Both games should be thrillers. The first time SBVC played Mt. San Jacinto it won 104-100. That's a lot of points and a lot of action.
And the first time it played Chaffey, it was 98-96 . . . Also in overtime. It doesn't get any better than that.
Here's the poll . . .
1 . San Bernardino 22-2
Riverside 19-4
3. Ohlone 17-4
4. San Jose City 19-4
5. Citrus 21-2
6. Fresno 19-5
Mt. SAC 20-4
8. Saddleback 20-4
9. Foothill 16-6
10. Chabot 16-5
11. Irvine Valley 20-3
12. Cosumnes River 16-5
13. Chaffey 15-6
14. Mt. San Jacinto 17-6
15. Sequoias 18-6
16. San Francisco 19-3
17. Yuba 19-4
18. Cuesta 20-5
19. Bakersfield 18-5
20. American River 14-7
And this was just the first game of Foothill Conference play!
San Bernardino Valley College (15-2) emerged with an 85-84 win over Antelope Valley in the conference opener for both teams at Snyder Gymnasium. If all conference games are going to be like that, and most coaches think they will be, we're in for quite a ride.
Both teams had double-digit leads in the second half. Antelope (9-7) was up 76-66 with 4:25 to go so SBVC had to mount the last rally.
The formidable presence of the Wolverines big men was pivotal down the stretch. They finished with 11 blocked shots, five of those by Maurice McGee. McGee's last came on a driving shot by Nick Bennett with Antelope clinging to an 82-80 lead and 1:22 left.
SBVC eventually went up 85-84 on a fall-away jumper by Nate Roth who was well defended on the play.
Then came more dramatics. Rod Singleton drove the lane and lofted a shot that was poked away by Curtis Wilkinson. Antelope's Jason Logan scrambled for the loose ball and threw up a shot that was well off the mark. But again the Marauders got the rebound.
This time it was scooped up by Gary Winfield but his last attempt was defended by Wilkinson and Aaron Edwards, although Edwards got credit for the block.
Whew!!!!
The Chaffey College and San Bernardino Valley men's basketball teams both look primed and ready for Foothill Conference play which starts Wednesday.
The local teams were both impressive in tournaments last week with the Panthers (9-4) winning the Cougar Classic at College of the Canyons and the Wolverines (11-2) besting the competition at Imperial Valley.
The Foothill Conference is esily the best conference in the state. Last year it qualified five teams for the playoffs and all five win at least a game, with SBVC advancing all the way to the Elite Eight where it lost in triple overtime
Competition should every bit as intense this year.
SBVC may have more depth than any other team in the state. It has interchangeable parts - multiple perimeter threats, multiple ball-handlers, multiple big men. And it has big game experience. Maybe it has TOO many players because some times individual agendas get in the way.
The Panthers are playing the same style they always play - always up-tempo, always entertaining. Sophomores Matthew Wallace and Anthony Cammon have been the stellar performers thus far.
Both begin conference play at home. Chaffey will host much--improved Barstow and SBVC will entertain Antelope Valley, a team it beat 71-70 in tournament play earlier. Both will tip off at 7 p.m., or immediately after women's games which get underway at 5 p.m.
As expected the SBVC men's basketball team dropped from its perch of No. 1 in the state poll released on Monday.
The Wolverines (9-1) suffered their first loss last week against Mt. SAC in the Wells Fargo Classic at Riverside. They bounced back with two nice wins after that, including a heart-stopping 71-70 win over Antelope Valley in which the difference was a buzzer-beater by Syndey Hall.
SBVC fell to No. 3 with Riverside, which won the tournament, inheriting the top spot.There is lots of local representation in the top 10 with Citrus at No. 4 and Mt. SAC at No. 6.
In the South Region, SBVC is No. 2, Citrus No. 3, Mt. SAC No. 4, Chaffey No. 11 and Barstow No. 15.
On the women's side SBVC (7-2) jumped tow places to No. 7. It losses have been to No. 1 Ventura and No. 5 Mt. SAC.
So much for being undefeated and being ranked No. 1 in the state.
The San Bernardino Valley College men's basketball team lost to No. 10 Mt. SAC 88-83 at the Wells Fargo Holiday Classic tonight at Riverside Community College.
Coach Quincy Brewer said he saw it coming. Apparently his Wolverines practiced all week like they were a little full of themselves and believing a little too much in their press clippings. That happens, especially at the junior college level.
Mt SAC shot 57.1 percent from the field, scoring 54 points in the paint. It beat SBVC up and down the court all night, turning many of its 27 turnovers into easy points at the other end.
SBVC shot a still solid 55.2 percent but the 27 turnovers to 16 assists tells the story. It was also outrebounded 88-83.
SBVC had the game in reach with six minutes to play but its shot selection left a lot to be desired. Jacking up ill-advised 3-point tries early in the shot clock is a sign of panic.
The Wolverines didn't know what it was like to be in a close game because they had pretty much cruised through their previous seven. This was a good loss because it is one the players can learn from before they get into conference play.
SBVC clealry has the talent to go all the way. It just needs to be a bit more disciplined and a bit more focused.
Nate Roth led SBVC with 20 points, seven assists and five steals. Tre Brewer added 16 and Maurice McGee 13.
Mt. SAC got 25 from Antonio Biglow and 14 from Demarkus Isomjones. Three others had 11 including Laquenten Jones who also had 12 assists,
The best season in school history for the San Bernardino Valley College women's soccer team is still going.
The Wolverines, coached by Kristin Hauge, advanced with a 1-0 win over Los Angeles Pierce in a second round game on Tuesday. Sarahi Bransford scored the only goal of the game, assisted by Sylvia Fuentes.
The Wolverines play Saturday for the right to advance to the state's Final Four.
SBVC is now 19-0-4. Even before the win the team had set a record for most wins in a season as well as goals scored. Tuesday's win also marked the first time it had advanced past the second round.
Former San Bernardino Valley College basketball standout Lance Hurdle is playing for the Bakersfield Jam of the NBA's Developmental League. He was a fifth-round draft selection by that team earlier this month.
Hurdle, a native of San Diego, is coming off a two-year run at the University of Miami. He spent his freshman and sophomore seasons leading the backcourt at SBVC.
The D League is equivalent to what professional baseball has in the minor leagues. Guys that show some potential can indeed get a shot at the next kevel.
San Bernardino Valley College has something special in its men's cross country team. There probably is no other sport where the athletes work harder but get less attention.
The Wolverines just won their fourth straight state title, crushing the competition in the annual meet held at Woodward Park in Fresno. This was supposed to be a rebuilding year because the Wolverines graduated five of their top seven from the team that won the third in a row.
They won by 70 points. That's like winning a soccer game 5-0, a basketball game by 40. You get the picture.
There is no such thing as rebuilding with this team. Four straight state titles is especially admirable at the junior college where you're turning over an entire team every two years.
The school's entire program appears on the upswing. Not only was there the state title by the men, but the SBVC women's soccer team improved to 18-0-4 with a first round playoff win on Saturday. They are in the midst of the best season in school history.
The men's soccer team showed marked improvement and the football team went from 0-10 in 2008 to 5-5 in 2009.
Both basketball teams won Foothill Conference titles last year and the men are currently ranked No. 1 in the state.
There is a lot to be excited about at 701 S. Mount Vernon.
The San Bernardino Valley College football team turned in what may be the biggest upset in Southern California this season when it stunned previously unbeaten L.A. Harbor 29-21 Saturday night.
That makes the Wolverines 5-5. While that typically isn't a record most coaches get excited about, you have to consider where this team came from.
It took a 15-game losing streak into this season, and lost the first four this season, making it 19. Then came signs of things to come. The Wolverines reeled off four in a row. They were the games that looked like the most winnable even before the season started.Those four teams SBVC beat finished a combined 7-33.
This win was special because it came over a quality foe, one that came in unbeaten and averaging 500 yards a game and 50 points a game on offense. It looked a little suspect on defense but the gaudy statistics it put up offensively more than compensated.
Kevin Emerson did a heck of a job with this team and he wasn't hired until late July. Imagine what he can do when he has a full year!
It has been a long time since either San Bernardino Valley College or Cal State San Bernardino went into the end of a men's soccer season with much on the line. But the Wolverines and Coyotes are both having outstanding seasons.
With the quality of the area's youth soccer leagues there is really no reason the programs at both can't be successful. Their rosters are full of local products, with a few others complimenting that mix.
The Cal State men, coached by Noah Kooiman, have already clinched a spot in the CCAA Tournament. They are 14-3-1 overall and 10-3-1 in conference play. It's the third-best record in the history of the program dating back to 1984-85 and surpasses the 1993 mark of 13 wins. The all-time mark is 16 set in 1987.
The Coyotes have two regular season matches left, both against local rival Cal Poly Pomona.
At SBVC, Coach Josh Brown's hard work is starting to pay off. The men are 10-5-3, 2-2-1 in the Foothill Conference with three matches to go. The Wolverines will be hard-pressed to finish ahead of Rio Hondo, which has won 100 titles in a row. So It's only nine. But you get the picture.
But the Wolverines could still make the playoffs and that would be huge, especially considering they won just three games last year. Winning at the junior college level is also hard because there is so much turnover. But Brown's team is made up of mostly freshmen, which bodes well for next year too!
The loss was the 16th straight dating back to the 2007 season and SBVC lost to the same team 34-17 a year ago. But Emerson wasn't ready to call the showing to a powerful foe from the upper division a moral victory.
``We want to win games. That's the bottom line," Emerson said. ``You guys can call it whatever you want. We had every opportunity to win the game and didn't get it done. We have to go work harder this week.''
It was a battle of defense and kickers since neither team could find the end zone. COD's only points came on field goals of 31 and 39 yards by Brett Symonds and SBVC doing the same with Jaime Garcia hitting from 25 and 30 yards. Each team made two of four field goal tries with the misses being more the fault of the other offensive personnel.
The Wolverines had the chance to win the game in the closing seconds, taking over possession at their own 34 after a COD fumble following a 40-yard play. The drive was hardly a fluid one as they appeared to be done in twice only to be bailed out by a COD offside and a pass interference call three plays later.
With a second-and-14 at the COD 39 quarterback Robert Fuller flipped the ball off to Eric Charles who then lofted the halfback option pass down field to an open Marcus Williams but the pass was just a little long with 22 seconds to go.
The same play had worked for a 21-yard gain midway through the third quarter.
A 14-yard completion to Williams with 14 seconds left gave SBVC a first down. It worked the ball down to the 25 with Fuller running 10 yards and keeping the ball in the middle of the field for the field goal try with two seconds left.
Desert called two time outs to ice the kicker but Garcia never really had a chance as the offensive line broke down, preventing him from getting a clean effort off.
Desert had the ball first in the overtime and needed just four plays, scoring when Gaston Bailey hauled in a nine-yard toss from backup quarterback Cameron Epting.
SBVC never got much going on its turn and the game ended with Fuller's 16-yard completion to Williams on fourth down short by two yards.
SBVC totaled 284 yards offense. Fuller, who red-shirted last year at Utah State, went 15-of-33 for 155 yards. He also ran for 37 on seven tries. Ronnie Yarber led SBVC ball carriers with 53 yards on 12 carries.
COD managed 198 with Epting throwing for 106.
SBVC hurt itself with penalties. It was called for 12 penalties for 180 yards. It had an 11-yard scoring pass from Fuller to Eric Charles in the first half nullified by an illegal block. Then in the fourth quarter Jim O'Brien, one of the many SBVC standouts on defense, ran back an interception 19 yards for a touchdown which was called back by an offsides.
The SBVC defense turned in some punishing hits, one of which sent starting quarterback J.D. Buonantony out of the game for good with 9:22 left in the half. He had tucked the ball and run and was stopped by a defender though he was still on his feet. Another defender came in from the other direction and leveled him.
``I hope we showed people we can play good football tonight,'' Emerson said. ``We're going to win some games.''
The Wolverines will play at Riverside next Saturday in the Bell Game.
Sophomore guard Ashleigh Frazier (Redlands East Valley) has signed a letter of intent with Academy of Art University in San Francisco.
She helped the San Bernardino Valley College Wolverines to back-to-back Foothill Conference title teams, inlcuding the 2007-2008 team that tied the school record for most consecutive wins and most wins a season.
She was a first-team All-Foothill Conference selection, averaging 8.l7 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists. Her best games were a 22-point showing against Victor Valley and a 21-point effort against Chaffey.
She plans to major in photography.
The Urban Knights compete in the Pacific West Conference and are coming off a 6-20 season in their first year at the Division II level.
Redshirt sophomore midfielder Megan Dias of San Bernardino Valley College has signed with Division II Wayne State College in Nebraska.
Dias, out of Colony High School, is SBVC all-time scoring leader. In two seasons she amassed 24 goals and 11 assists.
Wayne State competes in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference and is coached by Molly Graham who will be entering her first year.
With the college baseball season coming to a close in less than two weeks and four teams fighting for first place in the Foothill Conference, it was understandable if things were a bit tense as Chaffey and San Bernardino Valley College squared off on Thursday.
The biggest explosion came in the first inning, but things settled down after that and the Panthers emerged with an 8-3 win over the Wolverines. The two teams meet again Saturday in a doubleheader at Chaffey starting at noon.
"This was big to win the first game," Chaffey coach Jeff Harlow said. "It's easier to lose two than win two, so the first game is huge, especially coming here and winning."
The Panthers (26-11, 16-3) came out of the gates strong, scoring in the first frame when Gerry Hernandez singled home Chris Lemus. But then came the fireworks.
Hernandez rounded first after the hit and was tagged out by SBVC first baseman Chris Sautia. Umpire Bill Barnes originally ruled Hernandez safe, which upset SBVC coach
Bill Mierzwik, who came out to argue. After the umpires conferred, Hernandez was called out, which set off Harlow and led to a heated altercation between the coach and umpire.
Harlow admitted he was surprised he wasn't tossed, but said the umpire bumped him first, and Mierzwik said he had planned to get tossed if the call wasn't changed in his favor.
Chaffey broke the game open, going up 4-2 on a towering home run by Willie Holmes in the seventh inning off starter Kevin Ryan. SBVC (22-15, 13-6) crept back, though, with an unearned run in the seventh to make it 4-3, but the Panthers put the game away with four runs in the eighth, aided by two Wolverine errors.
That was more than enough for Chaffey's Colby Gurney (10-0), who scattered seven hits, struck out eight and gave up three runs before getting relief help in the ninth from Derrick Duran.
Catcher Nick Hartman had three of Chaffey's 11 hits. Holmes and Christopher Haas had two each. SBVC got three hits and two RBIs from sophomore third baseman James Frederick, and Evan Erickson had two hits.
"We have won the games we're supposed to win, but when it comes to playing the better teams, we haven't put all three facets of the game together," Mierzwik said. "We have to do that, because they're a good team."
San Bernardino Valley College is looking for a head football coach.
Pat Meech is still with the program but is giving up the head coach responsibilities. In addition to serving as an assistant coach he is on the faculty as a physical education instructor. The change in job status was approved at Thursday's meeting of the Board of Trustees.
The timing makes a bad situation worse. The Wolverines are coming off a 0-10 season. They were the only winless team in Southern California and one of two in the state, the other being Contra Costa. Count the last five games of the 2007 season and SBVC will go into 2009 riding a 15-game losing skid.
Meech said family was the primary reason he decided to take a step back. He and wife Stephanie have two daughters ages 9 and 12.
``It is a combination of things but the biggest thing is my priority
at home. I want to spend time with my daughters and their school activities and it's hard to do that with all the time it takes to be a head coach.''
``Obviously the timing isn't good,'' athletic director Dave Rubio
said. ``I believe Pat has the best interest of the program in mind.''
Despite the change in his title Meech has been handling recruiting. He has tried to be honest with those athletes he is recruiting.
``I have told them that there is some reorganization going on but I have tried to emphasize the reasons why we're a still good option for them,'' he said.
Despite the lateness of the move Rubio is confident the school will still be able to bring in a strong candidate.
``I guess there were rumors out there because I have gotten calls from all over the country asking about the job,'' Rubio said. ``It's hard to say right now how fast we can fill it but we'll do the best we can.''
There is likely to be a lot more shuffling of the coaching staff as
well. Offensive coordinator Ric Lucore left during the offseason to take a job on staff at the University of Redlands. Defensive
coordinator Ted Clarke has also departed. Ernie Madrigal, J.T.
Thomas and Rick Pesquera remain on staff with a couple of others undecided.
The Wolverines went 13-37 in Meech's five years with a 5-5 mark in 2006 the only season in which the team did not finish with a losing record.
Last year the Wolverines weren't close that often. They averaged 19.3 points per game and gave up an average of 45.8 points. The only game decided by a touchdown or less was a 34-28 setback at Mt. San Jacinto. A tough nonconference schedule didn't help.
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.
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."
Sophomore tight end Keith Myers of San Bernardino Valley College has signed with Division II Livingstone College, located in Salisbury, N.C.
Myers, a 6-foot-5, 225-pounder, started 20 games in two years with the Wolverines, totaling 515 receiving yards and four touchdowns.
The Blue Bears play in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association and are coming off a 3-6 campaign.
remained undefeated and in first place with a 69-64 win over the
Eagles.
Sophomore point guard Eisha Sheppard, out of Victor Valley High
School, led the charge with 24 points. Dwayanna Pullum contributed
12 points and seven rebounds and Ashleigh Frazier added 11. Brittany
Thompson tallied 15 rebounds.
Danielle Smith had 19 points and four assists to lead the Eagles
(18-6, 5-2).
to give the Wolverines a 76-66 win over visiting Mt. San Jacinto
Saturday in Foothill Conference play.
The win lifted SBVC (19-7, 6-1) into a tie for first place with
the Eagles who started the day unbeaten and with a one-game lead in
the conference.
Orlando Brazier added 20 points and nine rebounds and Sidney Hall
added 13 points and three assists. Warren Fuselier dished out a
team-high seven assists.
Melvin Goins led the Eagles (17-8, 6-1) with 19 points, five
rebounds and three assists.
The biggest difference came in shooting as he Wolverines shopt
46.5 percent and Mt. San Jacinto anaged just 36.1.
The San Bernardino Valley College women's basketball team may have a bit of a different look this year after graduating its top six players. But the Wolverines showed they aren't going to give up their Foothill Conference title easily.
The unranked Wolverines stayed on top of the conference with a 54-47 win over No. 8 Antelope Valley Saturday afternoon at Snyder Gymnasium, breaking a first-place tie between the two teams
The two teams came in tied for first place. It was also the second of four straight games against state-ranked foes for the Wolverines (14-8, 5-0). SBVC was coming off an 83-71 win over No. 12 Chaffey on Wednesday.
"We had 10 left, now nine," SBVC coach Sue Crebbin said. "We know every game in this conference is going to be a battle."
The first half ended with SBVC up 23-18, although neither team played its best basketball.
It wasn't until the middle of the second half that the Wolverines made the run that separated themselves from the Marauders (19-7, 4-1) for good.
Up 33-31, SBVC went on a 13-1 run, seven of those points coming from sophomore Dwayanna Pullum. Her last bucket in that run, a 3-pointer, boosted SBVC to a 46-31 lead with 5:48 to play. Pullum finished with 19 points.
The run was also fueled by a strong performance on the boards, with Pullum and Brittany Thompson shouldering the load. The Wolverines finished with a 53-46 advantage in that category.
"We don't rebound and we're not going to win," Crebbin said. "I challenged the guards to go in and help out there and they did a good job."
The Marauders didn't go away easily though. They were still down by double digits at 50-40 with 2:42 to go but were able to close the gap. They scored five of the next seven points, cutting it to 52-45 on a pair of free throws by Brittney Lloyd.
They had a chance to cut into that lead further, but a Lloyd miss was corralled by Pullum with 28 seconds left. The Wolverines were able to hang on from there.
Pullum, the lone SBVC player in double figures, also collected nine rebounds. Thompson snagged 11 boards and had nine points. Eisha Sheppard and Ashleigh Frazier had eight rebounds apiece.
The Marauders, who shot 31.3 percent (15-for-48) and had 21 turnovers, were led by sophomore forward Florida Siaosi, a former Sultana High School standout. She led all scorers with 22 points and had 14 rebounds, three steals and a blocked shot.
SBVC travels to No. 13 Rio Hondo (19-4, 3-2) on Wednesday and faces No. 11 Mt. San Jacinto (17-5, 4-1) at home next Saturday.
Things started out bad and got worse for the San Bernardino Valley College men's basketball team. The end result was a 78-61 loss to Antelope Valley in Foothill Conference play Saturday at Snyder Gymnasium.
The Wolverines (17-7, 4-1) started the day tied for first with Mt. San Jacinto. But SBVC didn't play like a first-place team.
The Wolverines shot just 38.7 percent (24-for-62) from the field, including a woeful 2-for-11 from long distance. They made just 11 of 23 free-throw attempts and committed 17 turnovers.
What coach Quincy Brewer saw was a team clearly not ready to play.
"We have to learn to handle success," he said. "We had won our first four conference games and they were feeling a little too good. We clearly weren't focused or concentrating on the game at hand."
The Wolverines were lucky to be in the game as long as they were but that was because the Marauders (15-10, 3-2) also got off to a slow start.
At the midway point of the first half Antelope Valley led 10-7. And it was just 28-22 at the half.
The Marauders fared better coming out of the locker room. They shot just 38.5 percent in the opening half but managed to shoot at a 59.3 percent clip in the second.
An 18-6 run to start the half separated the teams for good, with a fast-break bucket by Nick Sanchez giving the Marauders a 46-28 lead that was never seriously threatened.
Antelope Valley had four players finish in double figures, led by Rod Singleton's 20 points. Kyslean Reed added 15 points, 14 rebounds and five blocks.
SBVC got 17 points and nine rebounds from Maurice McGee. Warren Fuselier and Nathan Roth chipped in with 13 each, with Fuselier also credited with adding five assists.
SBVC also was outrebounded 48-33.
"They were organized, more disciplined and they just outplayed and outhustled us. There is no other way to put it," Brewer said. "Give them credit."
SBVC will look to get back on track on Wednesday at Rio Hondo.
basketball team started a gauntlet of four straight games against
state-ranked Foothill Conference foes, the first being local rival
Chaffey.
The Wolverines got that off to a good start, turning back the
No. 12 Panthers 83-71 Wednesday at Snyder Gymnasium to remain tied
for first in the conference with Antelope Valley, their opponent on
Saturday.
``You have to get the ones at home so this was important,'' SBVC
coach Sue Crebbin said. ``We tend to play well here so it was all
about defending home court because this conference is so tough.''
SBVC (13-8, 4-0) led most of the game with Chaffey's only leads
being 2-0 and 12-9.
The Wolverines led 38-31 at the half and upped that advantage to
12 points twice in the second half. Each time the Panthers made a
run, the Wolverines answered. The visitors used an 8-0 run to get in
striking distance at 45-41 with13:16 to go.
But Kimberly Kipp hit a 3-pointer from the corner to stop the run.
SBVC ended up getting the lead back to 11 at 54-43.
The Panthers (16-6, 3-2) inched closer again with a pair of free
throws by Aundria Anderson cutting the deficit to 55-50 with 8:31 to
play. Again the host team answered. This time it was Ashleigh Frazier
with her fourth 3-pointer of the game.
Then when Chaffey got it back to five again at 58-53, SBVC
answered with a bucket inside by Kipp, then a 3-pointer by Keyanna
Stewart, making it 63-53. The closest Chaffey ever got after that was
eight points.
``They made a few runs on us and we did a good job of not getting
too rattled,'' Crebbin said. ``That's one thing about this team. They
tend to just keep playing.''
The second half was a sloppy one. SBVC had 14 turnovers, after
only committing three in the first half. The Wolverines hit only 15
of 28 free throws in the half after making 13 of 15 in the first half
although they did hit seven of eight in the last minute. Three SBVC
starters fouled out.
Frazier tallied a game-high 21 to lead all scores. She also
collected six rebounds and four assists. Point guard Eisha Sheppard
added 20 with Kipp contributing 14 and six rebounds as SBVC shot 45.1
percent (23-for-51).
Chaffey, which shot 41.5 percent (22-of-53) for the game, was
led by Anderson with 17 points and nine rebounds.
was a controversial call that made the difference as San Bernardino
Valley College emerged with an 81-78 win over the Panthers in
Foothill Conference play Wednesday.
The contest was even at 78-all with 15 seconds to play in
overtime and the Wolverines with the ball. Nate Roth dribbled down
the lane and lofted up a runner that went in and appeared to give the
Wolverines the win. Not so fast.
The referees called a foul and appeared to be waving off the
basket. After the three officials huddled they ruled the basket good,
with the foul not being a charging on Roth but a loose ball foul.
SBVC had the lead 80-78 and the basket was good but Chaffey's Winston
Robinson was at the line at the other end to try and tie the game.
Neither coach liked the call. SBVC's Quincy Brewer thought a
blocking foul should have been called.
``It was blocking foul, if anything,'' he said. ``But there were a
plethora of calls on both ends. That was just one of them.''
Chaffey coach Jeff Klein was understandably more disturbed.
``That was really terrible,'' he said. ``There was the same call
earlier in the game and it went against us. It's a sad day when the
referees take the game away from the kids.''
Robinson missed both his free throws and SBVC's Curtis Wilkinson
snagged the rebound, only to be immediately fouled with a second
left. He missed the first but made the second, giving the Wolverines
an 81-78 lead. But it still wasn't over.
Turner inbounded the ball and unleashed a long throw that was
grabbed by Lamar Williams right at the 3-point arc. His shot which
would have tied the game and resulted in double overtime was just off
the rim as time expired.
The dramatic finish was only fitting. SBVC (17-6, 4-0) led by 21
in both halves, up 50-29 three minutes in. The Panthers (18-5, 2-2)
chipped away slowly and eventually took their first lead since 4-0
when Robinson connected on a 3-pointer that gave Chaffey a 69-67 lead
with 44 seconds left in regulation.
Roth evened the game with a pair of free throws with 37 seconds
to go.
Chaffey missed two chances at the game winner on its end, the
second tip by Turner off the rim and grabbed by SBVC's Orlando
Brazier.
SBVC was led by Roth with 22 points. Warren Fuselier was next
with 19.
``I was disappointed we almost let it slip away,'' Brewer said.
``We have to learn to close out games.''
Chaffey was paced by Robinson with 22, including three 3-pointers.
Turner added 20 and Trone Jackson 11.
``I was proud of the way we fought and came back,'' Klein said.
``They're a talented team.''
SBVC will host Antelope Valley at 3 p.m. Saturday while Chaffey
travels to Barstow for a 7 p.m. contest.
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."
Staff Writer
RIVERSIDE - The San Bernardino Valley College men's basketball team
looked every bit the underdog. The Wolverines, with 12 freshmen on
their 13-player roster, were squaring off with the defending state
champion Citrus in first round play at the 39th annual Wells Fargo
Holiday Classic. It was the veteran Owls emerging with an 80-74 win
Wednesday at Riverside Community College.
The No. 2 Owls (11-1) had to rally back from an 11-point deficit in
the second half and did so helped by SBVC foul trouble. The
Wolverines (8-3) were called for seven team fouls in the first 3:30
of the second half with both Orlando Brazier and D'Shaun Holden
picking up their third and fourth of the game in that stretch.
Citrus made SBVC pay, hitting 22 of 27 tries from the stripe in the
game. SBVC made just 11 of its 12.
``We have to learn to play smarter basketball,'' SBVC coach Quincy
Brewer said. ``We play hard but we haven't played smart and when that
happens you're not going to beat a good team down the stretch.''
SBVC had its biggest lead at 52-41 six minutes into the half on a
fast-break bucket by Aaron Edwards.
The Wolverines still led at 56-48 with 11:05 to go but didn't get
another field goal for five minutes, in which time Citrus went up
64-59 with SBVC commiting six turnovers in that stretch.
SBVC struggled the rest of the way. Citrus built a 10-point lead at
71-61 with 3:30 to play but the Wolverines clawed back. With a
five-point lead the Owls Jose Rivera rushed up a 3-pointer with 2:46
left and SBVC got the rebound. Warren Fuselier scored on a fast break
to cut the gap to 71-68 with 2:36 to play.
But that was close as the Wolverines would get. Citrus added to its
lead on a fast-break layup by Kelly Johnson and never looked back.
``They (SBVC) are a very tough team to attack because they're so
quick at every position,'' Citrus coach Rick Croy said. ``They do a
good job of attacking and they're fearless.''
The first half was tight from start to finish with the biggest lead
by both teams being four points. There were five ties and 10 lead
changes, the last one coming when SBVC's Brazier scored on a put back
to give the Wolverines a 28-27 lead with 5:51 to go. The half ended
with SBVC up 37-35
The biggest discrepancy came at the free-throw line where the Owls
went 12-of-12 while the Wolverines went 3-of-6.
Brazier led all scorers with 19 points. He also had nine rebounds.
Fuselier added 15 with five assists and four steals as SBVC shot 39.5
percent.
Citrus, which shot 41.5 percent from the field, had a balanced attack
led by Los Osos product Curtis Eatmon and Rivera with 11 points
apiece. Troy Payne snagged 14 rebounds while Johnson had a team-high
four assists.
The Owls will face Saddleback in a 3 p.m. quarterfinal today.
Saddleback advanced with a 63-58 win over Imperial Valley. The
Wolverines drop into the consolation bracket and will face Imperial
Valley at 6 p.m.
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.
The San Bernardino Valley College men's cross country team is the state champion -- again.
The Wolverines captured their third straight community college state title Saturday at Woodward Park in Fresno. The Wolverines had three runners in the top 10 and five in the top 25.
SBVC had a total of 50 points, 27 more than runner-up San Diego Mesa. Rounding out the top five were Orange Coast (147), Rio Hondo (172) and Mt. SAC (210).
"It feels great," coach Wes Ashford said. "Every year is a new year so it's different. I'm just happy for the kids because they worked hard to get here."
Sophomore Carlos Perez led the effort, finishing third over the four-mile course in 20:19.05. He also placed third individually last year. It is his fourth straight state title, dating back to his CIF championship teams his last two years at Barstow High School.
Sophomore Matt Sartori, another holdover from last year's team, was fifth (20:23.85). Also scoring for the Wolverines were Jared Bain (10th in 20:36.58), Art Parra (18th 20:56.06) and Manuel Bueno (21st in 20:5926).
The non-scoring runners were Ankur Joshi (25th in 21:02.01) and Ronell El-Amin (35th in 21:09.72).
"We felt good warming up but you never know what the other teams are going to do so I told them just to focus on ourselves and running our own race," Ashford said.
The Wolverines, who won the Foothill Conference and Southern California Regionals earlier this season, both by wide margins, celebrated by racing go-karts and playing laser tag at a nearby gaming facility before heading home.
"I promised them if they won they could mess around and have a little fun," Ashford said.
Freshman A.J. Pulice of Victor Valley qualified as an individual. He placed 69th (21:34.87) out of 199 runners.
Orange Coast won the women's title with 84 points, just edging out second-place Glendale (86).
Victor Valley qualified two girls, as Melissa Hernandez was 64th (19:64.06) and Monique Hoover was 71st (20:07.64) out of 191 athletes.
The San Bernardino Valley College women's soccer team isn't going to have long to celebrate its first-ever Foothill Conference title.
The Wolverines (15-6-3) are busily preparing for their first-round playoff game against Cerritos (17-0-4), which isn't just the top seed but the top-ranked team in the country.
Coach Kristin Hauge was informed of the playoff draw on Tuesday and is excited about the first-round matchup at 2 p.m. Saturday at Cerritos.
The teams played a nonconference game three weeks ago and the Falcons emerged with a 3-2 win. SBVC felt good about that game because it has been the only team this season to score on Cerritos more than once.
"We felt good about the way we played and we're looking forward to getting another chance," Hauge said. "Yes it is going to be tough, but we like the challenge."
The Wolverines will be making their second tournament appearance in school history. The first came last year when they advanced as conference runner-up but defeated Victor Valley 1-0 in a first-round game. They were eliminated in the second round by Cuyamaca 3-1 in overtime.
The Wolverines are led by freshman forward Sylvia Fuentes, the conference's most valuable player. She has scored 12 goals and nine assists and is second on the team in points to Sarahi Bransford (17 goals, 11 assists).
SBVC also has a solid goalkeeping duo in sophomore Jackie Jaime and freshman Maria Magana.
``We have nothing to lose, so we're up for the challenge," Hauge said.San Bernardino Valley College men's basketball team had a successful debut under new coach Quincy Brewer, going 3-0 at a tournament hosted by Los Angeles City College.
The Wolverines defeated Los Angeles Pierce 91-81, host Los Angeles City 94-86 and conference rival College of the Desert 104-88 in the championship game.
Sophomore guard Warren Fuselier earned Most Valuable Player honors, tossing in 20 points with five assists in the championship game. Also making the all-tournament team were freshman guard Alex Jacobs and freshman forward Maurice McGee.
Brewer isn't overexcited though.
"I'm never to up or too down. I'm always in the middle," he said. "We got big leads, like 18, 20 points. But then we didn't put teams away. We have to learn to do that."
The Wolverines will make their only home appearance until January Saturday when they host L.A. City at 3 p.m.
Most soccer coaches don't have the luxury of more than one good keeper. So San Bernardino Valley College women's coach Kristin Hauge considers herself blessed. She has four. It's one of the reasons the Wolverines (15-5-3) were able to clinch the first Foothill Conference title in school history and notch a school-record number of wins.
The SBVC quartet is led by sophomore Jackie Jaime (Kaiser HS) and also includes freshmen Natalie Guevara (Rialto), Maria Magana (Arroyo Valley) and Vanessa Vasquez (Moreno Valley Canyon Springs).
Hauge said she watches all four warm up before a game before making the decision on who will start.
"It's a bummer because it's hard to get them all playing time," she said. "They good thing is that they all work well together and they push each other every day in practice."
Magana got most of the playing time early and has a 1.35 goals against average in 1,197 minutes. Jaime, the starter last year, has seen more playing time of late because of her experience working with backfield defenders Serina Stephens, Tiffany Jones and Brianna Jones. Jaime has an 0.57 average in 636 minutes.
The Wolverines have totaled 11 shutouts with just one game left in the regular season, a 3 p.m. game at Chaffey on Wednesday.
San Bernardino Valley College sophomore quarterback Mike Stadler did not play in Saturday's 28-10 American Division Mountain Conference loss to Compton.
He has played through a sore shoulder much of the season and head coach Pat Meech said the problem was likely worsened by a hit he took against San Diego Mesa two weeks ago. He will have an MRI Monday.
Freshman Danny Laugen, a graduate of Colony High School, got the start and fared admirably, completing 13 of 23 passes for 149 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He was sacked four times.
He has seen some playing time because of Stadler's nagging injury but got the majority of the reps in practice last week.
"He showed great improvement," Meech said. "He hung on to the ball too long a couple of times but nothing major. That comes with experience."
Next week the Wolverines (0-6, 0-3) play at Mt. San Jacinto (0-6, 0-3) which has struggled as well.
"It's going to be a test of character," he said. "We're both struggling and hungry for a win. It will be a matter of who keeps it together and is able to perservere."
[
Jimmy Paulson, a fixture in the athletic department at San Bernardino Valley College for nearly 50 years, died last week at the age of 69. Paulson graduated from Pacific High School in 1956 and SBVC in 1959.
While at SBVC he was a student manager for the baseball and wrestling teams. After a brief stint in private business, Paulson was offered the position of athletic equipment manager by Sylvester Heinberg, the chair of the physical education division and coordinator of athletics. He served in that position from 1962 until retiring in 1997, when he was inducted into the SBVC Hall of Fame.
During 35 years as athletic equipment manager, Paulson worked with 45 head coaches, six athletic trainers, five athletic directors, five physical education division chairs and more than 10,000 athletes, 134 of whom played professionally and 12 who qualified for the Olympics.
A moment of silence was held before Saturday's football game against Compton. Trainer Mike Sola is looking into a more permanent tribute to the mainstay.
The San Bernardino Valley College and Victor Valley College football teams were beat up and abused by foes from the stronger National Division for the last three weeks.
Now they get to take on opponents in the same boat. The two open American Division Mountain Conference play against each other at 1 p.m. in Victorville Saturday.
That means one team will stop the bleeding while the other will continue its freefall.
Both SBVC coach Pat Meech and Victor Valley coach Dave Hoover have been critical of the new scheduling and conference alignments that have the perceived weaker teams playing the power teams first in nonconference.
Overall the weaker teams went a cumulative of 6-42 against the big boys. The Rams are coming off a 73-13 shellacking by Mt. SAC while the Wolverines were thumped by Saddleback 69-14.
"It's like going out and playing USC every week when you're San Jose," Meech said. "You don't stand much of a chance."
"I don't see what good it does anyone," adds Hoover. "We didn't benefit by playing those teams and they certainly didn't get better by playing us."
Victor Valley started its season by playing Riverside, Palomar and Mt. SAC - teams ranked 25th, 11th and first in the state respectively.
SBVC also played Riverside but also faced No. 14 Desert and No. 17 Saddleback.
The Rams were more competitive, at least staying close for a half in their first two games.
SBVC has been manhandled by a cumulative score of 154-41 with most of its points coming at garbage time. It also has a losing streak of eight games that includes the last five games of 2007.
"We're definitely in need of something positive to build on," Meech said. "But I can't fault the effort. Our guys are showing up every single day and working hard. They just haven't had much to show for it."
The plight of the teams shows up in the statistics columns. In scoring offense Victor ranks 27th (14.7 ppg) while SBVC is 28th (13.7) of 37 teams. In scoring defense the Rams are 34th (47 ppg) while SBVC is 36th (51.3 ppg).
The Rams are a lofty sixth in passing offense (254.9 ypg) thanks to the effort of freshman quarterback O'Ryan Bradley but are just 29th in rushing (72.3 ypg).
SBVC is 27th in passing (158.7) and 35th in rushing (20.7).
The two teams are close defensively with the Rams 29th against the run (217.7) and 17th against the pass (195.3) while the Wolverines are 35th against the run (268.7) and 18th against the pass (198.3)
"In the past to win our conference you had to go undefeated so losing the first game really puts you behind the eight-ball," Hoover said. "It's a little different now. No one knows how this is going to play out but both of us really need a win."
It is a relatively light schedule for the local colleges. Chaffey (3-0) heads to Grossmont (1-2) for a 1 p.m. contest against the former Foothill Conference juggernaut.
But the University of Redlands, which is ranked in three national polls, is idle along with Pomona-Pitzer (1-1) and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (1-1).
La Verne (0-1) will host Willamette (Ore.) at 1 p.m.
concern to San Bernardino Valley College football coach Pat Meech.
The Wolverines dropped their season opener 34-17 Saturday at College
of the Desert. The new conference alignment and playoff structure has
teams in the lesser division like SBVC playing teams in the so-called
power division before their own conference play starts so the chances
of a 0-3 start are definitely there.
But Meech isn't looking at it that way.
``We haven't put much emphasis on it so I don't think our kids are
that aware of who is in what division. We're just trying to go out
there and get better each day,'' he said. ``In the past you played
like teams in non-conference. Then it got tougher when you played
conference. This is really the other way around but you still hope to
win or two.''
The Wolverines got off to a slow start and it was all uphill after
that. They had turnovers on their first three possessions - an
interception off a tip and two fumbles. The Roadrunners turned all
three into touchdowns to go up 21-0 and led 26-0 before the
Wolverines scored.
The rushing game only managed 22 yards, 11 of that coming on a
touchdown run by Dewayne Booker. Meech said the lack of productivity
was the result of a combination of things. The offensive line didn't
play up to par but the backs also didn't find some of the holes that
were there. The deficit also forced the Wolverines to abandon the run
early.
The air attack, directed by sophomore quarterback Mike Stadler,
did tally 219 yards. Booker caught four passes for 20 yards while
Robert Anderson snagged three for 50. The biggest play was a
54-yarder to Aaron Barlow. Meech was most pleased with his line in
that regard.
``We did a pretty good job of protecting the passer,'' he said.
``That was good to see because we were hurried quite a bit last
season.''
The defense performed adequately enough, given the poor field
position most of the night. Top tacklers were strong safety freshman
Ricky Pesquera, sophomore defensive back Justin Solis and freshman
defensive end Jim O'Brien.
A couple of injuries in Thursday's practice forced a change in
personnel. Center Hugo Garcia (ankle) and defensive lineman Bobby
Martinez (knee) actually got hurt on the same play. Both missed
Saturday's game but are expected back for next week's rivalry game
against Riverside which opened its season with a 52-31 win over
Victor Valley.
Meech said he would likely make some personnel changes when the team
takes to the practice field today. The coaching staff spent much of
Sunday breaking down the game film, as well as going over the RCC
game.
RCC leads the series 35-28 but the teams last played in 2002. SBVC's
last win in the series was in 1996 - 32-20.
Meech, who lives in Riverside and assisted Tigers coach Bill Brown
for two years before taking the head job at SBVC, is looking forward
to the contest dubbed ``The Bell Game.''
``It will be a lot of fun,'' he said. ``Most of these kids had a real
rivalry game in high school so I hope this takes them back. It will
be good to re-establish this rivalry. We're neighboring communities
where there are a lot of ties.''
Dress rehearsals are over. The curtain on the new football season comes up for real Saturday with all area junior college teams in action.
The most notable game will take place in the neighboring county as Victor Valley travels to Riverside Community College's Wheelock Field for a 6 p.m. showdown for the first ever meeting between the schools.
Two other games that would have been Foothill Conference contests in the past are now just nonconference tuneups after a complete retooling of the playoff structure. Chaffey will host Mt. San Jacinto while San Bernardino Valley College travels to College of the Desert, both kick off at 6 p.m.
Riverside and Chaffey are both part of the tougher Central Conference of the National Division while SBVC and Victor Valley are both in the weaker Mountain Conference of the American Division.
The nonconference games loom large for SBVC and Victor Valley because just two of the eight playoff berths will come from the American Division so this gives them a chance to show they belong.
The team in the stronger conference need to win against what are considered lesser foes because of the competition they will see in conference later in the season. The National Division will have six teams in the playoffs, including a handful of wildcards.
But coaches are focusing on the task right in front of them.
"Every game is as important as the next," said Riverside coach Bill Brown, starting his seventh year. "We haven't talked about any other team but Victor Valley."
Riverside was 4-5 a year ago. Sophomore quarterback Coy Glass, a Redlands High School product, leads the offense after sharing duty there last season. Brown indicated he would probably use several running backs and receivers to see who emerges.
The Rams, coming off a 3-7 season, scrimmaged Antelope Valley and Pomona-Pitzer last week and coach Dave Hoover was pleased, especially with his offense. He went through four quarterbacks last year and the offense never did click.
"We churned out some big plays and that's something we were lacking last year. We couldn't move the ball to save our life," he said. "Defensively we're quite young so I'm not quite sure what we have there. But that's something most coaches are probably saying this time of year."
Riverside will be the first of three tough nonconference games for the Rams. Next up is Palomar, then juggernaut Mt. SAC. Hoover is hoping his team survives the tough nonconference grind.
"Health is my biggest concern, playing the teams we're playing to start out," he said. Do I think we can win all three? No. But we're going to compete and I think we can play with anyone in our conference. But one or two injuries and we become very average very fast."
Both SBVC coach Pat Meech and Chaffey coach Carl Beach said right now there is not much of a different feel to the season since they are playing familiar foes, although in a different situation.
"I don't think it's much different for us as coaches because we're still playing teams we know and have played in the past," Meech said. "You're getting player turnover every couple of years so there isn't much familiary with any opponent."
SATURDAY GAMES
MT. SAN JACINTO at CHAFFEY
Time: 6 p.m.
About MSJ: The Eagles are looking to erase the memory of a 1-8 season in which the lone win came over San Diego Mesa. Second-year coach Casey Mazzotta returns QB Colin Wigley and inherited a transfer from SBVC in RB DeShaun Smith. The offensive line they have to work should be much improved led by Jose Acuna and center Sol Sagaio. Top defenders are OLB Ezra Latu, DE Zack Van Deusen and MLB Cole Moseley.
About Chaffey: The Panthers defeated the Eagles 28-10 last season in what was then a conferfence game. It is now a non-conference showdown. Greg Sprowls will run the offense called by new coordinator Matt Bechtel. Leading rusher Jahmel Rover (knee) is out so the Panthers will rely on backfield-by-committee with Tyler Thompson, John Alejandro and Matt Chase sharing the workload. Top cover man Mike Fields (knee) is also out but the Panthers should create pressure up front which is where their experience should be a factor. The biggest question mark will be Chaffey's kicking teams.
VICTOR VALLEY at RIVERSIDE
Time: 6 p.m.
About Victor: Coach Dave Hoover is excited about the potential of his offense led by quarterbacks Elisah Filipili and O'Ryan Bradley, both of whom should see playing time. Bradley is a transfer from UNLV where he tried to walk on. Hoover likes also likes the progress of his offensive line which consists of Alex Mitchell, Beau Humphrey, Louis Morales, Ramon Sandoval and Andrew Gomez - all High Desrt natives. WR Jarrett Partman will be out this week. Eric Brinkley, who has moved from linebacker to safety, and Aaron Mosley key the defense.
About Riverside: Redlands product Coy Glass directs the Tigers offense. Coach Bill Brown will use a stable of running backs in the early going with Cedric Foster, Ben Irwin, Ivan Lopez and Tanner Paes among those seeing action. Travis Carter, Corey Ham (Redlands) and Tommy Curry will be the key receivers. T.J. Tuigamala is the most experienced lineman. Jamell Murry and Andrew Smith (Redlands) lead the defense.
SAN BERNARDINO VALLEY at DESERT
Time: 6 p.m.
About Valley: Sophomore QB Mike Stadler returns but he will be surrounded by mostly newcomers - the most notable being San Bernardino High School alumn Dewayne Booker. He will backed up Devan Libran. Thad Quist and Terrance Humes anchor the offensive line with Humes coming back from a knee injury that sidelined him most of last season. Leaders on defense are S James Hutchins and LB Cordelle Nugent.
About Desert: The Roadrunners were conference champion last year in what was the Foothill Conference. They defeated the Wolverines 27-14 in that run. QB Brent Rausch (Hawaii) has departed but Desert inherited its usual boatload of out-of-state transfers with almost 50 from outside California.
- Compiled by Michelle Gardner
San Bernardino Valley College football coach Pat Meech knows his school lacks the resources to compete weekly against the more traditional powers in Southern California. Now he doesn't have to do so.
The junior college season will kick off this week and the entire conference structure and playoff format has been reworked. The Foothill Conference no longer exists. Adios Mission Conference. Sayonara Western State Conference.
The sport will now be governed under the umbrella of the Southern California Football Association.
Teams are separated into two divisions - the National and American. The National is subdivided into three seven-team conferences (Northern, Central, Southern) while the American has two eight-team conferences (Mountain, Pacific).
The National Division, the power conference, includes perennial title contenders such as Mt. SAC, Bakersfield and former Foothill Conference juggernaut Grossmont. Chaffey, Riverside and Citrus are among the other entrants.
SBVC and Victor Valley factor into the weaker American Divsion. But Meech doesn't mind being lumped into the also-ran category.
"Am I afraid of those schools? No. I would like to play them," he said. "But it would be crazy to think we can go head-to-head with those teams week after week after week."
Veteran Chaffey coach Carl Beach, who was on the committee that developed the new alignment, isn't quite sure his team is ready to battle the big boys, citing resources and enrollment but admits past success is the reason his school has been put in with the stronger teams.
"It's more about what we have done in the past. I'm not so sure we belong there but we'll see," he said.
The alignments will be reviewed every two years with some teams moving up or down depending on competitive balance.
A similar format has been used in the Northern part of the state for several years and received a favorable review.
When it comes to picking a field for the playoffs, eight teams will be chosen. Each of the three National Division conference will be given two spots for a total of six teams.
The American Division would qualify the winner of each conference for the final two spots, provided those teams finish with winning records. If a conference winner is not above .500, a wild-card would be chosen based on state power ranking.
There will be three additional bowl games for teams not making the playoffs to be awarded based on state ranking.
The original plan called for four teams to make the playoffs with all of those coming from the power division. The lesser schools balked at that idea so the current format was a compromise.
Beach said the committee wanted to get the new system in place. This one primarily divided teams based on their competitive history.
When the alignment is addressed again in two years he said more emphasis will be placed on enrollment, particularly a school's ability to draw out-of-state athletes. Resources and facilities will also be issues.
"I think it's fair," Meech added. "It will be good for us to play teams more like us."
Teams in the American Division will have seven conference games, then fill out their schedule with three games against the National Division, giving them a chance to boost their power ranking and see if they are competitive against those teams.
SBVC's nonconference foes will be Riverside, College of the Desert and Saddleback. The Wolverines have played Riverside 68 times, the first coming in 1926 but haven't faced the Tigers since 2002.
Victor Valley's opponents will be Riverside, Palomar and Mt. SAC.
Rams coach Dave Hoover was alright with the division of the teams but isn't happy with his brutal nonconference schedule.
"Not only are we probably playing the three best teams, we're playing the three most physical teams," he said. "It was a nice idea having the big dogs play the big dogs. It all makes sense. But their nonconference games should be against the teams in their divison in the other conferences."
Chaffey and the other teams in the National Division have six conference games and four non-conference contests.
The Panthers will square off against Mt. San Jacinto, Southwestern, Antelope Valley and Grossmont - all significantly longer trips than treking 20 minutes to SBVC.
While SBVC is excited about renewing its rivalry with Riverside, it is mystified why Chaffey wasn't included on the non-conference schedule since rivalries were also supposed to be kept in tact. That also baffles Beach.
Coaches were allowed to submit a list of three teams they wanted to keep games with and both SBVC and Chaffey listed the other as their top choice.
"It doesn't make sense. We have to pass them by to go to all out other games," Beach said.
Hoover asked to keep Antelope Valley, Desert and Chaffey and got none of those.
NATIONAL DIVISION
Northern Conference: Allan Hancock, Bakersfield, College of the Canyons, Glendale, Moopark, Pasadena City, Ventura
Central Conference: Cerritos,Chaffey, Citrus, College of the Desert, El Camino, Mt. SAC, Riverside
Southern Conference: Fullerton, Grossmont, Long Beach City, Orange Coast, Palomar, Saddleback, Santa Ana
AMERICAN DIVISION
Mountain Conference: Compton, Golden West, L.A. Harbor, Mt. San Jacinto, San Bernardino Valley,San Diego Mesa, Southwestern, Victor Valley
Pacific Conference: Antelope Valley, East Los Angeles, L.A. Pierce, L.A. Southwest, L.A. Valley,Santa Barbara, Santa Monica, West Los Angeles
By Michelle Gardner
Staff Writer
SAN BERNARDINO -- When sophomore James Hutchins, sitting in the office of head San Bernardino Valley College football coach Pat Meech, responded to an inquiry about his height, the Wolverines defensive back responded 5-foot-7.
That answer brought a chuckle from offensive coordinator Ric Lucore.
Whether he is really 5-7, or something close to that, Hutchins is indeed a small athlete playing a big man's game and welcomes the chance to challenge his doubters wrong. He has two tattoos etched on his stomach -- one of Mighty Mouse and the other of Underdog.
"I'm always trying to prove people wrong," said Hutchins, a 2007 graduate of Colony High School. "I have always thought of myself as the underdog. That's what drives me to succeed."
Hutchins and his SBVC teammates open a new season Saturday, traveling to San Jacinto and College of the Desert for a 6 p.m. showdown. They are looking to improve on a 3-7 campaign that included five straight losses at the end of the season.
Not only has Hutchins, 19, thrived despite his lack of size, he has also overcome a heart murmur that prevented him from competing in the sport until he was 12. He played baseball as a youngster but watching younger brother Keith (a junior at Colony) compete in football made him want to try that sport even more.
Mother Eugenia was understandably concerned so James pestered his father, James Sr. until he finally relented. He was cleared by a doctor and has gotten a passing review in several checkups since then.
"I always wanted to play but I never thought I could be as good as everyone else," he said. "But I got the hang of it pretty fast."
Hutchins got his first taste of the game in the Ontario Outlaws Junior All-American program where he excelled both at running back and at defensive back.
He learned so quickly that he earned a spot on the Colony varsity as a freshman. As a senior three years later he helped the Titans to their first CIF title in the sport.
Hutchins gave much of the credit for his progress to former Colony defensive coordinator Brian Gold.
"He took me under his wing," Hutchins said. "I would go to his house and we would spend a lot of time breaking down film. He was a small guy when he played too so he knew what I was dealing with."
Despite being on a title-winning team, Hutchins didn't have a lot of options coming out of high school. He carries a lofty 3.5 grade-point average so that goes back to his size.
Several four-year schools including Idaho and UNLV wanted him to walk on but he knew his chance of getting significant playing time was slim.
He decided to stay close to home and first looked at Mt. SAC. He liked the atmosphere at SBVC better.
His coaches are happy he made that decision.
"He has a great work ethic and knowledge of the game," defensive line coach Ernie Madrigal said. "He knows he isn't big enough to battle a bigger guy going up for the ball so it comes down to how he positions himself."
"He's just a solid person and a solid football player," added new defensive coordinator Ted Clarke. "Any superlative you want to use, it fits him perfectly."
Last season as a freshman Hutchins played in nine games, totaling 24 solo tackles, 11 assists, seven pass breakups, a forced fumble and blocked two kicks.
He is hoping another strong season will give him a shot with a four-year program. Meech said the reality is that his size will limit him to playing at the Division I-AA level at best.
But he adds that Hutchins boasts all the intangibles that make for a quality player and team leader. Hutchins plans to major in secondary education so he can teach and coach when his playing days are over.
"He's very well-respected by everyone on this team," said Meech, starting his sixth year at the helm. "He goes about his business, never complains and always puts in a workmanlike effort. And he plays bigger than his size."
Two Chaffey College basketball standouts have decided their future plans. Jeffrey Sawyer is headed to Division II Bloomfield College in New Jersey while Stephon Richardson will attend NAIA Bacone College in Oklahoma.
Sawyer, a 6-foot-3 forward out of Miller High School, averaged 4.3 points and 3.2 rebounds. He transferred from San Bernardino Valley College where he helped the Wolverines to a Foothill Conference title as a freshman.
Richardson, a 5-10 guard out of Montclair High School, averaged 3.8 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists.
San Bernardino Valley College stayed close to home in selecting the next coach for its marquee athletic program as Quincy Brewer has been named men's basketball coach.
Brewer, 34, spent last season as an assistant to Gerry Wright. He is the program's fourth coach in as many years. The past three coaches were once assistants in the program.
Brewer is an Inland Empire product. He graduated from Riverside North High School in 1992 and later came back to get his start in coaching at Riverside Ramona High School after finishing college.
He has a bachelor's degree in social work and master's degrees in education and physical education.
"I grew up here and I like this area," Brewer said. "This job doesn't have to be the stepping stone for anything else for me."
Brewer's appointment was finalized at the monthly Board of Trustees meeting on Thursday although word of his selection has been circulating for several weeks.
Wright, then an assistant, took over the program in December of 2006 when Derrick Pugh was let go only minutes before the team was leaving for an afternoon game. Wright did an admirable job and led the team to a Foothill Conference title, earning conference coach of the year honors in the process.
The team settled for fourth in 2007-08, missing the playoffs for the first time in 10 years. But that is deceiving. The Wolverines finished 13-15 overall and a respectable 9-5 in conference and were part of a four-way tie for first on the final day of the season.
Wright was not retained because his master's degree is in education and the position is full-time, based out of the physical education department which requires a master's in that area.
The two boast contrasting styles.
"He's the guy that's cool as ice and I'm the guy that's fiery hot," Brewer said. "One isn't better than the other. We're just different."
While his demeanor may be different, Brewer said one thing that has been a trademark of the program will not be altered.
"All the coaches here have done a good job of advancing players and that will not change," Brewer said. "Our goal is always an education. It's nice to win games but it's about getting guys to the next level."
Before arriving on the SBVC campus, Brewer spent three seasons as the coach at Ramona where he directed the Rams to an overall mark of 71-16, with a pair of league titles.
That record is noteworthy because the Rams won just three games the year before Brewer took over. The team made the playoffs all three seasons, reaching the CIF quarterfinals in 2005 and the semifinals in 2007, the best playoff run for the Rams in three decades.
As a player, Brewer helped the Riverside North Huskies to a pair of appearances in the CIF finals.
He went on to Arizona State, where he was a three-year starter. The Sun Devils advanced to the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16 his junior year. After college, he played professionally in six countries.
Athletic Director Dave Rubio was pleased with the pool of 24 applicants. The school interviewed five before deciding on Brewer.
"He gave a great interview, by far better than anyone else. He was well prepared and had all the right answers," Rubio said. "He also has great work ethic and will run a disciplined program."
In addition to coaching with the Wolverines, Brewer runs the NextLevel basketball training company. He and his wife, Berenice, live in Riverside. They have three children -- Kenneth, Andrea and Brianna.
San Bernardino Valley College soccer standout Gemma Gastro (Yucaipa HS) is headed to La Sierra University on an academic scholarship.
She is two-time All-Foothill Conference selection with three goals and six assists in her career. She spent 2006 as a midfielder but anchored the defense the past season, helping the Wolverines to their first playoff win in school history.
She is the third player from the team to move on to a four-year college following Kalee Lopez (Grambling) and Megan Dias (Cal State Los Angeles).
Freshman defensive lineman Fred Solaita of San Bernardino Valley College has signed with NAIA Missouri Valley College in Marshall, Mo.
The 6-foot-1, 265-pounder played six games in 2007, recording 10 tackles and two sacks.
Missouri Valley College, located about 90 miles east of Kansas City, MVC plays in the Heart of America Athletic Conference. In the 2007-2008 season the Vikings went 8-2 and were one game away from the NAIA title game.
Fresno City College topped all other junior college athletic programs and has been named winner of the National Alliance of Two-Year Colleges Athletic Administrator's Cup for the 2007-2008 school year.
Fresno totaled 164 points as the top four schools were within seven points. It was followed by Cerritos (160), Sierra (159) and Mt. SAC (157).
Riverside Community College was sixth (139.5).
Other local schools finished in the middle portion of the 103 school rankings.
Chaffey was 41st with 40 points, getting all its points in the pool. The Panthers got 15.5 points in women's water polo, 14.5 in men's swimming and 10 in women's swimming.
San Bernardino Valley College was 47th (28.5), with 20 coming for its state championship in men's cross country and the other 8.5 coming in women's soccer which finished as the Foothill Conference runner-up.
Freshman Carlos Perez (Barstow H.S.) finished 4th in the 1500 meters, with a time of 3:57.95.
Sophomore Matt Prentice (Lake Arrowhead Rim of the World) finished 5th in the 10,000 meters, with a time of 33:25.95.
Sophomore Antoine Gibbs (Great Basin, Utah) finished 7th in the decathlon, with a point total of 5519.
The men's team finished 21st in total points with 11.
And the only woman to qualify for the Southern California Finals and the state finals from San Bernardino, Freshman Michelle Burley (Rialto Eisenhower), finished 9th in the 400 meters, with a time of 1:00.14.
Two athletes from San Bernardino Valley College will be continuing their careers at Division II Cal State Los Angeles. Both basketball player Shy Walter and soccer standout Megan Dias will attend the school which competes in the CCAA along with locals Cal State San Bernardino and Cal Poly Pomona.
Dias, a midfielder out of Colony High School, is the schools all-time leader in scoring (28 goals) and points leader (72). She was a two-time all-conference selection, managing 11 goals and 14 assists last season in helping the Wolverines to their best season ever.
She will be joining an Eagle team coming off its best season ever at 13-6-4. The team was ranked as high as No. 15 nationally last year.
Walter, a 5-foot-10 shooting guard out of Perris High School, averaged 11.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.4 steals in helping the Wolverines (26-6, 15-1) to a Foothill Conference title. She had a season-high of 23 points against Rio Hondo and a high of nine rebounds twice. She was a first-team all-conference selection.
“That’s a good place for her,” Crebbin said. “It’s close to home but not too close to home. What she does well will work into their style of play and she should be able to play right away. I am very happy for her.”
Cal State Los Angeles (9-17) finished ninth in the 11-team CCAA last year.
It looks like there will be a race to the finish in the Foothill Conference with three baseball teams battling for the runner-up spot, assuming Chaffey (23-9, 14-3) stays on top.
Three teams have advanced to the playoffs in some years past but that probably won’t happen this year.
Next up for the Wolverines (22-16, 12-6) is a three-game series against Rio Hondo (20-15-1, 13-4-1). The Roadrunners will come to Arrowhead Credit Union Park Thursday for a 2:30 p.m. contest. The teams will play a doubleheader Saturday at noon in Whittier.
SBVC finishes its schedule the following week against Cerro Coso. Meanwhile Rio Hondo closes out the season with Desert (21-16, 13-5) which faces Chaffey (24-9, 15-3) this week.
Rio Hondo also has to finish a seven-inning game with Mt. San Jacinto that was called after five because of darkness.
SBVC coach Bill Mierzwik said he is most concerned about Desert, not because he is overlooking Rio Hondo but because he has no control over what that team does while it has a head-to-head with Rio.
“We’re done with them (Desert) and they have the tiebreaker over us because they took two of three from us,” he said. “We at least control our own destiny when it comes to Rio Hondo.”
Mierzwik, in his 18th year, also said his current team has been one of the most enjoyable ones he has coached.
He says being in contention is an admirable feat because the teams does not have a home field and has had to play its “home” games at five different venues.
“These guys just deal with it,” he said. “There hasn’t been one complaint. They just go out and play. If it was our team from a few years ago they would do nothing but complain.”
Mierzwik adds the character of the team was evident early when a handful of players saved a women in the neighborhood from a pitbull attack before a practice in February.
“We have had a lot of close games and we haven’t had a break,” he said. “You would think we’re due some positive kharma our way. We’re still waiting.”
Local rivals Chaffey and San Bernardino Valley College squared off in a Foothill Conference twinbill Saturday at Cal Baptist University, both games ending up 9-8 with Chaffey taking the opener and SBVC the nightcap.
The conference-leading Panthers (24-9, 15-3) took a 9-6 lead into the final inning of the opener, only to see the Wolverines (22-16, 12-6) storm back in the ninth.
Dwight Robinson singled and Alex Aunchman walked. A pair of passed balls advanced the runners. Robinson scored on a single by Dustin Williams and Sam Konnoff stroked a run-scoring double.
Chaffey used three pitchers in the inning but Dane Delfs got the last two outs to secure the win for Tim Redmon (3-0).
Anthony Delgado had three hits, two of them home runs, for Chaffey while Adrian Carmona had three for the Wolverines.
It was the reverse in the second game with SBVC having to withstand a Chaffey rally. The Wolverines were up 9-3 through four innings and 9-5 going into the seventh.
A sacrifice fly by James Koerner plated Willie Holmes who had doubled. Ryan Delgado walked and eventually scored on a balk. The Panthers drew within one when Mychal Johnson singled home Delgado.
But with two outs and two runners on pinch hitter Gerry Hernandez grounded out to first.
Starter Tommy Bills (7-1) got the win and Adrian Carmona the save.
The Panthers (23-8, 14-2) pounded out 16 hits and cruised to a 16-2 win over the Wolverines (21-15, 11-5) in a battle between the top two teams in the Foothill Conference.
The series continues with a noon doubleheader Saturday at Cal Baptist University since SBVC does not have a home field.
“He (Schile) wasn’t his best but he is a sophomore, one of our team captains. He is always going to battle and give a great effort,” coach Jeff Harlow said.
Schile’s effort was more than good enough. He went five innings, allowing just four hits and two runs (one earned) while striking out two, walking three and hitting one. He exited after the top of the fifth with his team in control 9-2.
The right-hander out of Miller High School said he was slowed by a back injury that flared up when he arrived at practice Wednesday.
“When I got to practice I couldn’t even bend over. I don’t even know when it exactly happened,” he said. “With the way our guys hit I knew I didn’t have to have my best stuff because we have been scoring a lot of runs. I was just trying to get some ground balls.”
Chaffey, which started the day with a two-game lead over SBVC, jumped on Wolverines starter Sam Konnoff for two runs in the first, one on a run-scoring single by Ryan Delgado and the other driven home by his brother Anthony.
The Panthers tacked on five more when they batted around in the third. All the RBI came from different players, with the only extra-base hit in the frame a double by James Koerner.
That 7-0 lead was never threatened. Chaffey got hits from 10 different players and RBI from nine. Anthony Delgado and Jonathan Costantino had three each while Willie Holmes stroked a home run.
Even the reserves factored in as freshman Robert Escalera came off the bench and ripped a two-run double in a five-run eighth.
SBVC totaled just six hits on the day, three of those by No. 9 hitter Alec Ortez who had a double and a triple and scored one of the team’s two runs.
Veteran SBVC coach Bill Mierzwik will try and win the series with his two most consistent pitchers on the mound Saturday in right-handers Tommy Bills and Teddy Martinez.
“We could have come out and lost 3-2 and it’s still a loss,” he said. “They play well here so we’re taking a gamble. It might backfire but we thought it was our best shot.”
Mierzwik, in his 18th year directing the team, is hoping his team can at least hold its position because the conference traditionally gets two teams in the playoffs. It would be a fitting reward for a team he has enjoyed.
“I have had very few teams I enjoyed as much as this one,” he said. “They just come out and play. It isn’t easy playing every game on the road and not one of them has complained. I would love to get in the playoffs because these guys deserve it.”
Sophomore basketball standout Lewis Leonard of San Bernardino College has made a verbal commitment to continue his playing career and education at Division I St. Bonaventure in New York, which competes out of the Atlantic-10 Conference.
Leonard visited the school earlier this spring and was also considering Robert Morris University in Pittsburgh.
Leonard, a native of Philadelphia, was Most Valuable Player in the Foothill Conference, averaging 25.2 points and 5.9 rebounds with a high of 41 points. He was second in the state in scoring behind Pasadena’s Harold Cleveland (25.6 ppg).
Leonard is the seventh player from the school to continue to a Division I program in the last four years.
A pair of Kaiser High School products delivered big as the Panthers (26-14, 10-1) surged past visiting San Bernardino Valley College 12-3 in Foothill Conference action Friday.
Freshman catcher Jessica DeLuna had three home runs, including a grand slam in the second inning and collected nine RBI. She now has six home runs on the season.
Britni Baca, also a freshman, turned in a strong effort in the pitching circle, giving up just five hits and three runs and striking out six.
Freshman Chelsea Navarro had two hits for SBVC.
Chaffey will play nonconference games today against Citrus and Cerritos, both of whom are state-ranked.
DUSTIN WILLIAMS
San Bernardino Valley College
Baseball
The lowdown: The freshman shortstop has helped the Wolverines to a 15-11 mark, serving as an offensive catalyst out of the leadoff spot. Is hitting .308 with 22 RBI, 10 doubles, three triples, a home run 20 runs scored and 12 stolen bases. Earned first-team all-league honors and represented his school in the annual all-star game as a senior. Also carries a 3.0 GPA.
Age: 19
Hometown: Huntington Beach
High school: Riverside Rubidoux, 2006
Major: Business management
Favorite athlete: Jose Reyes
Favorite team: New York Yankees
Role model: Derek Jeter/Ozzie Smith
Most memorable sports moment: Hitting my first two career high school home runs in the same game against my old high Ramona.
Most embarrassing sports moment: I dove for a ball up the middle and landed on my face but it was a hrow down on a runner stealing second on ball four.
Person most influential in your athletic success: My mom.
Best advice anyone has given you: To stay focused on what I can do and not to let what anyone says affect the way I play.
Celebrity you most want to meet: Derek Jeter
Favorite food: Angel hair pasta with shrimp scampi
Can’t miss TV show: Any Yankees game
Favorite movie: The Sandlot
Last good book you read: Beowolf
What’s in your CD player/iPod: Kanye West’s Colleg Dropout
Favorite vacation spot: Lake Havasu
Pre-game ritual or superstition: Clean my cleats and listen to Kanye West.
What would you like to be doing in five years? Playing pro ball.
San Bernardino Valley College football standout Sylvester Burel (Redlands East Valley) has signed with Division II Gannon University in Pennsylvania. Burel was the top receiver for the Wolverines last season with 33 catches for 494 yards, with a long of 54 yards.
SBVC coach Pat Meech said Burel visited the school and also took a trip to the University of Hawaii but Gannon came through with a better financial package.
By Michelle Gardner
Staff Writer
SAN BERNARDINO — When Sue Crebbin stepped into the women’s basketball job at San Bernardino Valley College three years ago she inherited a team that won two games at a school lacking the resources of many of its rivals. There did't seem to be any indicators that the program could reach the lofty status of it men’s counterpart.
But it is Crebbin’s Wolverines (26-5) preparing for a playoff run which begins Friday with a 7 p.m. game at Snyder
Gymnasium against Fullerton College (20-13), the same team that eliminated it from the playoffs last year.
Should the No. 7 seeded Wolverines get by this one, defending state champion Mt. SAC (32-1) would likely be next. Not even that fazes the veteran team.
“If you’re going to win it all, you have to beat them all. It doesn’t matter when you play them,” said Crebbin, who came to the school after coaching stints at Yuba College and American River, both in the northern part of the state. “This team would rather play the better teams. They get bored when they’re not playing good teams.”
The program has progressed each year. In Crebbin’s first season the team doubled its win total to four, even though she got the job late in the summer and had no chance to recruit. The positive sign was that three of those wins came in the last four games.
Last season proved to be the breakout year. The Wolverines went 20-10, finishing a respectable third in the Foothill Conference. It served notice by upstaging Orange Coast in the first round of the playoffs for the first postseason win in school history.
That showing and the fact the core of the team returned this season meant higher expectations. Again the Wolverines rose to the occasion, this time winning the conference for the school’s third title but the first since 2001.
A win tonight over the No. 10 seeded Hornets would set a school record for wins and stretch the team’s winning streak to 16 games, also a record. Crebbin, selected conference coach of the year by her peers, said the character of her players has been a big factor.
“It’s easy for kids to go to an established program and jump on board,” she said. “But it’s more rewarding to go to a school where you can make a difference and be a part of the building process. The fact that these girls came here says a lot about them as individuals.”
Team chemistry is another intangible that has been pivotal. Crebbin has 10 players, six of them sophomores. The players spend considerable time together off the court as well, using their bye week to go bowling.
Sophomore Sylvia Roland graduated from Rialto High School and originally went to Division II New Mexico Highlands to compete in track. She didn’t like it there and transferred to SBVC after talking with former teammate Ja’Nae Westmoreland who played at SBVC the previous two seasons.
“Everyone wants to go away. But I got there and didn’t like it,” she said. “Here we’re like a family. Everyone gets along. Now I wish I would have come here first.”
While Crebbin and assistant Julia Smith have put in countless hours attending games at area high schools, word of mouth has also landed them quality players. Sophomore Simeone Baker came to SBVC two years ago because Elizabeth Luke, a former teammate at Twentynine Palms, was playing volleyball for the Wolverines.
Baker looked into the school because of Luke, then found out about its strong nursing program and was sold.
The Wolverines, ranked No. 10 in the state and fifth in Southern California, graduated their two solid post players so this year’s squad has relied on athleticism and a tenacious defense.
The team is balanced with sophomore guard Shy Walter (12 ppg, 4.5 rpg) followed closely by sophomore point guard Jasmine Mashall (10.1 ppg, 4.1 rg, 4.7 spg, 4.3 apg). Those two were first-team all-conference selections along with Baker (8.7 ppg, 7 rpg), whom Crebbin singles out at the most consistent player on the squad.
They are joined in the starting lineup by Roland (7.3 ppg, 6.5 rpg) and sophomore forward Ronisha Edwards (9.2 ppg, 6.6 rpg) with sophomore guard La’Quita Jordan (9.3 ppg, 2.2 spg, 2.3 apg), the spark plug off the bench.
Showings against common opponents favor the Wolverines as SBVC has beaten three opponents to whom the Hornets have lost. Both teams have common losses to Mt. SAC and Pasadena with those by the Wolverines coming by smaller margins.
The Hornets have five sophomores, with two of those - Jessica Duran (11.2 ppg, 5 rpg) and Amy Richard (11.6 ppg, 10.1 rpg) - the team’s top scorers. At 5-11 and 6-1 their height will pose a problem for the smaller but quicker Wolverines.
“We’re happy about getting the chance to redeem ourselves,” Baker said. “It’s always nice to get to knock out the team that knocked you out last time.”
By Michelle Gardner
Staff Writer
For the San Bernardino Valley College women’s basketball team there was both good news and bad news when state playoffs pairings were announced Monday.
The Foothill Conference champion Wolverines are getting a home game against the team they lost to last year.
The bad news is that should they advance, the defending state champion will most likely be the next foe.
“We’re playing well right now so I don’t think it matters much who we play,” coach Sue Crebbin said. “The teams that are still playing are all good so there won’t be an easy game. This team seems to get more up for the better teams anyway.”
The seventh-seeded Wolverines (26-5) will square off with No. 10 Fullerton (20-13), the third-place team out of the Orange Empire Conference, at Snyder Gymnasium at 7 p.m. on Friday.
Last year the Hornets eliminated SBVC 77-69 in the Wolverines’ initial second-round appearance in school history. That came days after Crebbin’s squad managed a win over Orange Coast for the its first postseason victory.
“We have everyone back and they haven’t forgotten,” Crebbin said. “I would think that is incentive enough. The girls are excited about getting to play them again.”
Defending state champion Mt. SAC (32-1) is seeded second in the Southern California Regional behind Orange Coast (29-3). The Mounties’ lone loss came to the Pirates the first game of the season.
Mt. SAC starts out by facing the winner of Wednesday’s play-in game between No. 15 Santa Ana (17-13) and No. 18 Cuesta (21-9). Then it would face the SBVC-Fullerton winner.
The Foothill Conference has four teams in the 18-team draw. The others are Mt. San Jacinto (21-10), Chaffey (24-7) and Antelope Valley (18-13).
The Chaffey Panthers tied Antelope for the No. 3 spot in the conference but lost the head-to-head with the Marauders, meaning they were relegated to the fourth seed out of the conference.
Coach Gary Plunkett thought his team might get left out but its strength of schedule payed off. The Panthers are seeded ninth and will play at No. 8 Cerritos (24-8) on Friday.
“I went from thinking we had a good chance to thinking we probably wouldn’t get in,” he said. “So I am just thrilled we made it. I knew there was pretty much no chance of a home game.”
On the men’s side the news was not as good for the local teams. The Wolverines (13-15) settled for fourth in the conference and were done in by a 4-10 showing in nonconference play. It is the first time in 10 years the school did not get into the playoffs.
SBVC’s failure to get in also meant the end for Chaffey (17-13) which finished fifth in the conference and could not get in without the Wolverines making it too.
The Foothill Conference has three teams in, all of whom tied for the conference championship. But Mt. San Jacinto went in as the top team from the conference and was rewarded with a No. 5 seed. Antelope Valley is seeded 10th in the 20-team field with College of the Desert No. 11.
Riverside (25-7), the No. 3 team out of the Orange Empire Conference, is the No. 9 seed and will travel to No. 8 Los Angeles City (24-8).
Citrus (30-1) is the top seed. The Owls have won 18 straight games and await the winner of a play-in game between El Camino and Imperial Valley.
By Michelle Gardner
Staff Writer
PALM DESERT - With four Foothill Conference teams tied for first place on the final day of the regular season, it was only appropriate that a game between two of those came down to the last possession.
College of the Desert emerged with a 68-64 win over San Bernardino Valley College Saturday. Playoff pairings will be decided on Monday but the Roadrunners (21-9, 10-4) will likely be the third-seeded team out of the conference behind Antelope Valley (24-10, 10-4) and Mt. San Jacinto (27-6, 10-4).
San Bernardino (13-15, 9-5), which won the conference a year ago, settles for fourth. While as many as five teams have gotten in before, the Wolverines will probably not advance because of their overall record.
The game also probably marked the end of Gerry Wright’s tenure as coach. His master’s degree is in education rather than physical education which the school requires.
“I told them it was a pleasure coaching them and watching them mature as players and men,” Wright said. “I enjoyed my two years year and I am going to miss them.”
The game was tied at 61 with 3:01 left. The Wolverines went ahead 63-61 on a putback by Sylvester Burel with 2:15 left. It was their first lead since 30-29 at 4;14 of the first half.
SBVC made it 64-61 on a free throw by Burel but that would be the last point the visitors scored. Desert’s Julius Lang nailed the first of two free throws with 1:24 left to make it 64-62.
He missed the second but SBVC failed to block out and Desert’s Spencer Dayton grabbed the rebound. The end result was a 3-pointer from the corner by D’Andre James that gave the host team a 65-62 lead with 1:10 to go.
SBVC’s Lewis Leonard, the second-leading scorer in the state, netted 26 in the game but misfired on a long jumper the next trip down the court and Desert grabbed the rebound.
Down 66-64, Johnny Barnes missed a turn-around jumper that would have tied the game, pretty much sealing the visitors fate.
Foul trouble was a factor for the Wolverines as Wright has nine players but uses only seven. Most of the calls went the way of the home team in the opening half which ended with the Roadrunners up 43-33.
In the first 20 minutes 18 personal fouls were called against the Wolverines with 10 against Desert.
The Roadrunners had just seven field goals but went 20-of-23 from the line while SBVC shot 7-of-10 from the stripe.
Desert led by as many as 12 in the second half, that lead coming at 52-40 on a fast break layup Antoine Davis.
“I was proud of our guys. They fought hard and never gave up, even when we had some things working against us,” Wright said.
Lewis also had nine rebounds and two blocks. Barnes added 14 points, eight rebounds and two blocks. Burel was the third player in double figures with 10 points.
The Wolverines went just 4-10 in nonconference play, making a better finish in conference play crucial. Desert coach Henry Viveros had words of praise for the Wolverines despite the defeat.
"It's a shame they had such a tough time early in the season because they're a quality team," he said. "I think they're one of the top 20 teams."
Foothill Conference men’s standings
Mt. San Jacinto 9-4 25-6
Antelope Valley 9-4 23-10
Desert 9-4 20-9
San Bernardino VC 9-4 13-14
Chaffey 7-6 17-12
Rio Hondo 5-8 9-20
Victor Valley 3-10 11-20
Barstow 1-12 3-25
Today’s games
San Bernardino at Desert, 3 p.m.
Barstow at Antelope Valley, 7 p.m.
Rio Hondo at Mt. San Jacinto, 3 p.m.
Chaffey at Victor Valley, 3 p.m.
LEWIS LEONARD
San Bernardino Valley College
Basketball
The lowdown: The 6-foot-4 sophomore shooting guard is the second-leading scorer in the state (25.5 ppg). Is also averaging 5.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.2 steals. Has a high game of 41 points against Desert. Has reached double figures in every game, scoring more than 20 points 19 times and more than 30 seven times. Averaged 12 points and 4.1 rebounds as a freshman, helping the Wolverines to a Foothill Conference championship. High game that season was 28 aainst Antelope Valley.
Age: 20
Hometown: Philadelphia
High school: Frankford High School, 2006
Major: Business
Favorite athlete: Keith Myers (San Bernardino Valley College football player)
Favorite team: Philadelphia 76ers
Role model: Gerry Wright (San Bernardino Valley College head coach)
Can’t miss TV show: Rob and Big (on MTV)
Most memorable sports moment: Winning the Foothill Conference championship last season.
Most embarrassing sports moment: I missed a dunk against Chaffey.
Person most influential in your athletic success: My cousin Maurice Bibbs
Celebrity you most want to meet: Kobe Bryant and LeBron James
Favorite food: Chicken and baked mac
Favorite movie: Friday
Last good book you read: The Carolina Way (The Dean Smith book on leadership).
What’s in your CD player/iPod: Meek Millz/Lil Wayne
Other hobbies: Video games, working out
Favorite vacation spot: Los Angeles/Rodeo Drive
Best advice anyone has given you: Play defense and don’t leave any money on the table (Coach Wright)
Pre-game ritual or superstition: Listen to my Ipod and joke around with my teammates.
What would you like to be doing in five years? Playing in the NBA. No question about it!
San Bernardino Valley College is looking for its fourth men’s basketball coach in as many years. The school started advertising the position Jan. 24th so Gerry Wright’s days are winding down.
Wright took over a program in turmoil in December of 2006 and led it to a Foothill Conference title, winning coach of the year honors in the process. The Wolverines started slowly this season but are still in the hunt for a playoff berth currently sitting third.
The sticking point is that the position is full-time based out of the physical education department which requires a master’s degree in that area. Wright, a legendary player in his high school days at San Gorgonio, has a master's degree but it is in education. His experience teaching physical education at all levels is not enough.
“I feel bad because I really care about these kids,” he said. “But I feel like I have done my job. They’re all going to graduate and they have become better players
SBVC athletic director Dave Rubio is frustrated about starting from scratch but thankful for the job Wright did. The closing date for the job is Feb. 28.
“It is frustrating because you want stability,” he said. “You want people in the community to know who you’re coach is. But that’s the criteria and he (Wright) does not quite meet it, although he did do a great job.”
By Michelle Gardner
Staff Writer
The San Bernardino Valley College women’s basketball team is on a roll at just the right time. The Wolverines have won 11 straight games to close in on just their third Foothill Conference title and first since 2001,
The team polished off its two closest pursuers last week, beating Chaffey 71-47 Wednesday and Mt. San Jacinto 63-48 Saturday.
The Wolverines (22-5, 11-1) have a one-game lead over Mt. San Jacinto with four games left but their remaining schedule consists of Victor Valley (1-22, 0-11), Barstow (10-15, 5-7), Rio Hondo (15-11, 5-6) and College of the Desert (6-20, 3-9) while the other three contenders all have games against each other.
Coach Sue Crebbin is still leary of Rio Hondo and Barstow but recognizes her team’s situation.
“It is definitely ours to lose,” she said. “We’re peaking at the right time. We have had people step up and we’re playing just smothering defense.”
Crebbin is rounding our her third year heading the program. The Wolverines turned the corner last year, finishing as conference runner-up and posted a first-round playoff 61-59 upset of Orange Coast. The run ended with a 77-69 loss to another Orange County team, Fullerton.
That was more than the Crebbin expected but this year the bar has been raised.
“We definitely came in here with higher expectations this year,” she said. “All of these girls had been through it before. Last year I still had to sell them on their potential. This year they have the confidence and the experience.”
The only losses from last year’s team where its two post players. This season the Wolverines are more guard-oriented. While they may not have quite the size in the middle, the have done a better job defending because of their speed.
The scoring balanced with just two players averaging double figures - sophomore Shyneese Walter (11.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg, ) and Jasmine Marshall (10.3 ppg, 4.5 spg, 4 rpg, 3.9 apg). Three others are close - La’Quita Jordan (9.4 ppg, 2.2 spg), Ronisha Edwards (8.8 ppg, 6.4 rpg) and Simeone Baker (8.6 ppg, 6.8 rpg).
Marshall has been the catalyst while Baker has been the steady go-to player in the paint. Jordan could start for most teams but has embraced her role as the spark plug off the bench.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Sophomores Johnny Barnes and Lewis Leonard combined for 57 points and 18 rebounds but it wasn't enough as the Wolverines (1-7) fell to East Los Angeles 88-79 in first round action at the Wells Fargo Holiday Classic Tuesday at Riverside Community College.
The two came in averaging a combined 50 points but that hasn't translated to many wins.
"We're not getting enough production out of other guys," said a frustrated Wright. " They don't want to be the guys taking all the shots and they are trying to involve others but they're the only guys that have been making things happen."
The Wolverines could never get over the hump. Their only lead of the game came at 12-11 when Leonard hit a jumper from the baseline. But that lead didn't last long as the Huskies Damien Riley converted a three-point play at the other ends seconds later.
East L.A. (5-5) led by as many as 11 in the first half and was up 44-38 as Leonard and Barnes tallied 30 of those 38. The Huskies biggest lead of the second half came at 66-46 with 11:06 to go. SBVC got back within nine at 76-67 with 2:50 to play but East L.A. lived at the free-throw line the rest of the night, knocking down 13 of 14 tries.
"We're doing all we can but two people can't outplay 10 people," Barnes said. "Everyone has to bring the same heart and the same passion for us to get it done."
Barnes ended up with 34 points (15-for-32) from the field) and eight rebounds. While most of his points came in the paint, he did knock down three 3-pointers including back-to-back ones down the stretch with SBVC trying to rally.
Leonard, who played all 40 minutes, added 23 points and 10 rebounds with six assists and two steals. He went 8-for-24 but was 3-for-11 from long distance w ith some of his shots desperate attempts to make things happen.
Point guard Jacob Letson had nine points but was in foul trouble the entire game, picking up his fourth 1:11 into the second half and his fifth with 10:10 to go.
Wright said he does see potential in Sylvester Burel, who played basketball at Redlands East Valley but did not play at SBVC last season. He is just coming off football and isn't in prime basketball shape yet but still contributed four points, five rebounds and a steal in 15 minutes.
"Right now its the whopped dog syndrome. You can only take so many before you just grimace and get ready for it," Wright said. "I still think we have potential but we have to figure it out before conference starts."
East Los Angeles, which shot 56 percent (28-for-50), had six players ion double figures with 6-10 Richard Westphain netting a team-high 17.
SBVC, which shot 50.5 percent (32-for-79), will play at 2 p.m. Thursday in a consolation bracket game.
In the first two games of the day Mt. San Jacinto (7-1) defeated Palomar 87-76 and Fullerton (9-0) cruised past Pasadena City 98-70.
The Citrus College men's basketball team is off to the best start in school history while San Bernardino Valley College is off to one of the worst. Both will be in the 16-team field of the Wells Fargo Holiday Classic which starts today and runs through Saturday at Riverside Community College.
San Bernardino Valley College (1-6), the defending Foothill Conference champion, will take the floor at 5 p.m. today against East Los Angeles (4-5). A win would put the Wolverines into the quarterfinals on Thursday, most likely against the host school.
Citrus (10-0), ranked fourth in Southern California and seventh in the state, faces a formidable challenge at 3 p.m. Wednesday against College of the Desert (6-1).
The event is a grind with teams playing as many as four straight days. But Owls coach Rick Croy thinks his team is ready.
"This team really is built for tournament play," he said. "I have 13 players I use and I trust all 13 of them. We plan for fatigue before it even hits us."
Sophomore guard Buchi Awaji (18.7 ppg, 5.5 rpg) heads the effort with freshman guard A.J. Gasporra (13.5 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 3.2 apg) and sophomore guard Darren Moore (13 ppg), planning to play next season at UC Irvine.
The Owls have two other players at nine points a game including sophomore forward Richard Frohlich (9 ppg, 5.2 rpg) who has already signed with Texas-San Antonio.
While the Owls have been impressive, Croy and his team know tougher tasks are ahead.
"We know there is another level of competition we haven't faced yet but I am happy with where we're at," Croy said. "Our motto is stay humble and stay hungry. So far we have been able to do that."
Meanwhile the Wolverines are looking to find their groove. But coach Gerry Wright isn't panicking. Four of the six losses have been by single digit margins (two in overtime) and the schedule has been tough. Making it tougher, all the games have been on the road with the first game at Snyder Gymnasium not coming until Jan. 3.
The Wolverines are missing some players Wright was relying on, with one going down with a season-ending knee injury and another leaving the team so he could work.
"We scrimmaged a week before the season and the next week we didn't have those guys," Wright said. "We just have to take control and go a different direction because we don't have the aces we thought we would have."
The team is led by returning starters Johnny Barnes (22.8 ppg) and Lewis Leonard (27.8 ppg). Leonard had 28 points in the most recent loss, an 88-80 setback to Los Angeles City. Wright added that he is looking for more production from the newcomers, especially at the off guard position.
"Right now we're getting points out of four or five guys. That's something we have to address," he said.
Citrus is one five teams that come in with state rankings. The others are No. 2 Fullerton (8-0), No. 6 Mt. San Jacinto (9-0), No. 12 Riverside (7-2) and No. 17 Antelope Valley (7-3). In addition Long Beach City (5-4) is ranked No. 13 in the South.
The Owls finished as runner-up in the event last year, losing the championship game to Riverside.
Here is today's schedule:
Palomar (3-5) vs. Mt. Sam Jacinto (9-0), 1 p.m.
Pasadena (0-6) vs. Fullerton (8-0), 3 p.m.
East Los Angeles vs. San Bernardino Valley, 5 p.m.
Riverside All-Stars vs. Riverside CC, 7 p.m.
Wednesday's games
Long Beach City (5-4) vs. Saddleback (4-5), 1 p.m.
Desert (6-1) vs. Citrus (10-0), 3 p.m.
Los Angeles Pierce (0-5) vs. San Diego City (2-6), 5 p.m.
Compton (2-9) vs. Antelope Valley (7-3), 7 p.m.
Sophomore Shy Walter (Perris) led the team with 14 points, followed by sophomore Jasmine Marshall (Arroyo Valley) with 12 points and freshman Dwayanna Pullum (J.W. North) with 12 points.
The Wolverines went on a 9-0 run to start the game ending up with a 42-14 half time lead.
Renegades freshman Ashley Van Zandt (Stockdale) lead the team with 11 points and sophomore Tiffany Jones contributed 10 points in the loss.
With the win the Wolverines move to 5-1 with their next appearance will be on the road in the Rose City Tournament in Pasadena starting on December 6th.
The San Bernardino Valley College football team now needs an upset and a little bit of help if it is going to claim its first Foothill Conference title in a decade. Three teams headed into play last weekend without a conference loss and two went head-to head as SBVC treked to Antelope Valley, only to come up a 22-6 loser.
The task gets tougher. Saturday they will host College of the Desert, which is also unbeaten in conference play and looms as an even more fromidable foe. While Antelope Valley boasts the state's No. 1 defense, it offense only does just enough to get by. Desert (7-0) has run roughshod over everyone and looks like the clear cut favorite.
So SBVC has to win this one, then hope Desert beats Antelope Valley.
Pat Meech has done an admirable job rebuilding a program that had been in steady decline. There were a lot of long faces and obvious disappointment in the huddle when Meech addressed the team after the game. We'll see what character this team has when it takes the field this week for what now looms as a must-win
I ran into SBVC men's basketball coach Gerry Wright recently at a Wolverines football game and he is excited about the coming season. You might remember Wright was put in the precarious position of taking over the Wolverines in December when previous coach Derrick Pugh was relieved of his duties just as the team was leaving for an afternoon game in Riverside.
Wright did an admirable job, directing the team to a Foothill Conference title. (In a preseason poll of memeber coaches, SBVC was picked to finish fourth.) A playoff run ended with a second round loss to Saddleback. The outcome might have been different had the team's only presence in the paint not been injured in practice a few days earlier.
The interim tag was lifted and Wright was officially handed the job in April. He deserved it.
It looked like he was going to be loaded this year since most of his key players last year were freshmen. But other coaches went after his players like vultures while SBVC administrators tried to make a decision. Wright said there is no animosity between himself and the other players. Most were from out of state and Wright said they didn't have the financial means to stay here.
The only returning player is Bo Harrison, a local product out of
Redlands East Valley. But that is OK with Wright who says he wants to
prove you can win with local talent.
Former Coach Phil Mathews, who took the team to the state tournament in
both his years here, had connections all over the country and used those
when it came to recruiting. The team that played at SBVC last year was
basically his.
There is nothing really wrong with that. This is college, not high school. Recruiting is part of the game. But it still seems to violate the spirit for which junior colleges were intended. Most of the local players who have played at SBVC in the past few years were nothing more than seat fillers on the bench. It could not have been easy for them to practice hard every day for their neighborhood school when they knew they were going to be pushed aside for highly touted players from across the country who probably never heard of San Bernardino.
Having the majority of players from out of state also helps add to a
disconnect between the school and the community when there should be
just the opposite. Let's hope Wright is successful in his mission.
About Michelle
Michelle Gardner has been a staff writer for The Sun and the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin since 2002 and has covered the local college sports scene since 2004. She ventured West after working at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale for eight years and is a graduate of the University of Florida.
E-mail Michelle here.
Recent Comments
CPP FAN on Veteran Cal Poly baseball coach steps down: wow i never saw that
Carlos Juriga on La Verne baseball player honored: Some people just don
Anonymous on Redlands, Pomona-Pitzer the class of the SCIAC: Brunswick weighs 210
Tamara O'Brien Pokorny on Redlands, Pomona-Pitzer the class of the SCIAC: Michelle: I was the
Bronco Freshman Parent on Cal Poly to honor men's basktball team: Congratulations to t
Scott in R.C. on Broncos bring home national championship: Congratulations to G
Pomona's Paul Cortez on Broncos bring home national championship: Great job Broncos! n
Coach Aaron Prime Goodman on Rialto native heads to Olympic track trials: That's my two sons F
James Rosser on Broncos up at the half, 36-25: Cal Poly (Pomona) is