Offensively Boarded

Riverside, CA -- After getting handed their worst loss in recent memory a little over a week and half ago by Chaffey College, the Citrus College Men's Basketball team had to take on the Panthers again in the opening round of the Riverside Holiday Tournament on Tuesday. While the results weren't as bad as it was the first time around, it was still the same, as the Owls were dominated on the boards offensively, giving up 23 offensive rebounds, in a 72-61 loss.

The game wasn't a runaway, as the Owls kept the Panthers in striking distance most of the way. Points were hard to come by the first 12 minutes of the contest, as a layup by freshman Chris Reyes made it just 12-12 with 8 minutes to go in the first half. Chaffey would respond with a 11-0 run, but Citrus rallied with a three by freshman Steven Polee Jr. and a three point play by freshman Justin Childress to keep it respectable.

Despite all that, Chaffey went into the half up 31-22 and quickly pushed their lead into double digits in the second half. Once it reached that point it never fell below it, with Citrus only getting their deficit down to 10 with 44 seconds to go after another layup by Reyes. That would be the last score for Citrus in the game.

In the loss, Reyes was nearly the only bright spot with 19 points and 17 rebounds. Sophomore Daniel Cheek added 13 points as did Childress. With the loss, Citrus falls to 4-3 on the year and gets bumped into the consolation bracket. The Owls will be off tomorrow, but will be back in action on Thursday when they take on Fullerton College. Tip-off is set for 12:00 PM in Huntley Gym on the campus of Riverside City College.