Owls Beat Valley; Avenge Lone Conference Loss

Glendora, CA – The Citrus College Men's Basketball team finished the first half of Western State Conference East Division play with a 4-1 record. That one loss came at the hands of Los Angeles Valley College in overtime in the very first game of conference play, but the Owls avenged that loss on Saturday night when they hosted the Monarchs and defeated them 71-57.

The Owls certainly did not get off to the start they had hoped on the evening. Citrus started off just 1 for it's first 12 attempts to the field, and didn't score their second field goal until a layup off an offensive board and pass from sophomore Calvin Martin to freshman Khalil Williams made it 7-6 with 12:32 left in the first half. LA Valley would respond on their very next possession, and Citrus was once again left trailing for large swaths of the first half.

Shots continued to rim in and out for the Owls, until Martin began to help Citrus turn the corner with 5:00 minutes remaining in the first period of play. Martin's jumper at that point sparked a 11-4 run that saw Martin make a pair of baskets and sophomore Kenneth Cyprian hit back-to-back threes and the front end of two free-throws to turn a three point deficit into a 27-25 lead. LA Valley would score the last point of the first half, with one free-throw in the final seconds, but Citrus still went into the break leading by one 27-26.

Valley would come out in the second half and hit the first shot from the floor to head back out in front by one, but a tip-in by freshman Jeremy Smith would return the favor for Citrus. The Monarchs would once again eek back into the lead a few attempts later, but a pair of free-throws by sophomore Tyler LaCour would make it 31-30 in favor of the Owls and Citrus would never relinquish the lead.

The Monarchs wouldn't make it easy on the Owls, as they never let Citrus get so far ahead that it wasn't within a two possession lead for the Owls. That was until Citrus used a 10-0 stretch from the 6:19 mark to the 4:33 mark in the second half to finally extend their lead to double-digits. Up by just two at the time, LaCour hit a three, and after a defensive stop and miss by Citrus got a tip in to make it 55-48. Freshman Kyle Gray would follow that up with a triple of his own on Citrus' next trip down the floor, and then got a steal and a layup on Valley's next possession to make it 60-48.

Valley would never get closer than eight for the remainder of the contest, as Citrus held on for the win. In the win, Gray led all scorers with 15 points off the bench, adding a game high four steals to his final line. Cyprian would finish with 14, while LaCour had 11. Martin rounded out the superlatives with a game high 10 boards on the afternoon.

With the win, Citrus moves to 20-5 overall and 5-1 in WSC East play. Citrus also moved into sole possession of first place in the WSC East after a loss later in the evening by Antelope Valley College to Barstow College. The Owls continue conference play on Wednesday when they travel to Victor Valley College for a 5:00 PM showdown with the Rams.