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Imperial Valley College's Geric Leath hangs on the rim after dunking against Grossmont College in a game on Friday at IVC. (FERNANDO ACOSTA JR. PHOTO / February 2, 2013) |
IMPERIAL — Coming into this week’s game, the Grossmont College men’s basketball team stood head and shoulders above all others in the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference with a record of 5-1.
Unfortunately for Imperial Valley College, Grossmont improved to 6-1 with a 62-51 victory at the DePaoli Sports Complex on Friday night.
The Arabs had trouble finding the basket early on, and this difficulty was exacerbated by Grossmont’s ability to come down with their own rebounds and make shots when it counted. Also, while the Arabs appeared more methodical in their execution, the Griffins played more aggressively and at a much faster pace, which enabled them to engineer a 31-21 lead going into the locker room.
In the second half, the Arabs showed as much urgency as would be expected from a team trailing by 10. In fact, at the crest of the 13-minute mark, they had trimmed the lead to 39-33, thanks to the hustle of players like freshman forward LaSalle Wright and freshman center Cordaryus Craigen.
However, the Griffins showed themselves resilient. Just when it seemed as if the Arabs were poised on the cusp of a comeback, a green jersey would dart in to force a turnover that, more often than not, yielded points which allowed Grossmont to maintain their frustratingly close, six- to eight-point lead throughout the remainder of the contest.
“If you want to be first, you’ve got to be able to beat ‘first’,” said IVC head coach Tyson Aye, referring to the visitors. “I thought the guys played hard, but when you give the other team 16 extra possessions, it’s hard to beat them.”
The Arabs had 20 turnovers as opposed to the Griffins’ four.
Their next test will be on the road against MiraCosta College of Oceanside, at 5 p.m. Wednesday. Coaching staff and athletes expect another tough game, as MiraCosta is a big, fast team.
“We’ve just gotta push the pace,” said freshman guard Jumah Sutton, who had seven points in Friday’s loss. “We have to get up and down the floor better and try to get a win.”
Statistically, freshman forward Geric Leath had the most impressive night for the Arabs, with 14 points. Wright followed with 11 and Craigen had 9. Miles Hamilton and Michael Angulo scored four.
Unfortunately for Imperial Valley College, Grossmont improved to 6-1 with a 62-51 victory at the DePaoli Sports Complex on Friday night.
The Arabs had trouble finding the basket early on, and this difficulty was exacerbated by Grossmont’s ability to come down with their own rebounds and make shots when it counted. Also, while the Arabs appeared more methodical in their execution, the Griffins played more aggressively and at a much faster pace, which enabled them to engineer a 31-21 lead going into the locker room.
In the second half, the Arabs showed as much urgency as would be expected from a team trailing by 10. In fact, at the crest of the 13-minute mark, they had trimmed the lead to 39-33, thanks to the hustle of players like freshman forward LaSalle Wright and freshman center Cordaryus Craigen.
However, the Griffins showed themselves resilient. Just when it seemed as if the Arabs were poised on the cusp of a comeback, a green jersey would dart in to force a turnover that, more often than not, yielded points which allowed Grossmont to maintain their frustratingly close, six- to eight-point lead throughout the remainder of the contest.
“If you want to be first, you’ve got to be able to beat ‘first’,” said IVC head coach Tyson Aye, referring to the visitors. “I thought the guys played hard, but when you give the other team 16 extra possessions, it’s hard to beat them.”
The Arabs had 20 turnovers as opposed to the Griffins’ four.
Their next test will be on the road against MiraCosta College of Oceanside, at 5 p.m. Wednesday. Coaching staff and athletes expect another tough game, as MiraCosta is a big, fast team.
“We’ve just gotta push the pace,” said freshman guard Jumah Sutton, who had seven points in Friday’s loss. “We have to get up and down the floor better and try to get a win.”
Statistically, freshman forward Geric Leath had the most impressive night for the Arabs, with 14 points. Wright followed with 11 and Craigen had 9. Miles Hamilton and Michael Angulo scored four.
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