Four players scored at least 16 points each as #8 LA Pierce trounced visiting Compton Wednesday night, 96-61, in an unexpectedly easy victory for the Brahmas.
Pierce (10-4) entered the game ranked #8 in the South and #15 in the state, and playing at home they figured to rate an edge. But the Brahmas absolutely blew out a strong Compton team that entered the game with a 5-2 record and was coming off a 53-point win over Porterville.
SG Jordan Major scored the first basket of the game to give the Tartars (5-3) an early 2-0 lead.
After that, however, Pierce went on an 11-0 run and led the rest of the way.
PF Christopher Miller hit a 3-pointer to end that run and make it 11-5; before that Compton had missed 8 of its first 9 shots of the game.
But then Pierce continued to widen its lead. A basket by Ctr Codye Hatcher made it 15-5. A 3-pointer by SG Victor Evans made it 20-9 with 11:48 left in the first half. Two free throws by PG J.R. Williams and a driving lay-up by Evans made it 24-9, at which point Compton was just 3-for-24 from the floor. A free throw by Williams made it 27-11 with 9:40 left in the half.
Miller hit a pair of long 3-pointers to shoot Compton back into the game, and converted a 4-point play when he was fouled making another 3-pointer to make it 32-23 with 6:39 left in the half. His 5th 3-pointer of the night made it 32-26. A short jumper by Ctr Danny Morris II brought Compton within four points at 32-28.
But then Pierce finished the half with a 15-0 run, and led by at least 15 points the entire second half.
A 3-pointer by SF Donte Williams pushed Pierce's lead back to double figures at 38-28. Then Major lost the ball out of bounds for Compton's first and only turnover of the first half. Two free throws by J.R. Williams made it 40-28, and a basket by PF Terrel Funches made it 42-28. J.R. Williams split two free throws and threw an alley-oop to Evans for a dunk to make it 45-28, and then was fouled trying a 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer. He made 2 of the 3 free throws to make it 47-28 at the break.
After an ugly start to the second half - each team had 4 turnovers in the first 2:09 while neither team scored - Pierce pushed its lead to 20 points on a fast break basket by Funches that made it 50-30 with just over 16 minutes left.
Compton rallied one last time to cut the deficit to 15 points at 51-36, but then Pierce pulled away for good. A pair of free throws by SF Myles Mungcal made it 57-36 with 13:46 left. A putback slam by Hatcher made it 62-39. Baskets by Funches and Hatcher made it 68-42. Mungcal scored on a fast break off a pass from J.R. Williams to make it 70-42. Donte Williams made a 3-pointer to make it 73-42 with 8:50 to go.
For Pierce, Donte Williams had a huge game with 23 pts, including 4 threes, plus 7 asts and 4 rebs. Evans had 19 pts, 9 rebs and the dunk of the night, a Dominique-inspired windmill throwdown in the open court with about three minutes left. Hatcher flirted with a triple double, finishing with 16 pts, 15 rebs and 8 blocked shots. And Funches, a 6-3 wing playing power forward as Pierce coach Ed Babayan started a small lineup to match up with Compton, responded with a strong game with 16 pts and 9 rebs.
For Compton, Miller had 21 pts, including 5 threes and the 4-point play. Morris came off the bench for a double-double with 15 pts and a team-high 13 rebs. SF Wesley Harris had 14 pts. But Compton shot just 27% for the night, including 22% in the first half. And after just committing the one turnover in the first half, the Tartars turned the ball over 12 times in the second half.
box score
Wednesday, December 12, 2012 - 5 pm
at LA Pierce College, Woodland Hills
Compton Tartars 61:
2-Matt Mosley, PG - 0/7 fg, 2 reb, 3 ast, 1 blk, 2 stl, 1 pf, 0 pts
5-Wesley Harris, SF - 6/10 fg, 2/2 ft, 3 reb, 1 stl, 4 pf, 14 pts
10-Jordan Major, SG - 1/8 fg, 5 reb, 5 ast, 1 stl, 1 pf, 2 pts
20-Luis Engleton, C - 0/2 fg, 1 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk, 3 pf, 0 pts
24-Christopher Miller, PF - 6/17 fg, 4/5 ft, 3 reb, 2 pf, 21 pts
4-Isaiah Todd, F - 0/2 fg, 1 ast, 1 stl, 0 pts
22-Danny Morris II, C - 5/19 fg, 5/8 ft, 13 reb, 1 blk, 4 pf, 15 pts
30-Ryan Reed, G - 0/3 fg, 1 reb, 1 ast, 1 pf, 0 pts
1-Donta Miller, G - 1/7 fg, 0/2 ft, 4 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 1 pf, 2 pts
3-Brian Kim, F - 1/3 fg, 1 reb, 2 pf, 2 pts
31-Yan Huang, F - 2 reb, 1 ast, 1 pf, 0 pts
14-Marcus Mellado, F - 1/2 fg, 1 reb, 1 pf, 3 pts
33-Andrew Chilton, F - 1/2 fg, 1 reb, 2 pts
team rebounds: 3
Totals: 22/82 fg (.268), 11/17 ft (.647), 40 reb, 13 ast, 3 blk, 6 stl, 21 pf, 61 pts
3-pt fg (6): C.Miller 5, Mellado
Turnovers (13): Mosley 4, Harris 2, Major 2, C.Miller 2, Morris 2, Engleton
LA Pierce Brahmas 96:
1-J.R Williams, PG - 2/8 fg, 3/5 ft, 4 reb, 6 ast, 1 blk, 2 stl, 7 pts
3-Donte Williams, SF - 6/9 fg, 7/8 ft, 4 reb, 7 ast, 2 pf, 23 pts
13-Victor Evans, SG - 8/15 fg, 1/3 ft, 9 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 1 pf, 19 pts
23-Codye Hatcher, C - 8/11 fg, 15 reb, 3 ast, 8 blk, 1 stl, 16 pts
25-Terrel Funches, PF - 5/8 fg, 5/8 ft, 9 reb, 2 ast, 1 blk, 2 stl, 2 pf, 16 pts
22-Chris McCarthy, G - 0/2 fg, 1 reb, 1 ast, 1 pf, 0 pts
24-Myles Mungcal, F - 3/4 fg, 2/2 ft, 4 reb, 4 ast, 1 stl, 3 pf, 9 pts
21-Michael Claus, C - 1/1 fg, 2/2 ft, 1 ast, 4 pts
32-Andre Smith, C - 1/1 fg, 0/2 ft, 3 reb, 1 stl, 3 pf, 2 pts
34-Charles Honest, F - 1 reb, 0 pts
team rebounds: 2
Totals: 34/59 fg (.576), 20/30 ft (.667), 52 reb, 25 ast, 10 blk, 8 stl, 12 pf, 96 pts
3-pt fg (8): D.Williams 4, Evans 2, Funches, Mungcal
Turnovers (19): J.Williams 5, Evans 5, D.Williams 4, Funches 3, Hatcher, Smith
Halftime Score: LA Pierce 47, Compton 28
Updated Records: LA Pierce (#8-South, #15-Calif) 10-4, Compton 5-3
After Major scored the 1st basket of the game for Compton, Pierce went on an 11-0 run.
Pierce led by 16 at 27-11 and 30-14. Compton closed the gap to four at 32-28 mainly due to C.Miller's shooting.
Pierce finished the 1st half with a 15-0 run and continued to pull away in the 2nd half.
