#1-ranked Fresno (16-2) overcame a slow start and overpowered Cuesta (6-11) in the second half of the third place game in the Delta Holiday Tournament in Stockton Saturday afternoon.
Cuesta began the game on a 7-2 spurt, with PG Casey Blair supplying a 3-pointer and a pair of assists, and pushed the margin to as much as 16 at 24-8 just less than 7 minutes into the game.
Then Fresno got back into the game with defense, holding the Cougars scoreless for nearly 7 minutes as the Rams cut the deficit to just two points at 24-22. And the Rams continued the surge, taking a lead on a 3-pointer from PF Brian Minor at 27-26 and eventually pushing the lead to 5 points at 31-26 late in the half.
Cuesta finished the the first half on a 9-0 run to take a 36-31 lead at the break, highlighted by Blairs 3-pointer at the buzzer. And when SF Robbie McDaniel drained a three early in the second half, Cuesta had an 8-point lead at 39-31.
From that point on, however, Fresno dominated. A 15-0 run, this time led by the offense, wiped out the Cuesta lead in about a minute and gave Fresno a 7-point lead. A three from SF Russell Gregory after a steal by PF Marlon Burnett got the Rams even at 39-39 with 18:27 left. Then a basket by Minor, a three from SG Cory Billingsley and a basket by Ctr Thomas Ammon made it 46-39.
Fresno led the rest of the way, pushing the margin into double digits at 58-46 on a three from Burnett with 11:44 left and the lead was never less than 8 after that.
Billingsley came off the bench to score 17 pts (5 threes) and add 6 rebs and 5 steals for the Rams. Burnett had 12 pts, 5 rebs and 3 steals and was named to the all-tournament team. Ctr Kenya Edwards had a strong game as well with 12 pts and a game-high 9 rebs. And PG Mike Marcial didnt score he took only one shot but dished out a game-high 12 asts.
For Cuesta, PF Josimar Ayarza led the way with 19 pts on 7-of-8 shooting. SG Alex Dantzler had 15 pts and 7 rebs, while Ctr Brian Santiago had 10 pts, 6 rebs and an astounding 10 blocked shots. Blair finished with 6 pts and a team-high 6 asts.
box score
Delta Holiday Tournament
Sunday, December 16, 2007 @ Joseph Blanchard Gym, Stockton
Third Place Game 2 pm
Cuesta Cougars 63:
1-Casey Blair, PG 2/7 fg, 2 reb, 6 ast, 1 stl, 2 pf, 6 pts
3-Alex Dantzler, SG 5/15 fg, 3/3 ft, 7 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl, 2 pf, 15 pts
14-Robbie McDaniel, SF 2/3 fg, 0/3 ft, 4 reb, 2 ast, 2 pf, 5 pts
24-Josimar Ayarza, PF 7/8 fg, 3/3 ft, 4 reb, 3 blk, 4 pf, 19 pts
32-Brian Santiago, C 4/14 fg, 2/2 ft, 6 reb, 3 ast, 10 blk, 1 stl, 2 pf, 10 pts
33-Alex Raj, C 1/3 fg, 1 reb, 2 pts
12-Sean Kelly, F 0/1 fg, 1 pf, 0 pts
5-Jordan Ritchie, G 1 reb, 1 pf, 0 pts
21-Ryan Yust, G 1/4 fg, 1/2 ft, 1 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl, 4 pts
10-Henry Utku, F 1/5 fg, 0/2 ft, 4 reb, 2 ast, 1 pf, 2 pts
team rebounds: 10
Totals: 23/60 fg (.383), 9/15 ft (.600), 40 reb, 18 ast, 13 blk, 6 stl, 15 pf, 63 pts
3-pt fg (8): Blair 2, Dantzler 2, Ayarza 2, McDaniel, Yust
Turnovers (26): McDaniel 8, Dantzler 5, Ayarza 3, Blair 2, Ritchie 2, Yust 2, Santiago, Raj, Utku, team
Fresno Rams 78:
1-Thomas Ammon, C 4/8 fg, 2 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk, 2 stl, 5 pf, 8 pts
3-Aaron Hill, SG 1/5 fg, 0/3 ft, 2 reb, 1 stl, 2 pts
14-Mike Marcial, PG 0/1 fg, 6 reb, 12 ast, 1 stl, 1 pf, 0 pts
21-Russell Gregory, SF 3/7 fg, 2 reb, 9 pts
31-Marlon Burnett, PF 4/10 fg, 3/4 ft, 5 reb, 1 ast, 3 stl, 1 pf, 12 pts
2-Brandon Johnson, G 3/3 fg, 0/2 ft, 1 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl, 3 pf, 6 pts
4-Donnell Fleming, F 1 ast, 1 pf, 0 pts
10-Cory Billingsley, G 6/13 fg, 6 reb, 5 stl, 1 pf, 17 pts
20-Kenya Edwards, C 5/14 fg, 2/2 ft, 9 reb, 2 ast, 2 pf, 12 pts
32-Brian Minor, F 3/10 fg, 3 reb, 4 ast, 1 stl, 1 pf, 7 pts
15-Sutan Burris, F 2/4 fg, 1/4 ft, 5 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 1 pf, 5 pts
team rebounds: 9
Totals: 31/75 fg (.413), 6/15 ft (.400), 50 reb, 24 ast, 1 blk, 15 stl, 16 pf, 78 pts
3-pt fg (10): Billingsley 5, Gregory 3, Burnett, Minor
Fouled Out: Ammon 44 secs left
Turnovers (18): Marcial 3, Burnett 3, Edwards 3, Hill 2, Billingsley 2, Minor 2, Ammon, Johnson, Burris
Halftime Score: Cuesta 36, Fresno 31
Updated Records: Fresno (#1-North, #1-California) 16-2, Cuesta 6-11
Cuesta led by 16 early on and by 9 early in the second quarter before a 15-0 Fresno run put the Rams ahead for good.
Burnett (Fresno) was named to the all-tournament team
