PF Jacob Briggs had a double-double and was one of five scorers to reach double figures for #6 Canyons (13-4) in a 96-87 win over #11 LA Trade Tech (10-6) in the marquee game of the first round of the Cougar Holiday Classic Wednesday night.
Briggs had 20 pts and 12 rebs, both team-highs, to help the Cougars lead virtually wire-to-wire. SG Andre Murray added 19 pts off the bench and Ctr Everett Bryson had 13 before fouling out midway through second half. SF Dwayne Jones and PF Youssef Hulse each had 12, while PG Gino Riney had 9 pts plus 11 asts and 5 steals for the Cougars.
COC jumped out to a 9-2 lead early on on the strength of 7 points by Bryson, only to see Trade Tech rally to tie the game 9-9 with PF Louis Hamilton scoring all of Trade Techs early points. But then the Cougars went back in front, going on a 20-4 run and taking a 29-13 lead. COC led at halftime by 16 as well, 44-28.
COC pushed the lead to 20 early in the second half after baskets by Bryson and Jones made it 48-28, but then Trade Tech rallied to get back into the game. A pair of threes by PF Fernando Forde helped the Beavers close the gap to 10 points at 66-56 with just under 12 minutes left, and a basket by SG Michael Nixon narrowed the margin to 8 at 66-58 moments later. And then Canyons saw Bryson foul out with 11:08 to play.
But the Cougars continued to nurse the slight lead, and never let Trade Tech quite pull even. The closest the Beavers got was 6 points at 86-80 after a pair of free throws by Hamilton with about 2 minutes left, but then COC got a basket by Murray on a court-length pass by Riney to push the lead back to 8. A free throw by Riney moments later pushed the lead back to 9, and Trade Tech never really threatened again.
For Trade Tech, Hamilton had a monster game with 29 pts, 11 rebs and 8 asts. PG Charlando Brown had a strong game as well with 15 pts, 7 asts and 4 steals.
box score
Wednesday, December 27, 2006 8 pm
@ College of the Canyons, Valencia
Cougar Holiday Classic First Round
LA Trade Tech Beavers:
11-Marquis Dubose, SG 2/8 fg, 2 reb, 3 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl, 1 pf, 4 pts
13-Joseph Morgan, SF 1/8 fg, 5/6 ft, 1 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl, 2 pf, 7 pts
21-Charlando Brown, PG 6/8 fg, 3/6 ft, 5 reb, 7 ast, 4 stl, 3 pf, 15 pts
31-Imari Thomas, C 3/ 4 fg, 1/1 ft, 1 reb, 1 blk, 1 stl, 2 pf, 7 pts
44-Louis Hamilton, PF 11/15 fg, 7/14 ft, 11 reb, 8 ast, 2 blk, 2 stl, 4 pf, 29 pts
34-Fernando Forde, F 2/4 fg, 2 reb, 1 blk, 2 pf, 6 pts
15-Jefferey Bryant, G 3/9 fg, 2 reb, 1 stl, 4 pf, 7 pts
24-Rico Myles, C 0/2 fg, 1 reb, 0 pts
25-Enrique Marshall, G 2/5 fg, 2/2 ft, 1 reb, 1 ast, 8 pts
33-Tarif Purdom, F 0 pts
12-Michael Nixon, G 2/5 fg, 1 reb, 1 stl, 3 pf, 4 pts
team rebounds: 3
Totals: 32/68 fg (.471), 18/29 ft (.621), 30 reb, 20 ast, 6 blk, 11 stl, 21 pf, 87 pts
3-pt fg (5): Forde 2, Marshall 2, Bryant
Ejection: Morgan 2:44 left
Turnovers (17): Hamilton 5, Dubose 3, Morgan 2, Brown 2, Thomas, Forde, Bryant, Marshall, Nixon
Canyons Cougars:
4-Jacob Briggs, PF 8/13 fg, 4/4 ft, 12 reb, 2 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl, 3 pf, 20 pts
12-Dwayne Jones, SF 5/11 fg, 2/4 ft, 6 reb, 4 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl, 12 pts
24-Gerardo Zuniga, SG 2/3 fg, 5 reb, 2 ast, 3 pf, 5 pts
32-Gino Riney, PG 3/5 fg, 3/ 4 ft, 3 reb, 11 ast, 5 stl, 2 pf, 9 pts
34-Everett Bryson, C 6/8 fg, 3 reb, 1 ast, 5 pf, 13 pts
3-Andre Murray, G 9/15 fg, 5 reb, 3 ast, 1 blk, 3 pf, 19 pts
10-Shant Bicakci, G 1/1 fg, 2/2/ ft, 3 reb, 5 ast, 1 pf, 4 pts
21-Youssef Hulse, F 5/13 fg, 2/5 ft, 5 reb, 3 ast, 1 blk, 3 pf, 12 pts
42-Donjay Kakonde, C 1/3 fg, 0/2 ft, 3 reb, 1 blk, 1 pf, 2 pts
team rebounds: 2
Totals: 40/72 fg (.556), 14/22 ft (.636), 47 reb, 31 ast, 5 blk, 7 stl, 21 pf, 96 pts
3-pt (2): Zuniga, Murray
Fouled Out: Bryson 11:06 left
Ejection: Bicakci 2:44 left
Turnovers (19): Murray 5, Zuniga 4, Briggs 3, Riney 2, Bryson 2, Jones, Bicakci, Kakonde
Halftime Score: Canyons 44, Trade Tech 28
Updated Records: Canyons (#6-South, #13-Calif) 13-4, Trade Tech (#11-South) 10-6
