Dominique Walker scored 14 pts including Citrus' last eight of the game as the visiting Owls upset #1-ranked and previously-unbeaten Mt. San Antonio 62-57 Wednesday night in Walnut.
It might have been New Year's Eve, but the game resembled a playoff more than a party as both teams contested every play and easy points were few and far between. But Citrus took a lead midway through the first half and managed to make it last for the rest of the way for the Owls' 4th straight victory.
Mt. San Antonio (13-1) held a slim 12-10 lead midway through the first half when Citrus went on a 13-0 run, and the Owls led the rest of the way. John Roach and Justin Childress sparked the run with back-to-back 3-pointers. Chaunce Hill made a pair of free throws with 6:57 left before the break to make it 18-12, giving Citrus the first lead of the game for either team greater than four points.
Another Childress 3-pointer stretched the Citrus lead to 23-12 with 6:08 left in the half, and the Owls led by 11 a couple of more times before intermission. It was 34-23 when Adriel McGee scored for Mt. SAC off a pass from Mike Peters in the final seconds before the horn to cut the deficit to single digits at 34-25 at the break.
Childress split two free throws early in the second half to stretch Citrus' lead back to double figures at 35-25. At that point Blake Hamilton entered the game for the first time for Mt. San Antonio. But Citrus got a basket on a slam dunk by Hill to push its lead to 37-25.
Mt. SAC was trailing by 12 at 40-28 when Hamilton, who was held out of the first half due to a minor injury or illness (depends on whom one asked) scored six straight points to get the Mounties within six points at 40-34. A Peters 3-pointer cut the margin to four points at 44-40 with 11:51 still left to play, and Shannon Fowler split a pair of free throws to bring Mt. SAC within three points at 48-45 with 9:06 remaining.
But Citrus never let the Mounties get any closer. It was 52-47 when Hill threw down another dunk to push the Owls' lead back to seven. Then Walker made two free throws to push Citrus' advantage to nine points at 56-47.
Fowler banked home a hook shot with 1:47 left to cut the margin to five. Walker split two free throws nine seconds later to make it 57-49. Hamilton made a pair of free throws with 1:25 left to bring Mt. SAC within six at 57-51. But Walker made a pair of free throws with 1:05 left to push Citrus' lead back to eight. Then Walker scored on a dunk off a pass from Childress to make it 61-51 and clinch the win for the Owls.
Walker finished with a game-high 14 pts for the Owls, while Childress had 12 pts, 3 rebs and 3 asts. Mark Williams just missed a double-double with 10 pts and a game-high 9 rebs. Hill had 8 pts, 7 rebs and 3 blocked shots, and Roach also had 8 pts plus 3 rebs, 2 asts and 3 steals.
For Mt. San Antonio, Fowler had 11 pts and a team-high 8 rebs plus 2 asts, a block and a steal. Hamilton had 11 pts, obviously all in the second half. Peters had 10 pts and a team-high 3 asts.
box score
Wednesday, December 31, 2014 - 5 pm
at Mt. San Antonio College, Walnut
Citrus Owls 62:
3-Justin Childress, PG - 3/4 fg, 4/6 ft, 3 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl, 3 pf, 12 pts
10-Dominique Walker, SG - 2/5 fg, 10/14 ft, 2 reb, 1 ast, 3 pf, 14 pts
23-Ryan Wiley, PF - 3/5 fg, 2 reb, 1 ast, 2 pf, 6 pts
32-Mark Williams, SF - 4/7 fg, 2/2 ft, 9 reb, 1 blk, 2 stl, 3 pf, 10 pts
44-Chaunce Hill, C - 3/6 fg, 2/2 ft, 7 reb, 2 ast, 3 blk, 3 pf, 8 pts
5-John Roach, F - 3/7 fg, 1/2 ft, 3 reb, 2 ast, 3 stl, 1 pf, 8 pts
20-Jordan Jefferson, G - 1/4 fg, 4 reb, 2 ast, 2 pts
34-Tyler LaCour, F - 1/2 fg, 1 reb, 2 stl, 1 pf, 2 pts
30-Jordan McNellys, G - 0/3 fg, 2 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl, 2 pf, 0 pts
15-Bishop Hardy, G - 0/1 ft, 1 pf, 0 pts
team rebounds: 5
Totals: 20/43 fg (.465), 19/27 ft (.704), 38 reb, 13 ast, 4 blk, 9 stl, 20 pf, 62 pts
3-pt fg (3): Childress 2, Roach
Technical Foul: Hardy
Turnovers (25): Childress 10, Walker 4, Roach 3, Wiley 2, Hill 2, Jefferson 2, McNellys, team
Mt. San Antonio Mounties 57:
1-Stephaun Branch, PF - 2/8 fg, 6 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 2 pf, 4 pts
2-Samuel Holmes, SG - 1/7 fg, 3/3 ft, 1 ast, 1 pf, 6 pts
3-Mike Peters, PG - 3/10 fg, 2/2 ft, 2 reb, 3 ast, 1 blk, 1 pf, 10 pts
13-LaMarquis Thompson, SF - 3/5 fg, 2 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl, 3 pf, 7 pts
21-Shannon Fowler, C - 4/8 fg, 3/4 ft, 8 reb, 2 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl, 4 pf, 11 pts
20-Malcom Whittington, G - 1/3 fg, 2/2 ft, 1 stl, 4 pts
5-Ryon O'Quinn, G - 0/4 fg, 0/1 ft, 1 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 4 pf, 0 pts
45-Thomas Cowen, C - 0/1 ft, 1 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk, 5 pf, 0 pts
12-Sam Bide, F - 1/2 fg, 2 reb, 2 pf, 2 pts
24-Adriel McGee, F - 1/2 fg, 0/2 ft, 1 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk, 2 pts
10-Blake Hamilton, F - 3/6 fg, 5/7 ft, 1 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl, 2 pf, 11 pts
team rebounds: 5
Totals: 19/55 fg (.345), 15/22 ft (.682), 29 reb, 14 ast, 4 blk, 7 stl, 24 pf, 57 pts
3-pt fg (4): Peters 2, Holmes, Thompson
Fouled Out: Cowen 5:58 left
Turnovers (22): Peters 5, Fowler 3, O'Quinn 3, Cowen 3, Branch 2, Bide 2, Hamilton 2, Whittington, McGee
Halftime Score: Citrus 34, Mt. San Antonio 25
Updated Records: Citrus 7-5, Mt. San Antonio (#1-South) 13-1
Citrus went on a 13-0 run to lead 23-12 with 6:08 left in the 1st and led the rest of the way.
Mt. SAC got within three points at 48-45 with 9:06 left and trailed by 5 at 52-47.
Walker scored Citrus' last 8 pts of the game including a dunk that made it 61-51.
