Todd Lewis scored 26 pts and grabbed 10 rebs, and Charles Callison had 18 pts, 5 asts and a key steal in the final seconds as #3 San Bernardino Valley edged #6 Chaffey in a key Foothill Conference showdown Saturday afternoon in Rancho Cucamonga.
Though it was the conference opener for both teams, the game figured to have major implications with both teams ranked among the top half-dozen teams in Southern California in the most recent coaches' poll. And it was tight all the way with neither team every holding a double-digit lead.
Khleem Perkins scored on a putback of his own miss of a baseline jumper with 1:05 left to give San Bernardino Valley (20-2, 1-0) a 62-61 lead. Then neither team scored again as the game entered the final seconds with Chaffey (13-8, 0-1) holding the ball with a chance to take the lead.
Breejae Flonnoy drove through the lane and tried to pass the ball underneath, but the pass was deflected by Callison into the hands of Lewis under the basket. He was fouled with 3.1 seconds left and made a pair of free throws to push SBVC's lead to 64-61. Chaffey called timeout to set up one final shot, but Victor Joseph's half-court desperation shot missed as time expired.
Such a tight finish was only fitting as the lead changed hands numerous times throughout the game. Chaffey had a 17-13 lead after a long 3-pointer by Carl Robinson when San Bernardino Valley went on a 13-0 run to lead, 26-17, following a 3-pointer by Perris Hicks. SBVC led by nine points again late in the first half when Brandon Shaw stole the ball and scored for Chaffey in the final seconds to make it 33-26 at the break.
Chaffey rallied to take a lead early in the second half, mainly thanks to Mufaro Murinda, who scored the Panthers' first 12 points of the half to bring Chaffey within two points at 40-38 with 15:25 left. Then Robinson made a 3-pointer to give the CHP a 41-40 advantage with 14:35 remaining.
San Bernardino Valley went back into the lead on a 3-point play by Lewis off a pass from Callison with 13:45 left, and pushed its lead to eight points at 54-46 following a basket by Callison with just under eight minutes left. But Chaffey rallied to tie the score at 57 with 3:52 left and took a lead on two free throws by Flonnoy with 3:06 remaining.
San Bernardino Valley got another 3-point play from Lewis - again off a Callison assist - with 1:48 left to take a 60-59 advantage. Chaffey went back in front thirty seconds later when Flonnoy scored with 1:18 remaining, but that would be the Panthers' final basket of the game.
Lewis led all scorers with his 26 pts for SBVC, and his 10 rebs were also a game-high. Callison had 18 pts, including 4 threes, plus a team-high 5 asts. Perkins and Kyle Benton each scored 7 pts; Perkins had 8 rebs and Benton had 7.
For Chaffey, Murinda scored a team-high 17 pts, though he neither scored a point nor attempted a shot after his 12 points in the first 4:35 of the second half. Joseph scored 12 pts. Robinson had 10 pts and game-highs of 6 asts and 3 steals. Christopher Edward had a solid game with 7 pts and team-bests of 9 rebs and 2 blocked shots. Flonnoy, who was held out for the first half after arriving late to the gym, had 6 pts, 2 rebs and 2 asts in the second half.
box score
Saturday, January 10, 2015 - 1 pm
At the Chaffey College Sports Center, Rancho Cucamonga
Foothill Conference
San Bernardino Valley Wolverines 64:
0-Kyle Benton, C - 1/4 fg, 5/6 ft, 7 reb, 1 blk, 3 pf, 7 pts
2-Khleem Perkins, SG - 3/12 fg, 1/2 ft, 8 reb, 2 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl, 4 pf, 7 pts
3-Todd Lewis, SF - 7/13 fg, 12/15 ft, 10 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 4 pf, 26 pts
24-Charles Callison, PG - 7/14 fg, 0/1 ft, 4 reb, 5 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl, 4 pf, 18 pts
32-Trayvon Bashir, PF - 0/1 fg, 7 reb, 1 ast, 2 blk, 1 stl, 3 pf, 0 pts
1-Perris Hicks, G - 2/3 fg, 3 ast, 1 blk, 1 pf, 6 pts
5-Zack Rollins, F - 0 pts
team rebounds: 1
Totals: 20/47 fg (.426), 18/24 ft (.750), 37 reb, 12 ast, 6 blk, 4 stl, 19 pf, 64 pts
3-pt fg (6): Callison 4, Hicks 2
Turnovers (18): Callison 5, Benton 4, Perkins 3, Lewis 2, Hicks 2
Chaffey Panthers 61:
2-Brandon Franklin, SF - 1/3 ft, 2 pf, 1 pt
12-Victor Joseph, SG - 3/15 fg, 5/6 ft, 3 reb, 2 stl, 3 pf, 12 pts
24-Carl Robinson, PG - 3/11 fg, 2/2 ft, 1 reb, 6 ast, 3 stl, 2 pf, 10 pts
25-Mufaro Murinda, PF - 5/7 fg, 5/7 ft, 3 reb, 1 ast, 2 pf, 17 pts
32-Christopher Edward, C - 3/5 fg, 1/2 ft, 9 reb, 2 blk, 1 stl, 4 pf, 7 pts
30-Mateu Vilakazi, G - 0/2 fg, 1 ast, 0 pts
35-Khalil Glover, C - 0 pts
14-Donavan Taylor, F - 2/3 fg, 4 reb, 3 pf, 5 pts
1-LJ James Harris, G - 0/1 fg, 1 reb, 0 pts
42-Tyler Warren, C - 0/3 fg, 1/2 ft, 2 reb, 1 pf, 1 pt
10-Brandon Shaw, G - 1/2 fg, 1 stl, 2 pf, 2 pts
11-Marciono Rogers, F - 0 pts
4-Breejae Flonnoy, G - 1/6 fg, 4/4 ft, 2 reb, 2 ast, 3 pf, 6 pts
team rebounds: 7
Totals: 18/55 fg (.327), 19/26 ft (.731), 32 reb, 10 ast, 2 blk, 7 stl, 22 pf, 61 pts
3-pt fg (6): Robinson 2, Murinda 2, Joseph, Taylor
Turnovers (10): Robinson 5, Joseph, Murinda, Shaw, Flonnoy, team
Halftime Score: San Bernardino Valley 33, Chaffey 26
Updated Records: San Bernardino Valley (#3-South, #5-Calif) 20-2, 1-0 in conference; Chaffey (#6-South, #10-Calif) 13-8, 0-1
Chaffey led 17-13 early when SBVC went on a 13-0 run to take a 26-17 lead.
Murinda scored Chaffey's 1st 12 pts of the 2nd half and Chaffey took 41-40 lead.
The lead went back and forth until Perkins scored on a putback with 1:05 left to give SBVC a 62-61 lead.
Chaffey had the ball late but Callison deflected a pass to Lewis for a steal with 3.1 seconds left.
Lewis made 2 FTs to make it 64-61. Joseph's half-court desperation shot missed at the horn.
