Ctr Will Nelson scored 14 pts and PG Will Stallworth had 13 pts and 5 asts as #9 Sequoias moved into second place in the Central Valley Confererence with a 68-47 win over host West Hills Wednesday night in Coalinga.
Nelson and Stallworth each sparked scoring runs for Sequoias (15-7, 4-1), which overcame a slow start to lead by 12 points at halftime and by at least nine points the entire second half before pulling away late.
West Hills (9-10, 3-1) jumped out to a 5-0 lead to start the game, with SG Michael Balogun scoring all five points for the Falcons. But those would be the only points Balogun, West Hills' leading scorer this season, would get in this game.
Seqouias rallied to tie the score 9-9 on a 3-pointer by Stallworth. Ctr Corey Davis put West Hills back in front moments later, but Stallworth tied it with two free throws with 11:41 left in the half. Then Stallworth passed to Nelson for a basket after a steal, giving Sequoias a lead it would hold the rest of the game.
Stallworth followed that with a driving lay-up through the middle of the Falcon defense, and a lay-up off a pass from Ctr Brandon Pomrehn as he saved a rebound from going out of bounds. That completed an 11-2 run, with Stallworth scoring nine of those points and assisting on the other basket.
Sequoias maintained a narrow lead until late in the half, when SG Cameron Peck hit two 3-pointers, sandwiched around a hook shot by Pomrehn, as the Giants finished the half with an 8-0 run to lead, 31-19, at the half.
Early in the second half, Sequoias gradually expanded its lead. A short jumper by Nelson in the opening seconds made it 33-19. A steal by Nelson led to a lay-up by Stallworth that stretched the margin to 15 at 44-29 with 11:51 left. A short jumper by PF Bill Borekambi made it 47-31 midway through the second half.
The West Hills crowd got back in the game when Ctr De'Vonte Jenkins threw down a spectacular putback jam, and a 3-pointer by SF Kenny Gaddy got the Falcons within ten points at 48-38 with just over nine minutes. A lay-up by PG Jaelin Avery got West Hills within nine points, making it 51-42 with 7:28 left in the game.
But then the Sequoias answered with an 11-1 run to take control of the game once more. A steal by Stallworth led to a lay-up by SF David Love with 6:08 left. Then SG Larry McMorris was fouled after a steal in the Falcon backcourt, and he made one of two free throws to make it 54-42. Then Nelson scored 8 straight points, starting with a stuff off a pass from PG Troy Norris, to give the Giants an insurmountable 62-43 lead with 3:02 left.
Nelson led all scorers with 14 pts in the game, and he also added 7 rebs and 3 steals. Love had 10 pts and Borekambi had 9 pts and a team-high 12 rebs.
Stallworth came off the bench for 13 pts, 5 asts and 2 steals. According to Sequoias assistant coach and media liason Bud "Budball" Werner, Stallworth came to the school intending to play football, but decided to give COS basketball a try at the urging of high school teammate Love.
For West Hills, Davis had 11 pts and 5 rebs, easily best among the Falcon starters. But the top Falcon performer was the ultra-athletic Jenkins, who came off the bench for 12 pts and 12 rebs, including a couple of spectacular slam dunks, one off the missed shot and another after a steal when he dribbled from his own free throw line to throw down a jam early in the second half.
box score
Wednesday, January 23, 2013 - 7 pm
at West Hills College, Coalinga
Central Valley Conference
Sequoias Giants 68:
00-David Love, SF - 5/11 fg, 5 reb, 3 ast, 2 pf, 10 pts
3-Troy Norris, PG - 3/12 fg, 1/2 ft, 6 reb, 2 ast, 3 stl, 7 pts
4-Larry McMorris, SG - 2/8 fg, 1/2 ft, 4 reb, 1 stl, 2 pf, 7 pts
15-Bill Borekambi, PF - 2/10 fg, 5/8 ft, 12 reb, 3 ast, 3 pf, 9 pts
32-Will Nelson, C - 4/7 fg, 6/7 ft, 7 reb, 1 ast, 3 stl, 2 pf, 14 pts
11-Will Stallworth, G - 5/8 fg, 2/2 ft, 1 reb, 5 ast, 2 stl, 13 pts
20-Cameron Peck, G - 2/7 fg, 1 reb, 6 pts
42-Brandon Pomrehn, C - 1/2 fg, 5 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 4 pf, 2 pts
team rebounds: 5
Totals: 24/65 fg (.369), 15/21 ft (.714), 46 reb, 15 ast, 0 blk, 10 stl, 13 pf, 68 pts
3-pt fg (5): McMorris 2, Peck 2, Stallworth
Turnovers (12): Norris 5, McMorris 2, Borekambi 2, Love, Stallworth, Pomrehn
West Hills Falcons 47:
0-Michael Balogun, SG - 2/9 fg, 1/1 ft, 2 reb, 2 ast, 1 pf, 5 pts
10-Kenny Gaddy, SF - 3/4 fg, 4 reb, 1 ast, 9 pts
12-Tyler Davis, PF - 0/6 fg, 2/2 ft, 1 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl, 1 pf, 2 pts
32-Corey Davis, C - 5/11 fg, 1/2 ft, 5 reb, 1 stl, 5 pf, 11 pts
42-Vincent Lidgett, PG - 0/1 fg, 1 ast, 3 pf, 0 pts
20-Jaelin Avery, G - 3/8 fg, 2 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl, 1 pf, 6 pts
24-Isaiah Bryson, G - 0/1 fg, 1 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl, 1 pf, 0 pts
34-Darren Buckles, F - 1/5 fg, 2 reb, 2 pf, 2 pts
40-De'Vonte Jenkins, C - 4/7 fg, 4/8 ft, 12 reb, 1 blk, 1 stl, 2 pf, 12 pts
team rebounds: 6
Totals: 18/52 fg (.346), 8/13 ft (.615), 35 reb, 11 ast, 1 blk, 7 stl, 16 pf, 47 pts
3-pt fg (3): Gaddy 3
Fouled Out: C.Davis 1:19 left
Turnovers (19): Avery 4, Jenkins 4, Balogun 3, T.Davis 3, C.Davis 2, Lidgett, Bryson, Buckles
Halftime Score: Sequoias 31, West Hills 19
Updated Records: Sequoias (#9-North, #17-Calif) 15-7 overall, 4-1 in CVC; West Hills 9-10 overall, 3-1 in CVC
West Hills led 5-0 early on 5 points by Balogun and 9-6 a bit later.
Sequoias took a 17-11 after an 11-2 run that featured 9 pts and 1 ast by Stallworth and finished the 1st half with an 8-0 run that included 2 threes by Peck.
West Hills trailed 51-42 until Nelson scored 8 pts during an 11-1 run to make it 62-43.
