Comets stun Spartans; City tops Mesa; Jags crush Griffs
- Updated: January 31, 2019
San Diego Mesa following the loss to San Diego City on Wednesday.
2019 COMMUNITY COLLEGE MEN’S BASKETBALL
East County Sports staff report
SAN MARCOS (1-31-2019) – On a night when San Bernardino Valley scored a mild surprise by upending Mt. San Jacinto for the North Division lead in the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference basketball race, MiraCosta had a chance to move among the tandem to challenge for the crown.
However, the Spartans also fell, not only to their North County rivals but a team on a long losing streak.
Palomar College, which had lost seven straight and not captured a ballgame in more than a month, took out some frustrations by derailing MiraCosta, 71-67, Wednesday (Jan. 20) at Palomar Dome.
The Comets held a 62-48 advantage at the 6-minute mark, then needed to hold on to stave a late Spartans rally. The lead was trimmed to 69-67 on a Marcus Foster layin with 41 seconds remaining.
Palomar called a timeout, but MiraCosta guard Xavier Allison stole the ball with 30 seconds left, giving the Spartans an opportunity to tie or go-ahead. However, the Spartans also committed a turnover to cap a poor performance, as Anthony Routh made a pair of free throws to seal the upset. Jacob Camargo led Palomar (7-14 overall, 1-3 PCAC) with 20 points. Jamario Harris added 16 points.
For MiraCosta (11-11, 2-2 PCAC), Devyian Roberson and Thomas Donati each totaled 14 points. Donati also grabbed 9 rebounds and blocked 4 shots.
Elsewhere, host Miramar downed College of the Desert, 74-64. No game information was reported by Miramar.
PCAC South
San Diego City 85, San Diego Mesa 75: In downtown San Diego, the host Knights carried a double-digit lead throughout most of the second half before
The Olympians saw Joseph Davis score 8 points over a 5-minute stretch, then Cameron Hill converted consecutive shots from within the paint to get with a point.
However, City woke up just in time to avoid falling behind.
Nashom Carter answered with a 3-point basket, then Victor Irhirhi and Adrian Byrd-Jelinek scored on
For San Diego City (12-10 overall, 3-1 PCAC), Robby Robinson recorded game-highs of 18 points and 8 rebounds. Riley added 17 points and 4 assists, while Byrd-Jelinek and Carter had 14 points each.
Mesa (7-14, 3-1 PCAC) received a game-high 20 points from Hill on 10-for-11 shooting. According to an old Olympians record book (which is a bit dated), the shooting effort would/could equal a school mark set by James Robinson, an All-State player for Mesa from back in
Southwestern 82, Grossmont 49: At El Cajon, Tyler Simmons and H.J. Wilson each scored a game-best 16 points among five players in double figures, leading the South
Southwestern (18-4 overall, 4-0 PCAC) saw Wilson tally 9 of his pints in the first half, mounting a 44-22 cushion by the intermission. Wilson, a sophomore guard out of recently-closed Horizon Christian High, also registered a game-high 8 assists.
For Grossmont (3-19, 0-4 PCAC), Josh Peloquin collected 10 points to lead the Griffins. Meanwhile, forward Chris Moyer, who set a career-best with 9 rebounds against Imperial Valley in his last outing, set another career-standard with a game-high 10 boards.
Technically, SWC equaled a conference record by not making any foul shots, but it was a rout so not many fouls were called; the Jags were just 0-for-1 at the line.
Better, Southwestern had won 8 consecutive games. If they complete the first round of conference lay unbeaten — only San Diego Mesa and Cuyamaca are yet — the Jags would go exactly two months since their last setback. Grossmont, which had won 3-of-5 entering South Division play, has not dropped four straight.
Imperial Valley 74, Cuyamaca 71: At El Cajon; no report was issued by the host Coyotes.
