Coyotes earn split at Canyons tourney

Cuyamaca 67, Oxnard 63

ECS staff report

VALENCIA —- In a battle between winless ballclubs, Cuyamaca College broke its maiden (a horse-racing term for gaining one’s first win) by sliding past Oxnard College, 67-63, in a The Clash at the Canyons tournament game held Saturday (Nov. 6) at College of the Canyons.

A balanced attack saw Ray King (Otay Ranch) lead the Coyotes (1-2) with 16 points.

Jake Pfitzner (El Capitan) followed with 15 points, then 10 each from P.J. Brinkman and Rahin Williams.

Except for Pfitzner, the other trio all hail from the South Bay.

Cuyamaca took advantage of a massive 66-48 rebounding advantage to dominate inside, featuring 14 boards each from Brinkman and Pfitzner.

Of course, a team’s initial win would not come easy.

Rahim Williams made 1-of-2 foul shots for 58-45 lead with just3:43 remaining before the Condors (902) attempted a late surge. However, Ricky Hagan’s 3-point bucket with two seconds left was the closest they came to the Coyotes.

James Webster led Oxnard with17 points, but his 6-for-19 shooting from the floor hampered his ballclub all afternoon.

Cuyamaca mounted a 34-27 halftime lead when King, a 6-foot-4 forward, tallied 16 of his points.

Cuyamaca comes home on Nov. 12-13 to host their own tournament, meeting Mt. San Jacinto on Friday at 5 p.m., then the West Hills Falcons of Coalinga on Saturday at 1 p.m.

Barstow 77, Cuyamaca 71

VALENCIA —- Cuyamaca College’s attempt to posy its first winning season in more than a decade took an early blow this season, allowing a late lead to slip away in Thursday’s (Nov. 4) 77-71 setback to Barstow College in the first round of The Clash at the Canyon tournament, hosted by College of the Canyon.

The Coyotes (0-2) fell because of poor foul shooting in falling to the unbeaten Vikings (2-0).

El Capitan High product Jake Pfitzner paced Cuyamaca with 18 points. But he only went 2-for-8 at the foul line, part of a 10-for-22 effort by the entire roster In the final minutes, the Coyotes went a composite 3-for-9 at the line.

Meanwhile, Christian Taylor poured in 29 points for Barstow (2-0), tallying 14 of his points after the intermission. Meanwhile, teammate Mateo Fernandez Solari registered all of his 19 points in the second half.

Cuyamaca’s Atticus Acosta hit a 3-point shot off an assist by Rahin Williams with 8:39 remaining, gaining a 65-59 lead. However, they were out-scored 18-6 down the stretch to remain winless.

A turnover rate of 21-to-8 also went against the Coyotes.