The MiraCosta College men's basketball team put up a good showing at the first annual Clete Adelman Basketball Classic, but ultimately the depth and strength of the first place team in the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference - North Division, the Miramar College Jets, was too much for the short-handed Spartans in a 69-51 defeat on Thursday.
Similary to Wednesday's semifinal matchup, MiraCosta simply did not have enough bodies to keep the game within reach for the full 40 minutes. MiraCosta was also playing without its top two scorers for the third straight game, but picking up the slack was Daymarcco Green, who finished with 18 points, eight rebounds and four assists.
After flirthing was a triple-double in each of the first two games of the tournament, Green was again a leader for the Spartans on the floor, earning all-tournament honors for his effort.
Brett Hollins, Kenan Brooks and Billy Brown all added eight points apeice for MiraCosta, while Hollins grabbed eight rebounds after producing back-to-back double-doubles in the first two games of the tournament. Brown added seven boards.
MiraCosta never led in the game, and after trailing 15-6 five minutes in, went on an 8-2 run to make it 18-14. A 3-pointer by Brooks a few minutes later made it 21-19 in favor of Miramar, and a tough, fadeaway jumper by Green just before halftime took the Spartans into the intermission trailing by only four at 32-28.
Brooks and the Spartans then opened the second half with a fastbreak 3-pointer to bring MiraCosta to within one at 34-33, but from there it was all Miramar. The Jets quickly scored nine consecutive points to open up a 10-point lead, and then went ahead 49-37 with 10 minutes remaining. A four-point play by Miramar made it 56-43 with 5:39 left on the clock to all but seal MiraCosta's fate.
To go along with a lack of depth, the Spartans were hampered by 22 turnovers and 13 missed free throws (8-of-21; 38.1%).
Next up, MiraCosta will have nearly a week off before the start of conference acton on Friday, Jan. 13, when the Spartans host the College of the Desert at 5pm.
Tournament Roundup:
In a thrilling championship game, the Antelope Valley College Marauders edged the Bakersfield College Renegades by one only two points, 77-75. Antelope Valley led the majority of the second half before Bakersfield held a late lead heading into the final minute. The Marauders then regained the lead, setting up the final play with the Renegades down two and less than nine second on the clock. After consecutive timeouts by both teams, the Renegades launched a contested three that just grazed the front of the rim and fell harmlessly to the floor.
Tournament Most Outstanding Player, Antone Warren, led Antelope Valley with 20 points, while all-tounament selection D'Mauria Jones added 16 for the Marauders. Cory Dollarhide added 14 points on four 3-pointers. Bakersfield was led by Shane Christe with 19 points, all-tournament selection Jaylunn English with 16, Tucker Eenigenburg with 12 and Jamar Hammonds with 10.
In the consolation bracket final, San Diego City Collge, who entered the tournament with the most wins among all participating teams, closed out the tournament with a 96-72 victory over Los Angeles Pierce College. All-tournament pick Robert McCoy paced the Knights with 22 points and Jahmere Mitchell added 14, while Pierce's Kelton Conway matched McCoy with 22.
Below is the breakdown of the awards handed out for the first annual Clete Adelman Basketball Classic.
Tournament Champions: Antelope Valley College Marauders
2nd-Place Trophy: Bakersfield College Renegades
3rd-Place Trophy: San Diego Miramar College Jets.
Consolation Bracket Champions: San Diego City College Knights
Most Outstanding Player: Antone Warren (Antelope Valley)
All-Tournament: D'Mauria Jones (Antelope Valley), Jaylunn English (Bakersfield), Javon Perry (San Diego Miramar), Daymarcco Green (MiraCosta), Robert McCoy (San Diego City)