COD (7-4) rolled to a Consolation Championship at the Santa Barbara City College Classic, falling to LA Trade Tech in the opening round, then defeating Oxnard and LA Valley while Nicholas Pete and Kristopher Howard collected double-doubles.
In the initial round of the SBCC Classic, Desert would face the LA Trade Tech Beavers (7-17). Sophomore guard Shaquille Russell (Reseda Cleveland) came off the bench and led in scoring for the Roadrunners with 16 points connecting on three of six from the three-point line and collected 7of 8 free-throws. Freshman starting guard Sam Skipper (Perris H.S.) scored nine points and had five rebounds and three steals. Sophomore starting guard Gunnar Mogolis (Palm Desert H.S.) contributed 8 point but Desert was unable to catch the high scoring Beavers, losing their first match 93-71.
On the second day of the tournament the Roadrunners clashed with the Oxnard Condors (1-8) and came out with a close 90-87 victory. Leading the way for Desert was sophomore guard Marquete Eddie (Washington, D.C. Friendship Collegiate Academy) with 25 points on seven of thirteen shooting, nailing four from beyond the arc, and had 5 assists. Continuing his scoring ways, Skipper collected 20 points and had 6 rebounds. Freshman forward Kristopher Howard (Palm Springs H.S) scored 17 points and crashed the boards for 12 rebounds, racking up his first double-double of the season. Desert would work the boards for a total of 45 rebounds and placed pressure on the Condors forcing a total of 14 steals.
The last match-up for the Roadrunners was against the LA Valley Monarchs (7-6). Mogolis lit up the scoreboard for a team high of 16 points, hitting four for nine three-pointers and had three steals. Skipper went for 13 points and Russell finished the game with 12. Desert had five players score in the double-digits. Sophomore starting forward Nicholas Pete (Hemet Tahquitz) added his first double-double of the season with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Desert wrapped up the tournament beating the Monarchs 75-59, taking the second Consolation Championship this season for the Roadrunners best start since the 2007-08 season.
The next home game for the College of the Desert Men's Basketball team will be on Tuesday January 8, at 5 p.m. as they host the Imperial Valley Arabs. If you are unable to make the game in person, follow the action live at CODathletics.com. Hope to see you there.
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For additional information, please contact the COD Sports Information Office at 760.423.6641.
Information provided by COD Sports Information. Story by Ebony Macias (COD Sports Information). Photo by Michael Leone Photography (f8leone@yahoo.com).
