COD (2-8) made the five hour drive up to San Luis Obispo to participate in the Cuesta Phillips 66 Invitational where they opened up against the host Cuesta Cougars.

The Roadrunners opened up the tournament with a very competitive Cuesta Cougars (7-3) squad. Desert would fight back to within four points by the end of the second quarter, going into halftime down, 30-26. Through the third quarter, the Roadrunners would grab the lead, taking a 45-42 lead going into the fourth quarter, but Cuesta would eventually take the contest, 66-58.

Freshman starting guard Jada Toland (Indio Shadow Hills) led the team in assists with seven and steals with three, adding 14 points on 5 of 9 shooting and sophomore forward Jerrica Perez (Indio Shadow Hills) would contribute 13 points on 5 of 7 shooting, going 2 for 4 from 3-point range and grabbing three steals. Freshman guard Mercades Young (Moreno Valley Vista Del Lago) leapt off of the bench to score 14 points on 5 of 13 shooting, going 2 for 5 from beyond the arc and sophomore starting forward Lexie Jackson (La Quinta H.S.), once again led the team in total boards with 17, 13 defensive and led the team in blocks with two.

On the consolation side of the bracket, Desert faced off with the Hartnell Panthers (1-5) from Salinas. At the halftime break, Desert was only down 25-23, but the second half was much tougher as the Panthers claimed the game, 71-59.

Jackson led the way for the Roadrunners with her third double-double of the young season, this time grabbing 19 boards and scoring 25 points on 10 of 20 shooting, along with being perfect at the free throw line, 3 for 3. Young contributed 22 points as a starter, on 9 of 16 shooting, going 3 for 6 from beyond 3-point range and Perez led the team with eight assists on the afternoon. Freshman guard Shannon Beard (Cathedral City H.S.) led the team with four steals and added seven assists.

Information, Photos & Story provided by COD Sports Information.