MODESTO, Calif.- The Cosumnes River men's basketball team extended its current winning streak to seven games late last night, defeating Foothill in the second round of the 77th Annual MJC college basketball tournament. CRC will look to extend that streak to eight games when they take on Napa tonight at 6 PM.
The Hawks opened up with a slow start against a very talented and disciplined Foothill team, failing to score a basket during the first four minutes of the contest, before freshman guard Trenton Anthony converted a layup to score the Hawks first points. CRC immediately found themselves in an 8-2 hole five minutes into the contest, before finally settling down. Scores were hard to come by during the first twenty minutes of action, as Cosumnes River committed seven turnovers in the first half, only scoring 26 points during the period. Eight points from sophomore forward David Straughter paced the Hawks during the opening half, as CRC's defense carried them to a 28-20 advantage at the intermission.
CRC's strong defense continued into the second half, as the Hawks were able to dictate tempo throughout the remainder of the contest. Foothill would close the gap to as little as six points with nine minutes to play, but CRC pulled away at that point for good, quickly pushing their advantage to 20 points over the next four minutes. In all, the Hawks recorded 13 steals on the day, as CRC's defense created transition opportunities they would convert. A late Foothill run was quickly halted by CRC, as the Hawks limited second chance opportunities, securing 35 rebounds in the game. A pair of late free throws by freshman forward Daylon Potts sealed the deal, as Cosumnes River took the tournament's Thursday nightcap 68-48 over Foothill.
Freshman guard Josh Johnson led the Hawks with a game-high 16 points. He also secured six rebounds while dishing six assists, and recorded four steals in the contest. Straughter scored 14 points while grabbing seven rebounds, while guards Mitchell Love and Trenton Anthony scored 11 points each. Potts scored eight points and collected a team-high eight rebounds off the bench for the Hawks. For Foothill, freshman guard Matt Wong scored a team high 12 points on four three-pointers to lead the Owls. Sophomores Janvier Alaby and Seth Turner scored seven points each in the loss.
The Cosumnes River men's baskertball team will play their third game in four days tonight in the tournament semifinal game, when they take on Napa at 6 PM. Napa advanced to the semifinal following victories over host Modesto and De Anza in the first and second rounds, respectively. This will be the second time these teams will play each other, as Cosumnes River defeated Napa 68-60 in the second round of the James Clark Classic earlier this month at Cosumnes River College. The winner of this game will advance to play the winner of Fresno City-Diablo Valley College tomorrow night in the tournament's championship game. Fresno City advanced to the semifinal following their win over Chabot, while Diablo Valley advances following their victory over Lassen earlier in the day.