Tonight, the Big 8 Conference opened up play with the CRC Hawks on the road vs. the Beavers of American River. Both teams were looking to start off their conference play with a first victory going into a short holiday break. CRC was in command for most of the contest using consistent aggressive defense and balanced scoring from all contributors taking a 43-33 lead into the half. More of that same play continued into the second half. ARC made a few brief runs, with their closest deficit at 59-53, but the Hawks held on with clutch free-throws by freshman starting point guard Jalen Valverde (shooting 8-9 from the FT line). CRC prevailed 70-63. After the game, Coach Jonathan James commented. "We played tough on both ends of the floor. I think the key to our success was that we stayed mentally together." Coach James elaborated more with "everybody stepped up in different aspects of the game with each just as important as the next. Grind together, shine together."
Five players finished in double figure scoring. Freshman big man Drew Buggs tallied the only double-double of the night with 15 points, 12 boards, and 2 charges. Freshman Paul Ohiri helped out with 11 rebounds. The Hawks have a scheduled bye on December 26 and return to play on January 2 at Diablo Valley College.
Top Scorers – Drew Buggs 15pts 12rebs, De'Rajaee Austin 13pts 4asts, Jordan Roberson 13pts, Jalen Valverde 12pts, Onakr Sidhu 10pts