TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS DAY ONE: FC BEATS WEST VALLEY
The No. 2 in state Hornets opened the Tournament of Champions Tournament in the Nest against No. 4 West Valley College on Thursday night and got past the Vikings 59-53.
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
18 | 35 | 53 |
|
|
25 | 34 | 59 |
Team Stats
West Valley
| Game Statistics | West Valley | FULL |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (22-61) | (17-50) |
| Field Goal % | 36.1% | 34.0% |
| Rebounds | 46 | 33 |
| Assists | 11 | 9 |
| Turnovers | 19 | 14 |
| Pts off Turnovers | -22 | -9 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 29 | 11 |
| Pts in the Paint | 34 | 22 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 4 | 6 |
| Bench Pts | 29 | 10 |
The No. 2 in state Hornets opened the Tournament of Champions Tournament in the Nest against No. 4 West Valley College on Thursday night and got past the Vikings 59-53.
The Tournament of Champions is a four-team round-robin tourney where four of the top teams in California play against one another. This year features West Valley (No. 4 State/3 North), Yuba (No. 11 North), San Diego City (No. 14 State/7 South), and the host Fullerton (No. 2 State/1 South).
In the first game of the day, Yuba beat San Diego City 76-67 in what was a very close and physical contest that featured 13 lead changes and 6 ties. Turnovers made the difference as the Miners forced 20 scoring 19 points from them.
For Fullerton's first home game for the season, there was a playoff type of electricity in the air with two power-house programs running the floor. The hyped-up Hornets didn't waste any time showcasing their talent as they quickly made a statement with a steal and a dunk by MJ Smith. Another dunk and a three-pointer by Smith handed FC a 9-0 lead by the 17th minute. West Valley mounted a small comeback getting back into the game in the 6th minute 19-14 on a Caleb Asante layup. Relentless, the Hornets kept the pressure on West Valley pushing by with an 11-point lead (25-14) that was capped off by a bucket by Donovan Pitts with just under three minutes. By halftime, Fullerton held a decent 25-18 advantage.
FC welcomed the second half by going on a big 20-7 run that gave the team its largest lead (16 points) of the game at 41-25 in the 14th minute. The Vikings still had some fight left going on a run of their own to pull within 6 points (46-40) by the sixth minute, however the Hornets pushed ahead with a ten-point lead that was helped by Jaquari Miles' 16 points that were all scored in the second half.
Miles led all scorers with his 16 second half scoring barrage (8-10 free throws). Brayden Smith scored 13 points and had 3 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 2 steals. MJ Smith was solid with 11 points with 6 boards, while Trey Thompson scored 7 points and delivered 5 assists. Yoda Oke (7 rebounds) and Donovan Pitts both put up 5 points.
Up Next: No. 2 Fullerton (2-0 overall) will play game two of the Tournament of Champions in the Hornets Nest this Friday, November 7th against No. 11 (North) Yuba College at 6:00 pm.
Day 2 Tournament of Champions Schedule
Friday, Nov. 7 at 4pm - West Valley vs SD City
https://youtube.com/live/Z9E-DeisVfE?feature=share
Friday, Nov. 7 at 6pm - Yuba vs Fullerton
https://www.youtube.com/live/qarAdo980Pc
