TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS DAY TWO: DIGGING DEEP DOWN TO GET PAST YUBA

The No. 2 in state FC men's basketball squad had to dig its way back from a double-digit deficit Saturday night in the Hornets Nest defeating the Miners of Yuba College 74-67.

FC is now 3-0 on the season after beating three of the top teams in the north in No. 3 College of the Seqouias last Saturday 77-53 and sweeping both games played in the Tournament of Champions this week.

In the first game on Friday, West Valley took on San Diego City and the Vikings were able to push past the Knight 68-55. Unfortantely for San Diego City, the team could not match West Valley's hot hand as the Vikings shot 46.2% to the Knights 35.1% from the floor and hit 10 of 23 (43.5%) from beyond the arc.

The visiting Miners came out hot, racing to a 19-7 lead in the opening minutes behind strong perimeter shooting. Despite struggling to find rhythm early, Fullerton stayed within range thanks to Brayden Smith's 10 points and Yoda Oke's 7. By halftime, FC had its work cut out trailing 40-32.

The Hornets methodically eased their way back into the fold in the 13^th minute when Oke dropped in two points bringing the team within three at 47-44. With just over four minutes left in the game, Jaqari Miles drilled a clutch three-pointer to tie the score at 61-61 swinging the momentum in FC's favor. On the next possession, Oke sank a pair of free throws to give the Fullerton its first lead of the night at 63-61. From there, Fullerton surged ahead outscoring Yuba 13-6 down the stretch to seal the comeback.

Jaqari Miles led all scorers with 18 points with 4 three-pointers and 4 assists. Yoda Oke was dominant off the bench scoring 17 points (5-9 shooting and 7-for-7 from the line). He also added 4 rebounds and 3 steals. Brayden Smith chipped in 13 points with 9 rebounds, while Donovan Pitts contributed 8 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals. Trey Thompson put up 9 points and 3 rebounds. 

Up Next: The No. 2 Hornets (3-0 overall) will head west down the 91 Freeway to take on Compton College for a non-conference matchup on Tuesday, November 11th at 5:00 pm

Complete 2025 Tournament of Champions Results

Thursday, Nov. 6
Yuba def. San Diego City 77-67
Fullerton def. West Valley 59-53

Friday, Nov. 7
West Valley def. San Diego City 68-55
Fullerton def. Yuba 74-67