No. 7 Knights Fall to No. 3 Fullerton in Defensive Struggle
In a meeting between two of the state's top teams that had the feel of of playoff game, the No. 7 Knights (5-2) had their five-game win streak snapped at home with a narrow 61-58 loss to No. 3 Fullerton (7-1) on Saturday afternoon. Brandon Bento-Jackson led the Knights with 12 points and six rebounds, while Marley Gonzalez added 10 points and three boards.
In a meeting between two of the state's top teams that had the feel of of playoff game, the No. 7 Knights (5-2) had their five-game win streak snapped at home with a narrow 61-58 loss to No. 3 Fullerton (7-1) that came down to the final possession. Brandon Bento-Jackson led the Knights with 12 points and six rebounds, while Marley Gonzalez added 10 points and three boards.
The Knights had their worst shooting performance in over a year as they shot 37.5%, but their strong defense kept them in the game, holding Fullerton to 43.1% from the floor.
San Diego City took its largest lead, 26-20, late in the first half, but Fullerton went on a 15-3 run in the final three minutes to take a 35-29 halftime lead.
Most of the second half was just as tight as the first half, but the Knights were able to regain a 49-43 lead after a Kenny Gonzalez jumper with 8:53 remaining in the game.
Fullerton kept it close and tied it up at 51-51 on a three-pointer by Jaqari Miles.
It was back-and-forth over the next three minutes with the lead changing hands five times. Fullerton's Joe Grahovac gave his team a 59-56 advantage on a layup with 1:44 left.
City's Logan Huston (nine points) hit a jumper to get the Knights within one with 50 seconds remaining, but Grahovac scored on another layup with 22 seconds showing on the clock to put Fullerton back ahead by three.
On the final possession, Fullerton's defense kept the Knights from running the play they wanted and Bento-Jackson, who had already hit three 3-pointers, was left with a contested 3 from 25 feet out that caromed off the backboard.
San Diego City fell to 5-2 on the season with both losses coming to the No. 2 (West Valley) and No. 3 (Fullerton) teams in the state.
The Knights will now turn their attention to the Grossmont Invitational which begins on Friday, Dec. 6. They will face L.A. Trade Tech at 4 p.m. and then play the winner of No. 16 Saddleback and Palomar on Dec. 7.