Citrus Secures Overtime Thriller

Even with a conference title off the table, the regular-season finale between No. 6-ranked Citrus College and No. 24-ranked West LA had plenty of excitement Friday night.

The Owls won the thrilling overtime battle 106-101 to move to 25-3 overall and close out Western State Conference-South action with a 13-1 record and their fifth conference championship in six seasons. The Wildcats end the regular season with an 18-10, 10-4 conference record.

Four Owls finished in double figures, with another two right on the cusp. Anthony Tello led Citrus with 20 points on 6-of-12 shooting, also grabbing four rebounds and three assists. Rudy Suarez followed with 17 points (5-for-8 from the perimeter), while Chris Chiles (5-for-9) and Jayden Johnston each added 15 points. Johnston also grabbed a team-high eight rebounds and dished out five assists, while Chiles had seven boards and four assists. Jamal Briscoe (3-for-6) and Uriah Foster (4-for-9) chipped in nine points.

Citrus held a 12-point lead at halftime, but West LA came barreling back to make things interesting and force overtime.

In the extra period, the Owls struck first and built a two-possession lead with just under two minutes left on the clock after going on a 6-0 spurt. Aibigho Ujadughele started and capped the run with a fastbreak layup to put the Owls up 100-94.

The Wildcats tried to stay within reach and drained a big three-pointer to force a Citrus timeout with under a minute to go. Chiles and Foster scored back-to-back points out of the break to all but seal the 106-101 victory.

Citrus will wait to hear its fate for the postseason early next week, with the first round of playoffs scheduled to start on Wednesday, March 1.