Chaffey Basketball Looks to Rebound Against Riverside City College
The Chaffey College men's basketball team, currently holding a 6-3 overall record, is looking to bounce back from a hard-fought 93-83 loss against Mt. San Antonio College. Tonight, they host Riverside City College at 5:00 p.m. in what promises to be another exciting matchup.
The Chaffey College men's basketball team, currently holding a 6-3 overall record, is looking to bounce back from a hard-fought 93-83 loss against Mt. San Antonio College. Tonight, they host Riverside City College at 5:00 p.m. in what promises to be another exciting matchup.
Before we preview the Riverside game, let's take a closer look at the key moments and takeaways from the Mt. San Antonio College game.
The game, reminiscent of a heavyweight fight, swung back and forth. Every time the Mounties pulled ahead, the Panthers were quick to respond. The game saw three ties and five lead changes. A pivotal moment occurred with 58 seconds remaining in the half. The Panthers, through a tough three-pointer by Jermaine Rogers, narrowed the deficit to four points, making the score 50-46. The Mounties, breaking the press once again, answered with a layup, pushing their lead back to six points. Following two missed free throws by the Panthers, the Mounties raced up the court, beating the halftime buzzer with a three-pointer to extend their lead to nine points—a crucial five-point swing.
For the Panthers, leading scorer Uriyah Rojas put up 22 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals. Coming off the bench, Jermaine Rogers also had a stellar performance, matching Rojas with 22 points. Nate Simon provided a solid all-around contribution with 10 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block.
The Panthers had several opportunities to seize control of the game, but each time they seemed poised to take the lead, the Mounties responded swiftly. One clear advantage for the Mounties was their size and length, which translated to a dominant 43-26 rebounding advantage, including 42 points scored in the paint.
"I was pleased with our effort tonight," stated head coach Jeff Klein. "There are games where I go home after a loss feeling frustrated, wondering what we could have done differently. However, despite the loss tonight, I was happy with the effort from every single one of our guys."
While the Panthers narrowly missed out on a win, and it's easy to focus on some of the negatives, it's also important to acknowledge Mt. SAC's performance, particularly their clutch plays in the closing moments of each half.
Chaffey will face another tough challenge as they host Riverside City College on Friday at 5:00 p.m. The Tigers currently hold an 8-3 record and are coming off a convincing 85-67 victory over Mt. San Antonio College. A key matchup to watch will be the battle between the Panthers' own talented guard, Rojas, and the Tigers' leading scorer, Christian Warren, who averages 19.8 points per game. This matchup between two of the best guards will be fun to watch.
If you are planning on attending tonight's doubleheader, please note that the women's game will follow the men's game at 7:00 p.m. Tonight is the annual Toy Drive. Everyone who brings a new or unwrapped toy will receive free entry.