Knights Take 2nd Place at Grossmont Tournament
San Diego City made it to the championship game of the Grossmont Invitational once again after winning the title the previous four seasons, but fell in double overtime, 93-82, to Moorpark. Kenny Gonzalez led the Knights with 24 points, while Logan Huston added 20 points.
San Diego City made it to the championship game of the Grossmont Invitational once again after winning the title the previous four seasons, but fell in double overtime, 93-82, to Moorpark. Kenny Gonzalez led the Knights with 24 points, while Logan Huston added 20 points.
This was the 10th year that the Knights have participated in the Grossmont tourney and they have made it to the championship game nine straight times with a total of six titles.
The No. 8 ranked Knights made it to Sunday's final after edging out L.A. Trade Tech, 80-78, in the opening round. They were up by 17 with seven minutes left in the game, but LATTC rallied back to within two points in the final minute. City's Cameron Marshall (nine points) hit four crucial free throws down the stretch to secure the win. Reid Celestin provided 18 points and eight rebounds off the bench.
In the semifinals, the Knights matched up against PCAC rival Palomar and took an 11-point second half lead that they lost, but recovered by finishing the final 6:36 with an 18-7 run after falling behind by three. Four starters scored in double figures, including Huston who led with 19 points and four steals. Gonzalez added 15 points and four assists, while Celestin and Cubit each scored 10 points.
In Sunday's final against Moorpark, the Knights grabbed a 60-51 lead after a pair of Huston free throws with 4:51 left in regulation, but the Raiders chipped away at that lead and tied it after a steal and layup by Kenji Cooper with 8.6 seconds remaining.
City's Gonzalez took the inbounds pass and dribbled into the paint where his potential game-winning runner hit the front of the rim and the game went into overtime.
Moorpark took a 77-75 lead on a Cooper jumper in the lane with 3.4 seconds remining in the first overtime. After a Knight timeout, Huston received the inbound pass at the top of the 3-point line and was fouled on a short jumper just outside the paint. He then calmly made both free throws to send the title game into a second overtime.
The Knights fell behind by five in the second OT, but a Gonzalez 3-point play got them back to within two with 2:23 left. Moorpark, however, pulled away by scoring the game's final nine points.
In addition to the combined 44 points from Gonzalez and Huston against Moorpark, Marshall and Junior Camacho scored 11 points each off the bench with Camacho also bringing down 10 boards.
The 7-3 Knights will play their two final non-conference games against West L.A. and Modesto on Dec. 13 and 14, repectively, at the Fullerton College Classic. Both of those games are set to tip at 4 p.m.
They will then open PCAC play on Dec. 18 at Grossmont at 7 p.m.