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Palo Verde Men's Basketball Ushers in New Era with Promising Start
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Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
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Palo Verde | 53 | 31 | 84 |
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Southwestern | 43 | 45 | 88 |
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Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
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Imperial Valley | 29 | 40 | 69 |
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Palo Verde | 54 | 49 | 103 |
Palo Verde
Southwestern
Game Statistics | Palo Verde | Southwestern |
---|---|---|
Field Goals | (32-65) | (29-63) |
Field Goal % | 49.2% | 46.0% |
Rebounds | 29 | 41 |
Assists | 12 | 21 |
Turnovers | 13 | 4 |
Imperial Valley
Palo Verde
Game Statistics | Imperial Valley | Palo Verde |
---|---|---|
Field Goals | (25-72) | (39-65) |
Field Goal % | 34.7% | 60.0% |
Rebounds | 29 | 42 |
Assists | 21 | 18 |
Turnovers | 20 | 16 |
There's enthusiasm that surrounds the Palo Verde men's basketball program as first-year head coach Jason Billie takes over the program. The team's season-opening weekend previewed what this team is capable of, with a dominant 103-69 victory over Imperial Valley College followed by a hard-fought 84-88 loss to Southwestern College.
"I thought we played really hard this past weekend.," said Billie. "Our team chemistry is strong, the guys fought for each other, and we're playing with intensity, which is encouraging. If we can play hard like this the entire season, I think we can be a problem for a lot of teams."
Despite the strong performance, there are areas of the team that needs to be addressed, particularly in the Southwestern game. "We need to be more selective with our shots and value each possession," he explained. "Although we converted some pretty tough shots, I think we can be a little bit more patient and find even better shots. We also need to improve our ball control and definitely lessen the turnovers."
Omarion Thomas-Marshall, EJ Yorke, and Santino Weimer, played well both games. EJ Edwards also gained valuable minutes that will benefit this team this season.
"I told the guys to stay the course," said Billie. "We need to focus on making the right plays, especially under pressure. We'll learn from this and continue to grow --- but I do know we are headed in the right direction.
The Pirates will travel to San Jose for the San Jose City Tip-Off Classic, facing Leemore College on Thursday, November 7 at 3:00 p.m. De Anza College on Friday, November 8th at 7:00 p.m. and Hartnell College on Saturday, November 9th at 1:00 p.m.