SBVC Advances to Elite Eight after Epic Battle with RCC

SBVC Advances to Elite Eight after Epic Battle with RCC

Riverside City College and San Bernardino Valley College have had a storied rivalry through the years, and with a trip to the final eight of the California Community College Athletic Association men's basketball championship tournament. 

And Saturday night, they added another chapter to that story.

The Wolverines rallied in the second half, outscoring Riverside 9-5 in the final 1 minute, 44 seconds to knock off the Tigers 66-62 to earn a trip to the Elite 8 starting Friday at West Hills College in Lemoore. SBVC is tentatively scheduled to play College of the Sequoias in their quarterfinal game.

With Dominique Daniels sidelined after being injured in Thursday night's game, the Wolverines were looking for someone to help pick up the slack. That person turned out to be Miles Oliver, who turned up his game in the second half Saturday night. Oliver, who had played five minutes off the bench in the first half, played in the final 19 minutes of the game, scoring 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting in the final half, finishing with a game-high 22 points.

Oliver wasn't alone, however. Anthony Bell picked up his attacks on the basket, finishing with 15 points. And Chester Makoi continued his strong play under the basket, finishing with 11 points, 14 rebounds and five blocks. Armon Muldrew finished with 13 points for SBVC.

On the other end of the court, the Wolverines' defense worked to shut down the Tigers' attack. Riverside only made 32.8 percent of its shots in the game. Edwyn Collins led the Tigers with 14 points before fouling out late in the game. Melvin Walker had 13 and Zekiah LoVett had 12 for Riverside.