Former Cougar Nutter tips in winner

By Nick Pellegrino
Updated: December 8, 2018

By Nick Pellegrino
East County Sports staff writer

LONG BEACH (12-8-2018) – Former Steele Canyon High standout Javon Nutter had already scored a career-high 24 points for Imperial Valley College, yet didn’t anything for granted.

Taking a potential game-winning shot with the clock winding down against host Long Beach City College, Nutter missed. However, he tipped his own shot into the basket just before the clock expired giving the Arabs a dramatic 82-81 triumph over the state-ranked Vikings at historic Hall of Champions gymnasium.

The final sequence saw Timberland Mills (Poway) hit a short jump shot off a Nutter pass for the assist to trim the deficit to a single point. But when Terry Daniels (Palo Verde Valley) stole the ball off the press, IVC earned its chance to pull out the immaculate finish against a quality opponent.

Nutter finished with game-best 26 points, doubling his previous career best. Mills added 11, while Quincy Brown had 10, helping the Arabs (5-6) extended their winning streak to three.

For Long Beach (9-2; ranked No. 6 in Southern California by Signal The Light rankings, Jamiu Akinbile collected 17 points, one of four Vikings to score at least 14 points in a balanced attack.

Palomar 63, Mt. San Antonio 50: Tied at halftime, then leading by just a single point with less than nine minutes to play, the host Comets out-scoring the Mounties by a 24-12 clip the rest of the way to claim Friday’s (Dec. 7) non-conference contest at Palomar Dome.

Leading 9-28, Michael Chatman drained consecutive jump shots around some free throws by teammates, then Antony Routh sank a pair of 3-point goals to push the lead to 54-52 with 4:40 remaining to lock-up the triumph.
For the Comets (5-6), Routh registered 26 points and 9 rebounds, while Chatman added 13 points 11 boards.

For Mt. SDAC (5-5), players from off the bench led the squad in scoring, as Akinola Branco scored d 11.

Sequoias 72, San Diego Mesa 60: At Visalia, the Giants of the College of the Sequoias 12-point lead to keep the visiting Olympians winless in a non-conference game at historic Porter Field House.

For the Giants (5-3), guard Keshawn Gibbs, a sophomore from Atlanta, recorded a game-high 25 points., as Sequoias held a massive 58-39 rebounding advantage.

For Mesa (0-7), Joseph Davis scoffed a team-best 11 points. Point guard Aren Thomas recorded 4 assists, but no other member of the Olympians garnered an assist.

MiraCosta 73, Orange Coast 71: In Oceanside, the Spartans (5-5) handed the visiting Pirates (2-7) of Costa Mesa their sixth loss in seven starts in non-conference action at Crosswoods Gymnasium. MiraCosta did not report any game details.

Southwestern 94, Barstow 56: The host Jaguars had a chance to eclipse the 100-point barrier for the first time in more than three years, but called off the dogs to take Friday’s (Dec. 8) first-round decision over the winless Vikings.

Southwestern shot 55 percent from the floor in the first half, mounting a 51-30 halftime cushion.

For the Jaguars (9-3), freshman guard Marquavian Stephens recorded a career-high 26 points, giving him 64 points over his last three outings.
Meanwhile, forward Nathaniel Pearson added 20 points, the second-best effort of his career.

For Barstow (0-10), Greg Walter scored a game-best 29 points, but his teammates shot a composite 23 percent (9-39) from the field.

The last time Southwestern reached 100 points came almost three years to the day, San Diego Miramar, 102-92, at trhe Palomar Tournament on Nov. 29, 2015.

Chaffey 76, Grossmont 59: The Griffins stayed close for more than 30 minutes before the Panthers finally extended their lead into double figures at Friday’s (Dec. 7) Southwestern College first-round tournament ballgame in Chula Vista.

A layin by Brendon Newble moved Grossmont to within 52-46 with 10:35 remaining, but Chaffey closed the contest with a 15-5 run to advace to the semifinals.

For the Panthers (5-3), Deaviae Bailey came off the bench to score a game-high 21 points, with 17 coming in the first half. But when Grossmont shut him down in the second half, they were able to stay close until the Panthers took care of the ball with just three turnovers in the second half.
The Griffins (0-11) saw Jabbar Wade hit 5-of-8 shots for a team-bet 13 points, while Josh Burton added 10 points and 7 rebounds.

Cypress Tournament
L.A. Harbor 92, Cuyamaca 67: At the Don Johnson Classic at Cypress College in north Orange County, the Seahawks raced past the Coyotes in Friday’s (Dec. 6) first-round contest.

The Seahawks (6-3) shot a resounding 63 percent from the floor, including 18-for-28 (64 percent) in the first half to quickly build a double-digit lead.

Meanwhile, Cuyamaca (1-10) were passive in collecting just 27 rebounds and committing 11 fouls. Plus, shooting a mere 4-for-13 from the foul line simply won’t cut it.

For L.A. Harbor, reserve forward Jacob Washington (17s) topped five Seahawks to score in double figures.

Cuyamaca, guard Frankie Gutierrez led the team with 17 points, including 3 treys, but the Coyotes dropped their third straight.

The event advance for Johnson, the former Cypress coach, who retired as the winningest community college men’s basketball coach in the California history. Johnson, a former All-American at UCLA, led the Chargers to state titles in 1978 and 1980.