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Griffins win battle of one-win teams
- Updated: January 4, 2019
By Nick Pellegrino
East County Sports staff writer
OCEANSIDE (1-5-2019) – Do you remember playing a game of poker with special rules, such as one-eyed Jacks beig wil?
For the Grossmont College
On Friday (Jan. 4), the Griffins men’s basketball team emerged with just their second victory of the season, 74-68, over Barstow College to take the seventh-place contest at the Clete Adelman Classic at MiraCosta College.
The victory gives Grossmont, along with South Division rivals San Diego Mesa and Cuyamaca colleges, equal footing entering Pacific Coast Athletic Conference play – they all own a pair of victories in long, struggling seasons that just surpassed the midway point. The three schools will probably battle for fourth place, while Imperial Valley will focus on Southwestern and San Diego City for the top spot and the CCCAA state playoff berth.
Still, a win is a win and Grossmont will take it, especially against an opponent which also entered the day with an identical 1-15 overall record.
Barstow held a 32-29 halftime advantage, but the Griffins shot 62.5 percent(15-for-25) from the floor in the second half to finally vanquish the Vikings.
Josh Burton registered 14 of his game-high 18 points after the break.
Meanwhile, forward Lamon Hudson tallied 16 points, along with Griffins rebounds and 6 assists to carry the Griffins (2-15), which has now won twice in their last four starts.
A fast start by Barstow saw the Vikings leading 15-3 after less than four minutes and forcing a Grossmont timeout. But whatever head coach Doug Weber told his troops completely flipped the contest, as the ballclub hit their next three shots.
However, Barstow’s lead settled to the 9-to-11 range until the final moments of the half, when consecutive baskets in the paint by Josh Peloquin and Hudson closed the gap.
In the second half, an early Burton triple gave Grossmont a short-lived lead, but Barstow answered with a quick 8-2 run to re-claim a 50point lead at 41-36. But Marquell Cool hit consecutive 3-balls, part of his 10 points (two short of his season0high), to give Grossmont a 42-42 lead with 12:46 remaining.
Barstow took one other quick lead, but a 14-2 run by the Griffins cemented the triumph.
For the Vikings, Josh Tawhiao led all scorers with 19 points. Greg Dishman produced his 16points in equal halves of 8 each, while Jack McDonald had 7 points and 8 rebounds.
Grossmont returns to the North County next Friday, meeting host Palomar in a PCAC North-South affair. The official PCAAC South opener is a week later, hosting defending divisional champion San Diego City.
