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TAHLEQUAH, Okla. (5-10-07) -- Cuyamaca College forward J.R. GRIFFIN, who was lost for the last six weeks of the season with a broken leg, still had enough game film available to earn a basketball scholarship and will play for Northeastern State (Okla.) University next season.

Griffin was part of a Coyotes team which started the season fast, capturing its first-ever 8-team tournament championship (Irvine Valley) and gaining a ranking of 12th in California, then leading the Pacific Coast Conference standings through the first round of conference play until going down with his injury.

Cuyamaca eventually bounced back and finished in second place, posting a 19-13 overall record and advancing to the COA playoffs.

Still, Griffin ranked among the conference leaders, finishing 6th in shot blocking, 8th in scoring, 10th in rebounding and 11th in field goal percentage.

Northeastern State -- the Redmen -- went 11-15 (5-7 in the Lone Star Conference) this past season, but were NCAA Division II national champions for 2002-03.

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EL CAJON (4-19-07) -- Following a successful season which culminated with a trip to the COA regional playoffs, two members of the Cuyamaca College men's basketball team have earned scholarships to four-year universities as forward CLINTON SHELTON and center RYAN SHUMAKER have signed letters of intent.

Shelton, a product of Helix High, will continue his playing career at rising NAIA power Montana State-Northern, while Shumaker, who prepped at West Hills High, will switch sports after accepting an offer in track from Southern Illinois.

"Coming to Cuyamaca was one of the best decisions I've ever made, and it got me to where I wanted to go -- the next level," said Shelton . "Cuyamaca was like a giant family, starting with the coaches and teachers, and even the janitors."

Shelton will join a Lights (yup, the "Northern Lights") program which has ranked near the top of the Frontier Conference since a change in the coaching staff five years ago, coming within one game of qualifying for the NAIA national tournament the past two seasons.

"They found me because some of our former players played for them," said Shelton, who will replace senior RONNIE SIMPSON, another ex-Coyotes standout who also made the trek to the town of Harve, Mont. "I had no idea who they were, but I looked them up and explored what they're all about."

Shelton plans on majoring in education and wants to obtain a teaching credential.

"Coach ROB (WOJTKOWSKI) is pretty excited about it (the scholarship)," added Shelton, who was a second-team All-Pacific Coast Conference selection. "I always wanted to play for a 4-year school and I made it."

Meanwhile, Shumaker first thought his future would be playing basketball in Ohio, but those plans got detoured.

"I was talking to the University of Akron, but they ran out of (scholarship) money," explained Shumaker. "Their coaches told the people of Southern Illinois about me, so the track coaches contacted me, I visited their campus, then I signed the following week."

Shumaker had been competing in track at Cuyamaca, but only after the basketball season ended. Despite limited preparation time, he placed sixth in the state in the shot put as a freshman, and was a regional qualifier in the hammer throw.

"And we start this year's conference meet next week, so I hope to be ready," added Shumaker, who specializes in the shot, hammer and discus. "I usually play basketball nine months out of the year, then try to quickly get ready for track. Skill-wise, I'm actually a better athlete for track."

Shumaker received a 3-year scholarship with the Salukis, which will give the business major a chance to earn his Master's degree from the Carbondale, Ill., campus.

Southern Illinois, an NCAA Division I program, competes in both indoor and outdoor track in the Missouri Valley Conference.

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EL CAJON (2-22-07) -- When Saddleback College forfeited a late-season game, it didn't hurt the Gauchos, which still gained the top seed out of the Orange Empire Conference. However, the ramification were felt throughout Southern California.

The fall of the dominos failed to help Cuyamaca College even a little bit.

With Santa Ana's potent -- and motivated -- backcourt gunning down 11 treys, the Dons eliminated the nicked-up Coyotes in Wednesday's (Feb. 21) first-round contest, 85-68.

"We were scoring in the second half, but we couldn't make any stops," said Cuyamaca coach ROB WOJTKOWSKI, whose team was eliminated in its SoCal opener for the second straight season. "They just shot the ball very, very well."

Santa Ana guard D'Andre Denan paved the way, scoring a game-best 19 points, while Rod Harmon dropped home four treys as part of his 16 points.

The first half started with the teams trading the lead back and forth.Tied at 20-all with nine minutes left, the Dons went on an 11-2 run, carrying a 43-34 lead into the break.

In the early minutes of the second half Cuyamaca took advantage of their size down low, when RYAN SHUMAKER scored 12 of his 14 points, but cut only slightly into the Dons' lead.

Cuyamaca was able to get within eight points before the Dons took control of the game and went on to pick up the victory with their backcourt shooting.

For Cuyamaca, CRAIG JACKSON was the leading scorer with 14, while LUKE KELLEY aded 10. GARREN CUNNINGHAM helped give the Coyotes the rebounding edge, 45-43, with his 10 boards, but the Dons' advantage in committing fewer turnovers (21-to-10) doomed the hosts.

Santa Ana advances to Saturday's second round against Bakersfield, the top seed in the South region.

The pairing between two strong programs so early in the playoffs is unfortunate, and is yet another problem caused by the COA, the sport's governing body, which again failed to address the problem of late-season forfeits and how they penalize schools not directly involved in the sanctions.

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IRVINE (2-20-07) -- The good news for the Cuyamaca College basketball team is gaining a home game in the opening round of the COA state playoffs. But its placement in the South Regional wasn't very desirable.

The Coyotes (19-11), runners-up in the Pacific Coast Conference, gained the 16th seed and will entertain an old-time acquaintance in Santa Ana College, the No. 17 seed. For the Dons (23-8), it will be their third visit to Cuyamaca this season.

"We've played them twice before, losing by two points in our tournament opener," said Coyotes coach ROB WOJTKOWSKI. "Then we beat them by six in early December."

However, head-to-head matchups from more than two months ago mean little when the teams meet Wednesday (Feb. 21) at 7 p.m.

"Santa Ana should've been seeded between 9 and 12,"added the coach. "But because they got upset by Orange Coast and finished behind them in the (Orange Empire Conference) standings, Coast received priority placement, so Santa Ana had to be seeded below them."

For either ballclub, victory still means a difficult future assignment. The winner gains a Saturday meeting at Bakersfield, the No. 1 team in the Southland.

"There's no way we're looking that far ahead," added Wojtkowski. "Santa Ana is an extremely talented team with one of the best backcourts in Southern California."

Among the Dons victories this season was a narrow 72-71 mid-December triumph at the Ventura tournament over Imperial Valley, the Pacific Coast Conference champions, and a team Cuyamaca defeated on the final day of the regular season.

Meanwhile, the Arabs (23-9) were seeded 10th, receiving an opening-round bye. IVC will play Friday at 7th-seeded Riverside (26-4), the Orange Empire titlist. The PCC also gained a third playoff participant as Palomar (17-12) gained the 20th and final South regional bid, playing at No. 13 Compton (19-9).

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SAN MARCOS (2-19-07) -- Deveon Jenkins, who helped lead Imperial Valley College to the Pacific Coast Conference championship, was named player of the year in voting by conference coaches Sunday (Feb. 18).

Jenkins, who only ranked 20th among the latest list of PCC scoring leaders, overcame a luke-warm pre-conference slate to shoot 66 percent from the floor in the second half, while was known as a defensive stopper.

East County schools were well represented, too. Cuyamaca received first-team berth from forward GARREN CUNNINGHAM and guard LUKE KELLEY, joined by Grossmont point guard MAURICE CLADY.

"Luke was one of the better shooting guards in conference, and one of the better off-guards in out history," noted Coyotes coach ROB WOJTKOWSKI. "And Garren is also one of our best 3-men in our history, and we've had quite a few good ones play that position."

In addition to Kelley and Cunningham, forward CLINTON SHELTON gained a second-team berth.

"I'm happy Clinton got some r4ecognition,"added the coach."He did a lot of things that don'toftenget notices, like block shots and rebound. It was well-deserved."

Honorable mention went to Ryan Shumaker and Gabe Wessel of Cuyamaca, plus Grossmont's Casey McRoberts-Hight and Aaron Tinsley.

ALL-PACIFIC COAST CONFERENCE

Player of the Year -- Deveon Jenkins, Imperial Valley Coach of the Year -- Tyler Aye, Imperial Valley

First Team -- Deveon Jenkins, Imperial Valley; E.J. Ross, Palomar; Cornel Williams, San Diego City; Roman Leon, Southwestern; Luke Kelley, Cuyamaca; Garren Cunningham, Cuyamaca; Maurice Clady, Grossomnt; James Hughes, Imperial Valley; Brett Lauer, SD Mesa. Second Team -- Ben Thompson, Imperial Valley; Uros Vukovich, Palomar; Shawn Brooks, San Diego City; David Kinder, San Diego City; Thomas Kearns, MiraCosta; Clinton Shelton, Cuyamaca.

Honorable Mention -- Cuyamaca: Ryan Shumaker, Gabe Wessel; Grossmont: Casey McRoberts-Hight, Aaron Tinsley.

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RANCHO SAN DIEGO (2-18-07) -- Sophomore guard LUKE KELLEY tossed in a game-high 26 points, then the defense of Cuyamaca College held visiting Imperial Valley to its second-lowest point total of the Pacific Coast Conference schedule, as the Coyotes staved off the first-place Arabs, 61-55,on the final day of the regular season.

Saturday's (Feb.17) triumph clinched second place in the PCC for Cuyamaca (19-11 overall, 12-4 PCC), almost assuredly gaining a berth to the COA playoffs.

The postseason pairings will be determined Monday (Feb. 19) in Irvine , with 20 schools advancing to the Southern California regional. Cuyamaca representatives anticipate a seeding between 13th and 16th position, meaning a home game in Wednesday's (Feb. 21) opening round.

"It feels great to make the playoffs," said Coyotes coach ROB WOJTKOWSKI, whose team ended the season on a roll by winning their final five ballgames. "We had to readjust our team three times this season, but each time we made it through."

The Coyotes opened the season at 4-1, including the school's first-ever triumph in an 8-team tournament by winning at Irvine Valley , rising to No. 12 in the state rankings. However, the team lost KAREEM RODRIGUEZ, forcing the team to make several changes to their lineup.

Two months later, forward J.R. GRIFFIN was lost for the season with a broken bone in his leg, as Cuyamaca lost its grip on first place and dropping 4 of 5 games. However, additional realignments have the Coyotes playing as well as they have all season.

"We've needed to change the dynamic of the team after Kareem was lost, then again when J.R. went down," noted Wojtkowski. "And we've been doing it with great defense and balance on offense, with 5 or 6 guys averaging 7 points per game."

Against Imperial Valley, it was CLINTON SHELTON's turn to rescue the Coyotes after IVC took the lead at 47-46 after trailing by as many as 10 in the second half.

" Clinton hit a couple of big jumpers, then Luke took it the rest of the way by driving the ball to the basket," added the coach.

Shelton finished with 10 pints, while GARREN CUNNINGHAM and GABE WESSEL added nine points each.

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SAN MARCOS (2-15-07) -- Facing the most demanding slate of contests all season this week, Cuyamaca College cleared its first hurdle in order to secure a COA regional playoff berth.

Playing what head coach ROB WOJTKOWSKI called, "our best second half since I got here nine years ago," the Coyotes snapped a second-place deadlock with Palomar by racing past the Comets, 70-63, at Palomar Dome.

Trailing at the intermission, 37-24, the Coyotes opened the second half by dominating Palomar by outscoring them, 31-5, to guarantee them to finish no worse than a tie for second place. But will it be enough to make the postseason field, which has been trimmed from 32 teams, to 24, and now to 20 this season.

"If we win Saturday's, we're in," noted Wojtkowski. "But if we lose and Palomar wins, Palomar has the tiebreaker on us because they beat Imperial Valley once, while we would've lost to them twice."

And the Coyotes' opponent to close the season: the first-place Arabs, who clinched the Pacific Coast Conference title Wednesday (Feb. 14) after steam-rolling Miramar, 102-54. Palomar closes at home against Southwestern.

"Making the playoffs is the toughest that it's ever been," added the coach on the shrinking tournament field. "But if we finish second, we have enough quality wins to get in."

Only the six conference champions from the Southland are guaranteed postseason berths, with the remaining 14 slots considered at-large selections.

Receiving no playoff consideration was a real possibility after Palomar built a 13-point halftime lead. But a different Cuyamaca team took the court after the break.

"We've played great offense for a half before, and we've played great defense for a half before," noted Wojtkowski. "But we've never played both great offense and great defense at the same time in a half, especially when we absolutely had to win."

And all of the team's top scorers contributed.

GAREN CUNNINGHAM posted 13 of his game-high 21 points in the second half. CLINTON SHELTON scored 11 of his 20 after the break, while LUKE KELLY collected all 11 of his points following the intermission. In addition, RYAN SHUMAKER gained 7 of his 12 points in the final 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, all Palomar could counter with was 21 points from P.J. Ross.

"That was one of the best halves of basketball we've played," added Wojtkowski, as Cuyamaca scored the first 15 points of the second half as part of its scoring run. "It was a huge win for us."

San Diego City 90, Grossmont 79 (OT) -- Knights center David Kinder, who was limited to five first-half points, took over inside to finish with 21 points and 13 rebounds, as visiting SDCC barely forced overtime before handing the Griffins the loss in Grossmont's season finale.

The Griffins led by as many as 14 points in five occasions, only trailing 2-0 in regulation before San Diego City guard Shawn Brooks completed the comeback by hitting a 3-point shot with 28 seconds remaining. Brooks also finished with 21.

In the extra period, City suddenly vacated its inside attack, rifling three straight 3-balls followed by a one-handed rebound-slam dunk by Kinder to post an 80-71 advantage which the Griffins could not answer. SDCC closed the come-from-behind effort by posting a perfect 10-for-10 mark from the foul line, including six straight from reserve guard Jesse LeBeau.

Grossmont controlled the opening 30 minutes, as CASEY McROBERTS-HIGHT nailed his first five jump shots to tally 12 of his 17 points in the opening 12 minutes. Meanwhile, AARON TINSLEY hit five of his six baskets from 3-point range for a game-best 24 points, while forward EMERY MITCHELL scored all of his 10 points in the first half.

However, Grossmont shot just 24 percent (10-for-41) after the intermission after building a 43-33 lead. The Griffins pushed the advantage to 59-45 with 11:59 remaining before the Knights closed regulation on a 24-10 run.

No matter what happens Saturday, Grossmont (7-22, 6-10 PCC), which has the bye, will finish sixth in the newly-expanded, 9-team Pacific Coast Conference standings.

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OCEANSIDE (2-9-07) -- MAURICE CLADY paced Grossmont College with 19 points, but the Griffins fell to host MiraCosta College, 80-66, in Saturday's (Feb. 10) Pacific Coast Conference game.

AARON TINSLEY added 16 points, including a trio of 3-point baskets, but the Spartans pulled away late in a contest that weas tied 31-all at the half. Foul shooting was a key, as the Spartans shot 75 percent (20-for-28) at the line,, while Grossmont was a sparse 50 percent (12-for-24).

Grossmont (7-21, 6-9 PCC) concludes its season at home against San Diego City on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

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SAN DIEGO (2-9-07) -- Less than 24 hours after Grossmont College lost its center for the season, one of the Griffins' youngsters stepped up to fill the gap.

Head coach DOUG WEBER welcomed 6-foot-5 freshman JARED JACKSON to the starting line-up, who performed as well as any one frontline player has all season. Jackson scored a career-high 21 points Thursday (Feb. 8), but the Griffins fell to San Diego City, 80-70, at Harry West Gymnasium.

Jackson also collected 12 rebounds, including eight on the offensive glass to keep Grossmont in the ballgame, while calmly sinking all five of his foul shots among his scoring. Jackson replaced starter BRETT ALLRED, who was lost for the season with an injury to his right knee.

AARON TINSLEY added 18 points for Grossmont, which fell a half-game behind the Knights and Southwestern for fourth place in the Pacific Coast Conference.

The contest was a make-up from Jan. 17. The teams meet again in six days on Wednesday (Feb. 14), at Grossmont. However, next for the Griffins is a 7 p.m. Saturday (Feb. 10) ballgame at MiraCosta.

Grossmont guard Aaron Tinsley releases the basketball past an Arabs defender. (Photo by Frank Gregorek)

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EL CAJON -- In a dramatic battle featuring 20 lead changes and eight ties, ultimately, Imperial Valley College did absolutely nothing to survive a brave effort from Grossmont College.

Holding a 4-point lead with a half-second remaining, Arabs coach Tyson Aye instructed his players to remain in front of the IVC bench rather than defend an inbounds play from under its own basket, allowing the Griffins to convert an uncontested 3-point shot but allowing IVC to hang on for a 68-67 victory.

The decision sets up Saturday's first-place showdown for the Pacific Coast Conference lead when the Arabs (21-8 overall, 11-2 PCC) hosts second-standing Palomar.

"We've gone through everything this year, but the last five minutes belong to us," said IVC guard Dean Curry. "We weren't playing like the No. 1 team until we starting swinging the ball and making lots of improvements to our game."

Grossmont, despite the loss of center BRETT ALLRED to a severe knee injury early in the second half, remained in front until the final minutes when Curry took over the contest. The sophomore guard penetrated the paint for a pair of short jumpers, scoring half of his 12 points over the final 5:19, while also dishing out an assist and registering an important steal.

"We talk about winning like champions every day, so we didn't panic," explained Aye on overcoming a 52-45 deficit with 11:21 remaining. "Curry kept getting into the paint with the ball, so when Grossmont played back on him, he pulled up and hit two big shots."

Grossmont (7-19, 6-7 PCC) tied the game at 62-all when guard MAURICE CLADY hit a driving layin with 1:01 remaining. However, the referees also ruled Clady with a charging foul after the shot, allowing Brit Kelly to shoot free throws, sinking both for a 64-62 lead.

Curry, who plans to attend Point Loma Nazarene University in the fall, then sank a 12-footer with 16.2 seconds left. Arabs center Ben Thompson added two more foul shots seconds later, finishing with a game-high 17 points by going 9-for-9 at the foul line.

"Those were two important shots by Curry," said Grossmont coach DOUG WEBER. "We were driving to the basket, too, but couldn't make a couple of shots while Curry did. It was the difference in the ballgame."

The lead see-sawed 12 times over 15 possessions to close the first half, as Grossmont went to the locker room with a 40-39 lead. However, when Allred exited -- school personnel said he tore an ACL in his right knee and is out for the season -- freshmen forwards EMERY MITCHELL (11 points, 12 rebounds) and JARED JACKSON (6 points, 4 boards) picked up the slack to stretch the Grffins' lead as the hosts outscored IVC, 12-6, over the first 10:36 of the second half.

For IVC, Deveon Jenkins collected nine of his 15 points in the first half, when both sides 50 percent from the field. The Arabs comeback also keyed on board play -- a 38-32 rebounding advantage -- including a game-high eight by Jenkins and seven each by Thompson and Peter Johnson.

Johnson also topped the defense by twice holding his ground inside by taking-a-charge to force offensive fouls by Grossmont.

The Griffins received 17 points by guard CASEY McROBERTS-HIGHT, including 12 on 3-point shots. Clady posted 12 points, eight assists and five steals, adding to his PCC lead in thefts.

Cuyamaca 80, San Diego Mesa 55 -- The deeper Coyotes seemingly ran a pair of big-time scoring lines against the undermanned Olympians on Wednesday (Feb. 7), coming away by equaling the second-biggest PCC blowout of the season.

LUKE KELLEY registered 12 of his team-high 16 points in the first half, while GARREN CUNNINGHAM posted 11 of his 15 points before the intermission, powering Cuyamaca to a 41-27 advantage.

In the second half, other Coyotes took over, as ROGER DAVIS collected 10 of his 12 points, while CLINTON SHELTON had eight of his 12 points for the 25-point spanking. Only Imperial Valley's 40-point drubbing of Mesa , 97-57, last weekend was bigger.

Cuyamaca also defeated Miramar by a quarter-century, 106-81, back on Jan. 9.

The Coyotes (17-11 overall, 10-4) rest in third place heading into this weekend's bye date. But on Saturday, the two teams above Cuyamaca meet, when Palomar travels to Imperial Valley ; the visiting Comets must win to maintain Cuyamaca's chances to gain a share of the PCC crown.

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CHULA VISTA (2-4-07) -- BRETT ALLRED and AARON TINSLEY each scored on traditional 3-point plays in the final minute, allowing Grossmont College to steal a 50-47 decision from Southwestern College in Saturday's (Feb. 3) Pacific Coast Conference contest.

The victory broke the Griffins away from a pack of four other teams, moving into sole possession of fourth place in the PCC standings at 6-6 (7-18 overall).

The host Jaguars (11-15, 5-7 PCC) led 47-44 with one minute remaining, but Allred scored on a putback while being fouled, hitting the foul shot to tie the game.

Two possessions later, Tinsley stole the basketball and dribbled the length of the court for the layin while being fouled with 12 seconds to play. Tinsley's foul shot forced Southwestern to try a 3-point shot to force overtime, but the Jags instead committed a turnover with two seconds to go, giving Grossmont the late victory.

Cuyamaca 74, Miramar 62 -- The last time these ballclubs met, Miramar guard Raymond Purtle poured home 41 points, the best individual effort in the PCC this season. On Saturday (Feb. 3), the freshman from Fallbrook mustered a mere three points when the Coyotes placed the defensive clamps on the Jets.

Meanwhile, the Coyotes placed four players in double figures, stretching their lead throughout after leading 33-27 at the half. GABE WESSEK led the way with 16 points, while center RYAN SHUMAKER had his second straight strong outing by adding 16 points.

The backcourt of Cuyamaca also assisted as GARREN CUNNINGHAM and CRAIG JACKSON added 12 points each.

The victory moved the Coyotes (16-11, 9-4 PCC) within a half-game of second-place Palomar, leaving the race for first between three teams heading into the final two weeks of the regular season.

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EL CAJON (2-1-07) -- The topsy-turvy Pacific Coast Conference has witnessed its share of recent upsets over the past few weeks.

And each time, the upset victim bounced back with solid victories -- which was bad news for Grossmont College.

After Palomar was whipped by 23 points by City, the Comets stormed out of the gate early to post consecutive victories. Included were a trio of 3-point shots for a quick 9-0 lead Wednesday (Jan. 31), which turned out to be the final margin of victory in an 85-76 decision over the Griffins.

"It was something we discussed on how to defend their 3-point shooters," said Grossmont head coach DOUG WEBER. "But they kept beating us to the spot and got shots off before a second defender could help out."

Palomar point guard Jose Orona failed to score, but his seven assists -- including two in the opening 30 seconds -- allowed the Comets to take the wire-to-wire win. Orona's first two passes connected with Nedal Tartir for wide-open treys along the baseline, then Dwayne Davis found E.J. Ross open for another triple.

The lead stretched to 13-2 and 25-9 before Grossmont made needed adjustments on defense. Plus, Orona sat out for more than 12 minutes after collecting three first-half fouls.

However, every time the Griffins trimmed the lead to single digits, Palomar was able to answer. Only once could Grossmont cut the deficit any deeper, coming in the final minute of play on a 3-pointer by reserve guard DANIEL BRYANT to make it 80-73 with 42.1 seconds remaining. Still, the Comets were able to beat the late press for a breakaway layin by Chris Holloway.

With the triumph, Palomar (15-10 overall, 9-3 PCC) remained a half-game behind Imperial Valley for the PCC lead. Grossmont (6-18 overall) rests in a 3-way tie for fourth place at 5-6.

Davis led Palomar with 21 points and five assists, while Uros Vukovich collected a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds, as five Comets scored in double figures.

Tartir, the PCC's top 3-point shooter at 46.8 percent, was 4-for-5 from beyond the arc as part of his 12 points.

MAURICE CLADY continued his red-hot stretch drive with a game-high 28 points. He also matched teammate KEVIN WOODRUFF with six assists, while AARON TINSLEY drained four 3-balls as part of his 16 points.

Cuyamaca 82, MiraCosta 68 -- A year ago, Coyotes center RYAN SHUMAKER registered a career-high with 17 points against MiraCosta. On Wednesday (Jan. 31), the West Hills High product again dominated the Spartans inside, gaining another career-best with 18 points to pace Cuyamaca to an easy triumph.

Shumaker also rated among the rebound leaders, filling the void left when Cuyamaca lost power forward J.R. GRIFFIN indefinitely with a broken ankle. Shumaker was one of five Coyotes to score in double figures.

Another reserve now gaining more court time is freshman guard TIM BURCH, who also scored a career-high with 16 points, a total which included a trio of 3-balls.

In addition, LUKE KELLEY collected 15 points, CRAIG JACKSON scored 11 and GARREN CUNNINGHAM had 11. For the Spartans (4-20 overall, 3-9 PCC), guard Thomas Kearns, the conference's fifth-leading scorer, hit five treys en route to a game-best 27 points.

Cuyamaca (15-11 overall, 8-4 PCC) remains 1.5 games behind front-running Imperial Valley.

Grossmont guard Maurice Clady registered a career-high 35 points to help the Griffins defeat Cuyamaca, 66-60, in overtime. (Photo by Frank Gregorek)

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RANCHO SAN DIEGO (1-28-07) -- Grossmont College guard MAURICE CLADY capped a career-high outing of 35 points with both the game-tying basket to close regulation and the game-winning basket in overtime, powering the Griffins past intradistrict rival Cuyamaca, 66-60, in Saturday's (Jan. 27) Pacific Coast Conference ballgame.

The victory avenged Grossmont's earlier loss in the first round of the conference schedule, while severely hampering Cuyamaca's quest for a conference championship with its fourth setback in five outings. Meanwhile, the improving Griffins won for the third time in four starts.

Two days after scoring a career-high 21 points against San Diego Mesa, Clady went "Bob Beamon" (Olympic long-jumper) on the Coyotes by shattering his personal standard by two touchdowns.

"I've never seen Mo play any better," said Grossmont assistant coach CHRIS O'DOHERTY. "He was our go-to guy all game -- Mo just made shot after shot."

At the end of regulation following a defensive stop which prevented Cuyamaca from closing out the victory, Clady took the ball and drove straight to the basket to send the game into overtime.

Again, Cuyamaca had a chance to avoid the upset, holding possession with 15 seconds left with the game still knotted. However, AARON TINSLEY stole the ball and garnered the assist on a lead pass to Clady, who scored another layin and was fouled for the 3-point play and the deciding points.

The Griffins then survived a last-second play when an inbounds pass went into the backcourt, but with no player in the area. However, Clady raced to touch the ball and toss it off a Cuyamaca player and out of bounds to run off the final second even though the scoreboard showed 0.6 seconds remaining; the referees ruled the game over because the clock did not start.

"We got the ball back on a turnover, so we called a timeout to set-up a play where we throw the ball deep and someone touches it to run out the clock-- only nobody ran deep," added O'Doherty. "But somehow, Mo hustled back and made the play."

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EL CAJON (1-26-07) -- Grossmont College guard MAURICE CLADY did his best Peyton Manning impression, only without the cheesy mustache and wig.

Like Manning, Clady received the chance to operate the Griffins' offense and make the play-calling without input from the coaches, coming through with one of his top efforts of the season. The sophomore out of Crawford High scored a career-high 21 points, while adding six assists and four steals, powering the Griffins to a 78-66 decision over visiting San Diego Mesa.

The coaches showed trust in Clady at a critical juncture after the Olympians hit a pair of jump shots to shave a double-digit deficit down to seven points in the first half.

"There was a span of 5 or 6 minutes where we just let Mo run the whole show," said Griffins assistant coach CHRIS O'DOHERTY. "He ran the offense; he called the plays -- and he gave us the lift we needed."

Clady started the run by faking the give-and-go with L.J. BROWN, backing behind the 3-point line instead of heading to take the return pass to drain a trey. The Griffins then hit 5-of-7 shots with Clady in command to push the lead to 30-15.

Mesa narrowed the score to 34-29 by intermission, so Grossmont went to CASEY McROBERTS-HIGHT to again pull away. The sophomore from Ramona buried five of his seven 3-point shots in the second half, finishing with 31 points -- the highest total by a Griffin in regulation time this season (AARON TINSLEY tallied 34 in an overtime setback at Palomar).

"Casey shot very, very well," added O'Doherty. "And since he didn't need to cover Brett Lauer, he was able to concentrate on his offense."

In the teams' first meeting, Lauer poured home 31 points, although most came late after Grossmont established a 25-point lead. But with the Mesa guard out for possibly the rest of the season with an undisclosed head injury, McRoberts-Hight saved his energy for offense.

"But he wasn't just looking to shoot," added the assistant coach. "Look at the stats. He just didn't stand and wait for an outlet pass. Casey went inside and got eight rebounds -- that's got to be his high this year."

Meanwhile, post players EMERY MITCHELL and BRETT ALLRED went 3-for-3 from the floor for six points each, as the Griffins shot a solid 56 percent (27-of-48), including 11-for-21 from 3-point range. Mitchell also blocked six shots, while Tinsley posted nine points and seven boards.

The Olympians (6-16 overall, 3-6 PCC) received 22 points and 10 rebounds from Anthony Clarida, while Darryl Anderson scored 11, but nine came in the second half after the contest was decided.

Next for Grossmont is its intradistrict rivalry game with Cuyamaca, set for 7 p.m. Saturday (Jan. 27) in Rancho San Diego.

Cuyamaca 67, Southwestern 61 -- It's amazing what just a single victory can do to turn a season around. Following a free-fall out of first place, the Coyotes discovered that Tuesday's narrow setback to San Diego City wasn't a fluke.

While Cuyamaca built a comfortable 12-point lead to paste the host Jaguars to snap a 3-game losing streak Thursday (Jan. 25), City missiled down another Pacific Coast Conference opponent, this time bombing Palomar, 90-67. The decisions moved the Coyotes (14-10 overall, 7-3 PCC) into a second-place deadlock with Palomar (13-10, 7-3), just a half-game behind idle Imperial Valley (17-8, 7-2).

GARREN CUNNINGHAM broke out a shooting slump to collect a game-high 24 points, while LUKE KELLEY drained a trio of 3-point shots en route to a 21-point outing in a contest where both sides played in low gear.

"Southwestern slowed the tempo and we were kind of patient as well," said Cuyamaca coach ROB WOJTKOWSKI. "But we defended well."

The same couldn't be said of Southwestern. With each individual possession more critical in a slow-down contest, the Jaguars (10-14, 4-6) constantly burned themselves with fouls. Thus, Cuyamaca scored nearly 40 percent of its points from the foul line, including 11 of the Coyotes' 24 made free throws by Cunningham.

"This is the best game we've played in a while, and a game we had to win," noted Wojtkowski, who is down to eight uniformed players after forward J.R. GRIFFIN apparently lost for the season with a chipped bone in his ankle. "You can't replace J.R., but the other big guys did well in his absence."

"Garren came out and shot well, Luke was consistent as always, and CRAIG (JACKSON) made a good run," added the coach.

After Cuyamaca built a 35-22 halftime lead, Jackson kept the margin in double figures by scoring seven of his 11 points in the second half.

Southwestern made things interesting in the final 90 seconds by scoring a 4-point play, then downing 2-of-3 foul shots on another 3-point shot to move within six points. However, the Coyotes kept the Jags off the boards to close out their first triumph in two weeks.

In other PCC action, MiraCosta won the battle among teams at the bottom of the standings by nipping Miramar , 63-60. Both are now 3-7 in conference.

© East County Sports.com
RANCHO SAN DIEGO (1-24-07) -- Conference seasons which started so promising may be slipping away from both Cuyamaca and Grossmont community colleges. On Tuesday (Jan. 23), each played contests which went down to the final possession, yet neither could cash in one final shot to at least force overtime.

Thus, both schools, after sharing the early lead, find themselves riding losing skids as the second round of Pacific Coast Conference play got underway.

San Diego City 82, Cuyamaca 79 -- The host Coyotes rallied from a 12-point, first-half deficit to gain the lead at 59-57 with 5:21 remaining, but it was short-lived.

Knights guard Shawn Brooks answered with consecutive 3-point shots, two of his seven treys for a game-high 30 points, making San Diego City the hottest team in the PCC with three victories in its last four starts. Not bad for a team which rested in last place through the first few weeks of conference play and on the verge of collapse.

"We wouldn't have won this game last month because there was so much animosity on this team," admitted Brooks, better known as a walk-on for the University of Arizona football team. "Everyone wasn't on the same page and we had a lot of fighting."

"But finally at a team meeting, everyone agreed to play together -- and we've been playing well ever since."

Brooks' biggest contribution, however, wasn't his shooting, but a pass he made in the final minutes. With Cuyamaca anticipating another long-range shot, Brooks ball-faked and charged towards the basket before kicking the ball out to Omari Johnson, who nailed a baseline 3-pointer for a 74-68 lead with 1:24 left.

The Coyotes finally trimmed the deficit to three on CRAIG JACKSON's driving layin with 5.1 seconds to go, leaving them a steal and a 3-point shot away from overtime. The miracle nearly occurred when the defense tipped the ball which led to a scramble on the floor, but Knights reserve guard Jesse LeBeau collected the loose ball and tossed it upcourt to extinguish the final seconds.

"City just shot the ball really, really well," noted Coyotes coach ROB WOJTKOWSKI. "It was just another real good game, but we were a little under-manned."

The Coyotes were missing J.R. GRIFFIN, which put pressure on the rest of the frontline to make up the difference. The scoring side was covered by CLINTON SHELTON (12 points) and RYAN SHUMAKER (11 points), but City gained a series of second chances by pounding the glass for offensive rebounds.

Cuyamaca's offense needed an adjustment period sans Griffin . Only two players managed any consistent scoring in the first half, when LUKE KELLEY collected 11 of his 14 points, while Jackson scored nine of his 11, leaving City leading 33-24 at the intermission.

The Coyotes finally caught the Knights after holding the visitors without a basket over a 3:49 span. The 10-2 scoring run was capped by a driving layin by GARREN CUNNINGHAM to knot the ballgame at 57-all with 6:03 remaining, then Shelton 's tip-in for the lead. However, the advantage only lasted 16 seconds behind Brooks' shooting.

Cunningham led Cuyamaca (13-10 overall, 6-3 PCC) with 17 points, one of five players to score in double figures. The other was Jackson, who finished with 10. Cuyamaca has dropped three straight after opening the conference at 5-0. They trail Palomar and Imperial Valley by a full game entering Thursday's ballgame at Southwestern.

Following Brooks, City (13-13, 4-4) received 17 points each from Cornel Williams and David Kinfer. The Knights finished with 13 3-point baskets, including a trio by Williams.

San Diego Miramar 72, Grossmont 69 -- Miramar College opened its inaugural season with 10 straight losses and just a single victory in 16 starts -- but look at the Jets now. The team claimed its second victory in four outings by surviving a last-second shot by the Griffins at Scripps Ranch High.

"We had a lot of open looks tonight, but just couldn’t get many to fall," noted Grossmont coach DOUG WEBER. " Miramar plays with four guards, which made things difficult for our big guys on defense -- they had us all spread out -- but when we had the ball, we still generated open shots."

AARON TINSLEY paced the Griffins with 16 points, but when he fouled out, it was up to MAURICE CLADY (13 points) to shoot the final shot.

"It went in-and-out -- it was a tough way to lose," added the coach.

Grossmont led 34-27 at the half, stretching the lead to 40-30 before Miramar started to rally. However, a driving layin by Clady while bring fouled for a 3-point play gave the Griffins a 64-60 lead with 2 minutes remaining.

In November or December, it would've been enough to put away the Jets, but not in January, as Miramar (4-17, 3-6, including a forfeit victory from Mt. San Antonio) went on a 7-0 run, including a pair of baskets by team scoring leader Marcus Wilson.

JARED JACKSON added 11 points for Grossmont (4-17, 3-5), while EMERY MITCHELL continues to show improvement with nine. Both are freshman forwards.

"It used to be you'd see Emery only score on a putback inside," said Weber. "And we don't really need him to score with other players in front of him, just like when he played at Steele Canyon (High) -- he understands his role: rebound and play great defense."

"But tonight, he made a couple of nice jumpers within the framework of the offense. We'll be looking to him to score more next year when these sophomores are gone."

The Griffins entertain San Diego Mesa at 7 p.m. Thursday, then go to Cuyamaca on Saturday.

© East County Sports.com
IMPERIAL (1-21-07) -- Cuyamaca College dropped into a 3-way tie for first place in the Pacific Coast Conference after falling in overtime to Imperial Valley College, 63-60, in Saturday's (Jan. 20) featured Pacific Coast Conference contest.

The two ballclubs now share first place with Palomar -- a 55-49 victor over Southwestern -- with 6-2 conference records in reaching the midway point of the PCC schedule.

Britt Kelly paced the Arabs (16-7 overall) with 17 points, while James Hughes added 12 points.

CLINTON SHELTON led the Coyotes (13-9) with 12 points. J.R. GRIFFIN added 11 points, while LUKE KELLEY had 10.

Grossmont had the bye this weekend, finishing the round locked dead center in fifth place of the 9-school circuit.

On Wednesday (Jan. 23), the Griffins meet San Diego Miramar at Scripps Ranch High, while Cuyamaca entertains San Diego City. Both contests are slated for 7 p.m.

© East County Sports.com
RANCHO SAN DIEGO (1-18-07) -- Cuyamaca College fashioned a nice little achievement, becoming the last team to finally lose a Pacific Coast Conference game for the third straight season. And it was the same roadblock which ended the Coyotes' run toward perfection.

Following six straight PCC victories, the first-place Coyotes.were again ticketed by Palomar, 76-69. Despite Wednesday's (Jan. 17) setback, Cuyamaca maintains a 1-game lead over the Comets and Imperial Valley.

"We missed a bunch of layups and free throws, then didn't play that well defensively," said head coach ROB WOJTKOWSKI. "You're probably not going to win too many games that way."

A year ago, Cuyamaca opened conference play at 5-0 before again getting pulled over by the Comets. In 2005, another 5-0 start was erased by Southwestern. Still, the Coyotes again ranked among the favorites to take home the PCC crown.

This go-round, Cuyamaca held the lead, 40-37, entering the second half. But warning signs were posted throughout due to poor shooting. Only GABE WESSEL could find the range on a consistent basis, hitting 8-of-12 shots en route to a game-high 18 points, while LUKE KELLEY went 4-for-6 for 12 points.

However, the remainder of the Coyotes managed to shoot just 35 percent (14-for-40) from the floor. Meanwhile, Palomar drained 11 treys compared to just four 3-balls for the Coyotes, then the Comets won the battle from the foul line, downing 11-of-14 shots compared to just 13-for-24 by Cuyamaca.

The Comets went on a 16-3 run midway through the second half to come from behind. Dwayne Davis led four Comets in double figures with 17 points and six rebounds.

J.R. GRIFFIN added 13 points for the Coyotes (13-8 overall, 6-1 PCC), one of five players in double figures. CLINTON SHELTON (12 points) added nine rebounds, while GARREN CUNNINGHAM came off the bench to score 10.

Cuyamaca completes the first round of PCC play Saturday (Jan. 20) at 7 p.m. in a first-place battle at Imperial Valley.

Grossmont at San Diego City -- The Knights were to host a doubleheader at Harry West Gymnasium, but when the Griffins arrived at 6 p.m. for a 7 p.m. tip-off, they learned the game was actually slated for 5 p.m. -- oops!

A variety of schedules all had conflicting starting times, including listings on both school websites, JCScores.com, and this website. Even the Pacific Coast Conference's own press release published conflicting times, so officials from both schools agreed no forfeit would be awarded.

Bottom line: The contest has been re-scheduled for Feb. 8th at 7 p.m.

© East County Sports.com
SAN MARCOS (1-16-07) -- Cuyamaca College forward J.R. GRIFFIN has been honored by the Pacific Coast Conference as one of its honorable mention athletes of the week for the period ending Sunday (Jan. 14).

Griffin, a 6-5, 225-pound sophomore from Mount Miguel High School, scored 24 points and grabbed eight rebounds in the first-place Coyotes' win over San Diego Miramar. He contributed 21 points and seven rebounds in an 85-70 victory over San Diego Mesa, keeping Cuyamaca in first place with a 6-0 record in PCC play.

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (1-14-07) -- Grossmont College snapped a 6-game losing streak, rallying from a slight halftime deficit to down visiting MiraCosta, 76-70, in Saturday's (Jan. 13) Pacific Coast Conference contest.

Paced by 16 points from guard MAURICE CLADY, three Griffins scored in double figures to overcome a 31-29 deficit at the break. Among Clady's points ere a trio of 3-point goals, matching the game-high total of teammate AARON TINSLEY, who scored 13 points.

Meanwhile, CASEY McROBERTS-HIGHT, the conference's third-leading scorer, collected 14 points.

MiraCosta stayed in the ballgame by hitting 11-of-13 shots from the foul line. The Spartans (2-15, 1-6) received a game-high 20 points from Thomas Kearns.

Elsewhere, Palomar nipped visiting Imperial Valley, 69-66, to move into a second-place deadlock with the Arabs at 4-2. Palomar meets PCC leading Cuyamaca (6-0) on Wednesday.

© East County Sports.com
RANCHO SAN DIEGO (1-12-06) -- Two days after establishing a school scoring record, the red-hot Cuyamaca Coyotes burned out some more lights on their scoreboad with another exhibition of excellent shooting.

The Coyotes (13-7 overall) drained 11 of their final 14 shots from the field in the first half to mount a 51-26 advantage, eventually pushing the margin to 29 points before coasting to an easy 85-70 demolition of visiting San Diego Mesa.

The victory lifts Cuyamaca's Pacific Coast Conference record to 6-0, moving 1.5 games in front of second-standing Imperial Valley.

"After the first four minutes, that was the best first half we've played all season," noted Coyotes head coach ROB WOJTKOWSKI. "We not only shot well, we came on defensively, too."

Freshman guard GABE WESSEL led the shooting assault, nailing all six of his shots from the floor -- including 3-for-3 from 3-point range -- to collect 17 of his team-high 22 points in the first half. And when Wessel wasn't shooting, he fed the ball inside to J.R. GRIFFIN and CLINTON SHELTON, who garnered 9 and 8 points, respectively, in the opening 20 minutes.

Wessel, who registered a team season-best nine assists against San Diego Miramar on Tuesday, put the dagger to Mesa with eight assists. Meanwhile, Griffin finished with 21 points and seven rebounds.

Mesa (5-13, 2-3) stayed close in the opening minutes, trailing 20-17 at the 10-minute mark. But after a Wojtkowski timeout, Cuyamaca, behind Wessel, took command and outscored the Olympians, 31-9, to close the half.

Included was a 10-0 run keyed by a Griffin putback basket, then a driving layin while being fouled for a 3-point play. Cuyamaca closed the half on a 13-0 run, featuring a Wessel steal leading to a 3-point bucket by LUKE KELLEY (16 points), then a steal for a breakaway basket by CRAIG JACKSON.

Early in the second half, Wessel fed Griffin on a pair of lobs for slam dunks, including a tomahawk slammer to push the lead to 29 points.

Mesa guard Brett Lauer finished with a game-high 31 points, but 21 of them came in garbage time after the Coyotes' lead was already extended to more than 25 points. Included in Lauer's totals were seven treys, otherwise, Mesa was just 12-for-41 from the floor without Lauer's 11-for-19 effort.

Cuyamaca shot 51 percent from the floor (33-of-65), and held a 46-32 rebounding advantage, including 14 boards by Kelley for the best individual performance by a Coyote all season. The total topped a pair of 13-rebound performances by Shelton, set against Santa Ana on Opening Night and versus Orange Coast in Citrus Tournament play.

Because of the rout, starters GARREN CUNNINGHAM, the PCC's 8th-leading scorer, and Shelton were virtually unneeded in the second half. Cunningham scored just four, while Shelton scored all eight of his points in the first half.

Cuyamaca's entire roster will get even more rest, not playing for six days. The team has a bye this weekend, not returning to action until next Wednesday (Jan. 17) by hosting third-place Palomar.

Imperial Valley 86, Grossmont 72 -- In a night when not much went right, at least the Griffins reached home safely before a winter storm advisory resulted in snow in San Diego County 's eastern mountains Thursday (Jan. 11), as the team dropped their fifth straight game in a setback to the host Arabs.

CASEY McROBERTS-HIGHT, the conference's 3rd-leading scorer (15.3 avg.), paced Grossmont with 22 points, while AARON TINSLEY bounced back from a poor performance Tuesday by pouring in 17 points. Despite their efforts, Imperial Valley built a 23-point halftime lead.

The Griffins trimmed the margin to single digits in the final minutes before the Arabs were able to close out a victory and grab undisputed possession of second place in the Pacific Coast Conference.

© East County Sports.com
SCRIPPS RANCH (1-10-07) -- The first-year basketball program at San Diego Miramar College has, conservatively speaking, struggled out of the gate with just one victory all season. So the coaching staff of the Jets is allowing the team to play in the style of an almost forgotten program located just one exit down the freeway.

Off the Pomerado Road exit on Interstate 15 rests Alliant International University , which at one time was known as U.S. International University, which fielded one of the most interesting -- if not winning -- basketball squads in NCAA history.

The Soarin' Gulls -- yes, that was their official nickname, although "Soarin'" was rarely used -- established all sorts of scoring records. Unfortunately, the marks were both on offense AND defense.

Included was a memorable 181-150 loss against the late Hank Gathers and the Loyola Marymount Lions in 1989, then a 186-140 loss two years later again at LMU's Gersten Pavilion. The first game still stands as the NCAA record for most combined points and most points by a losing team, while the latter still stands as the mark for most points by a winning team.

With Miramar vacating the defensive side of the game, Pacific Coast Conference leading Cuyamaca College enjoyed a night of 'shirts vs. skins' hoops and rolled to an easy 106-81 triumph Tuesday (Jan. 9) at Scripps Ranch High School.

The single greatest benefactor for the Jets was freshman guard Raymond Purtle. The Fallbrook High alum poured home a PCC best 41 points on 16-for-18 shooting, but the Coyotes still raced to the easiest of their five consecutive conference victories.

"Purtle played very, very well," noted Cuyamaca coach ROB WOJTKOWSKI. "He got a lot of his points on drives to the basket, either scoring or getting to the foul line."

In a run-and-gun game, someone had to take the ball to the hole. Unfortunately for Miramar , Purtle was the only player to take advantage of the free flow offense. Meanwhile, the Coyotes (12-7 overall) placed five players in double figures to win in wire-to-wire fashion.

J.R. GRIFFIN led the attack with a season-high 24 points, while Craig Jackson also registered a season-best, connecting for 20, including a trio of 3-point goals.

"A lot of different guys stepped up for us," noted Wojtkowski. "J.R. didn't play very well for us last game, but bounced right back, while LUKE KELLEY has been really consistent."

Kelley finished with 17 points, while ROGER DAVIS and TIM BURCH had 10 each.

Southwestern 64, Grossmont 57 -- The Griffins came back from an ice-cold shooting performance in the first half to catch the Jaguars in the second half after trailing by 9 points at the half. However, Southwestern answered with a 14-4 run, capped by a rare 4-point play by Rondu Stevens to hand Grossmont its fifth straight setback.

The Griffins cut the deficit to a single basket at 55-53 with 2:41 remaining, but the team hit just 1 of their final 9 shots to slip a half-game behind the Jaguars in the PCC standings.

Grossmont made just six baskets to open the contest, trailing 33-24 at the intermission. However, the team came back to hit 9-of-14 shots before closing on another cold skid.

KEVIN WOODRUFF paced Grossmont with a game-high 16 points, a total matched by teammate CASEY McROBERTS-HIGHT, who played extensive minutes for the first time in several weeks.

Stevens paced Southwestern (7-10, 2-2) with 15 points, but was pulled late in the game after getting whistled for a charging call, then tossing up a couple of bad shots after instructed to run time off the clock.

MAURICE CLADY added 11 points and six assists for the Griffins, but the frontline players combined to hit just 4-of-14 shots to stymie the offense.

PCC honors -- The Pacific Coast Conference has selected Cuyamaca College basketball player GARREN CUNNINGHAM as its men's Athlete of the Week for the week that ended Sunday.

Cunningham, a 6-foot-3, 191-pound sophomore guard from Morse High School, has been a key factor in the first-place Coyotes' 4-0 run to begin conference play. Last week, Cunningham contributed 12 points, six rebounds and three assists in a 74-61 victory over rival Grossmont. He tallied 17 points as Cuyamaca overcame MiraCosta's slowdown game to beat the Spartans, 59-45.

Honorable mention went to basketball players Brett Lauer (San Diego Mesa), Deveon Jenkins (Imperial Valley), Kris Petrovic (Palomar), AARON TINSLEY (Grossmont) and Daniel Phair (MiraCosta).

© East County Sports.com
RANCHO SAN DIEGO (1-7-07) -- GARREN CUNNINGHAM shared game scoring honors with 17 points Saturday (Jan. 6), as Cuyamaca College survived the slowdown tactics by MiraCosta to gain its fourth consecutive Pacific Coast Conference victory after downing the Spartans, 59-45.

Utilizing most of the shot clock on every possession, the visiting Spartans actually held a 31-30 halftime lead. But when the Coyotes turned on the defensive pressure in the second half, MiraCosta managed a mere 14 points after the intermission and never threatened.

LUKE KELLEY added 10 points for Cuyamaca (11-7, 4-0), while TIM BURCH scored nine. The Spartans (2-14, 1-3) received 17 points from Daniel Phair, but only five of his teammate could hit the scoresheet.

Cuyamaca holds a 1.5-game lead over Imperial Valley and San Diego Mesa (both 2-1), while Grossmont and Palomar are tied for fourth at 2-2.

Palomar 102, Grossmont 93 (OT) -- Griffins guard AARON TINSLEY poured home a season-high 34 points, including a series of five 3-point goals, but the Comets finally pulled away late in overtime to secure the Pacific Coast Conference victory at Palomar Dome.

Neither side mounted more than a small lead throughout the contest, as Grossmont held a slight 32-30 halftime lead before Palomar again pulled even at the end of regulation at 83-all.

In the extra five minutes, Comets guard E.J. Ross took control, when he scored half of his 20 points. Dwayne Davis was the team's top scorer with 21 points, one of five Palomar players to score in double figures. Kris Petrovic grabbed 18 rebounds for Palomar, 10 on the offensive board.

For Grossmont (3-14 overall, 2-2 PCC), center Brett Allred scored 21 points and five rebounds, while guard Maurice Clady had 12. The Comets (7-10, 2-2) tied the Griffins for fourth place in conference play.

Grossmont returns home on Tuesday (Jan. 9), hosting Southwestern at 7 p.m.

Cuyamaca's Ryan Shumaler(left) and Luke Kelley (center) join Grossmont's Brett Allred in waiting for the rebound in Thursday's game. The Coyotes broke a late 51-all deadlock to post a 74-61 triumph. (Photo by Frank Gregorek)

Additional Photos HERE

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (1-5-07) -- A single, subtle change by Cuyamaca College coach ROB WOJTKOWSKI was enough to completely turn the tables in Thursday's Pacific Coast Conference game, allowing the Coyotes to rally from a 5-point halftime deficit to whip Grossmont, 74-61, in a battle of the circuit's two remaining undefeated ballclubs.

Wojtkowski vacated the team's standard man defense and switched to a 2-3 zone. The results were dramatic.

Not only did the Griffins fail to find the range on their outside shots against the zone, they started to turn the ball over after yielding just three giveaways in the first half to post a 38-33 cushion. And when the missed shots and turnovers powered the Coyotes' transition game, five different players scored in double figures.

LUKE KELLEY led the attack with 19 points on 8-for-13 shooting, GARREN CUNNINGHAM added 12 points, while J.R. GRIFFIN has 11 points. In addition, GABE WESSEL and RYAN SHUMAKER had 10 points, with Wessel also posting six assists.

Kelley collected 12 of his points in the second half, including a 3-point goal to give Cuyamaca its first lead since the game's opening minutes. Grossmont reclaimed the lead on a bucket by center BRETT ALLRED, the game's leading scorer with 20 points, then MAURICE CLADY went coast-to-coast and sliced through the Coyotes defense for a dramatic layin and a 45-42 lead with 15:44 remaining.

However, Cuyamaca went on an 8-0 run, capped by a TIM BURCH trey, for a 51-47 lead with 10:37 to go. Grossmont scored four points to knot the game with 9:05 left, but the Coyotes closed the contest on a 23-10 run to win by a baker's dozen.

AARON TINSLEY constantly beat Cuyamaca on the dribble in the first half, scoring 15 of his 19 points before getting slowed by the zone. Allred scored 12 in the first half, then held Cunningham to just three points before the intermission by joining teammate JARED JACKSON in taking-the-charge on Cunningham for offensive fouls.

Grossmont shot nearly 50 percent in the first half, but was just 9-for-32 against the zone. The switch also ignited Cuyamaca, which was 13-for-32 in the opening 20 minutes, but a solid 14-for-28 in the second half.

Clady finished with 11 points and five steals, while KEVIN WOODRUFF tallied five assists in the opening eight minutes, but gained just one more the rest of the way when the Griffins failed to finish potential scoring plays on several other solid passes.

Cuyamaca (10-7 overall, 3-0 PCC) held a 49-33 rebounding advantage, including a game-best nine boards by Shumaker. Despite the setback, Grossmont (3-13, 2-1) sits alone in second as its three nearest competitors all suffered losses, too.

Cuyamaca College (in blue) blankets the floor to make life difficult for Grossmont's Maurice Clady (10) to make an inbounds pass. (Photo by Frank Gregorek)

© East County Sports.com
SAN DIEGO (12-29-06) -- Freshman guard GABE WESSEL poured home a career-high 28 points, powering Cuyamaca College to a 76-68 triumph over College of the Redwoods in Thursday's (Dec. 28) consolation round of the San Diego City College Tournament at Harry West Gymnasium.

Wessel, who prepped at Hilltop High, scored 14 points in each half in his most prolific collegiate outing. Included were a trio of 3-point goals.

GARREN CUNNINGHAM added nine points for Cuyamaca (9-6), while CLINTON SHELTON scored all eight of his points in the first half to propel the Coyotes to a 43-36 lead at the intermission. The Corsairs fell to 11-8.

Cuyamaca will play for the consolation title against L.A. Valley College; as the Monarchs whipped San Diego Miramar, 75-61. The contest has been moved and will now be played Friday at noon at the Coyotes' gym because of a conflict at the Knights' gym -- the school scheduled both a men's and a women's tournament at the same time.

Santa Ana 80, Grossmont 73 -- The Griffins fell in the opening round of the San Diego Mesa Tournament to the Dons, despite a career-high 30 points by AARON TINSLEY. Grossmont meets Glendale in a consolation contest at noon.

No other details were reported.

© East County Sports.com
SAN DIEGO (12-28-06) --Cuyamaca College placed four players in double-figures scoring, but the Coyotes couldn't convert one final basket in the closing seconds in falling to defending state champion Fullerton, 76-74, in Wednesday's (Dec. 27) opening round of the San Diego City College Tournament at Harry West Gymnasium.

GARREN CUNNINGHAM paced Cuyamaca with 19 points. LUKE KELLEY and J.R. GRIFFIN added 16 each, while GABE WESSEL scored 10 points.

The Hornets (8-10) were paced by 6-foot-7 power forward Rodrick Johnson, who muscled his way inside to a game-best 28 points. Bryan LeDuc added 16.

Cuyamaca (8-6) will meet College of the Redwoods (Eureka , Calif.) in a consolation contest Thursday (Dec. 28) at 3 p.m. The Corsairs (11-7) fell to the host Knights, 70-62.

PCC Notepad -- Miramar College was limited to just 26 points in a San Diego City Classic contest setback to Saddleback. It's the lowest offensive output in the shot clock era in San Diego County community college history (since 1985-86). In the late 1970s, San Diego Mesa scored only 12 points in a South Coast Cconference loss at home to Santa Ana.

© East County Sports.com
SAN MARCOS (12-27-06) -- Cuyamaca College guard LUKE KELLEY has been named co-winner of the Pacific Coast Conference male athlete of the week. Kelley shared the award with San Diego City College's Shawn Brooks for the period ending Dec. 24.

Kelley, a 6-2, 183-pound sophomore from Hilltop High, scored 13 points and also had seven rebounds and three assists as the Coyotoes dropped a 71-70 heart-breaker to Irvine Valley in overtime.

Among the honorable mention for the week included Kelly's teammate, Ryan Shumaker. The 6-foot-7, 317-pound sophomore center from West Hills High, went 6-for-9 from the field and scored 15 points for the Coyotes against Irvine Valley.

Meanwhile, the conference's female athlete of the week for the previous week (ending Dec. 17) was announced. The honor went to Cuyamaca's Brittany Daniel.

© East County Sports.com
IRVINE (12-20-06) -- Josh Cheek converted one of two free throws with 9.6 seconds remaining in overtime Tuesday (Dec. 19), giving Irvine Valley College a 71-70 victory over visiting Cuyamaca College in the teams' final nonconference game before the holidays.

The Coyotes (8-5) set up for a final shot, but turned the ball over as time expired, as both teams scored just two points until Cheek, a sophomore guard out of Los Alamitos, drained his foul shot for the Lasers' winning margin.

Cuyamaca received balanced scoring with five players scoring in double figures, led by 15 from RYAN SHUMAKER, and 14 by GARREN CUNNINGHAM. In addition, LUKE KELLY scored 13 points and a team-best seven rebounds.

Irvine Valley (10-5) received 15 points each from Ceylon Elgin-Taylor and Carlos Pinto, while Marcus Blackshire added 13 points and a game-high eight boards.

The teams combined for just 21 turnovers -- only 9 by the Coyotes -- but the shooting was as cold as the weather outdoors. Cuyamaca did not make a basket in the overtime, while the Lasers were just 1-for-9. It was the Coyotes' second straight overtime ballgame, after defeating Southwestern last Saturday.

© East County Sports.com
KEARNY MESA (12-17-06) -- The concept of a "second season" is more than a welcome thought for the Grossmont Griffins. Following a forgetful preconference slate, the Griffins are suddenly looking down at the rest of their Pacific Coast Conference rivals.

Behind 21 points by CASEY McROBERTS-HIGHT, Grossmont moved its PCC ledger to 2-0 following Saturday's (Dec. 16) whipping of San Diego Mesa College, 77-54. The victory keeps the Griffins in a first-place deadlock with intradistict rival Cuyamaca, which outlasted Southwestern, 72-69, in overtime.

McRoberts-Hight converted three of Grossmont's seven 3-point shots in the second half to break open a close contest. Mesa jumped to a quick 10-1 lead, but Grossmont caught the Olympians by the 10-minute mark at 17-16 and never relinquished the lead. The Griffins held a 33-29 halftime lead, then outscored Mesa 44-25 over the final 20 minutes.

"We shot really well -- we had three guys hit 3-pointers for us in the second half," said head coach DOUG WEBER. "Along with Casey , MO CLADY hit a big '3' and DAREN HAWKINS hit two of them, too."

The Olympians (2-9 overall, 0-1 PCC) held several chances to get back into the game by grabbing 17 offensive rebounds, but only converted a handful of putbacks, as Grossmont's front line played strong interior defense throughout the ballgame.

"Our big guys got into some foul trouble, but by then we were up 16-to-18 points," noted Weber.

Clady finished with 14 points, BRETT ALLRED added 11 and AARON TINSLEY had 10 for Grossmont (3-10 overall).

Cuyamaca 72, Southwestern 69 (OT) -- Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good. On an inbounds play which broke down, Cuyamaca forward GARREN CUNNINGHAM got his hands on the ball and hit a 3-point shot with two seconds remaining, giving the Coyotes an overtime triumph over the visiting Jaguars.

The game-winning basket keeps Cuyamaca in a first-place deadlock with Grossmont as leaders of the Pacific Coast Conference. The teams meet in the next conference game, slated for Jan. 4 at Grossmont.

Cunningham's shot ruined a pair of comebacks by Southwestern, which received 25 points from Roman Leon.

" Leon really carried their team -- he willed them to stay in it," said Coyotes coach ROB WOJTKOWSKI. "But our guys toughed it out -- this was an important win for us."

Southwestern guard DOMONIQUE COOPER tied the game to close regulation on a controversial call. The freshman was fouled while missing a 3-point shot with six seconds left, but sank all three foul shots to knot the ballgame at 59-all.

The teams then swapped baskets to commence the extra period before CLINTON SHELTON hit a series of foul shots to put Cuyamaca up, 69-66, with 41 seconds left. Leon hit a 3-pointer with 12 seconds to go before Cuyamaca setup for its last shot.

"It was the play we wanted and the ball went to the wrong person," noted the coach. "But Garren made the shot."

Shelton paced the Coyotes (8-4, 2-0) with 19 points, Cunningham added 17 and J.R. GRIFFIN had 12.

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (12-14-06) -- Following a dozen frustrating ballgames, you could see light bulbs turning on all among the Grossmont College Griffins.

"We've told them that the offense works if they buy into it," said Grossmont head coach DOUG WEBER. "And now they're starting to really believe."

Featuring a stretch of five consecutive layins by center BRETT ALLRED, the Griffins offense clicked at a 55-percent shooting rate in the second half, running away with a 79-66 triumph over San Diego Miramar College. It was the first-ever Pacific Coast Conference contest for the first-year Jets.

In all, Allred would go on to convert six consecutive shots early in the second half, finishing with a season-high 24 points. Half of the credit went to guards MAURICE CLADY and KEVIN WOODRUFF, who combined for 17 assists to help Grossmont overcome a 37-36 halftime deficit.

"When the guys are passing the ball the way they did tonight, it opens up shots for everybody," added Weber. "We don't have to gun 3's all night long."

When Miramar finally adjusted, shots from the outside suddenly became available, as Woodruff and CASEY McROBERTS-HIGHT hit consecutive treys, opening a 59-50 lead. Grossmont closed the contest by sinking 8-of-10 foul shots to seal the victory.

Clady finished with a double-double with 12 points and 10 assists in his best outing of the season, while AARON TINSLEY added 10 points and a game-best three steals.

Miramar mounted a 29-21 lead behind 10 of Raymond Burtel's 21 points. However, the Jets shot just 24 percent (9-for-37) in the second half, when the Griffins forced 11 turnovers to move in front.

"Then we were able to either push the ball or run the halfcourt offense," added Weber. "Our guards made a lot of right choices on when or when not to push the ball downcourt."

EMERY MITCHELL aided the defensive effort during the stretch, blocking two shots and grabbing five of his team-high nine rebounds. Burtle led both sides with 10 boards for winless Miramar (0-10, 0-1).

Grossmont (2-10, 1-0) continues conference play on Saturday (Dec. 16) playing at San Diego Mesa, the lone team not in action on the opening night of PCC play. Tipoff is at 7 p.m.

Cuyamaca 75, San Diego City 72 -- Playing at "the new downtown arena," as coined by a local sports promoter, the Coyotes missed one opportunity to close out the victory early, yet still held strong over the final two minutes to secure the victory over the host Knights at Harry West Gymnasium.

J.R. GRIFFIN paced the Coyotes with 18 points, while GARREN CUNNINGHAM added 17, as the Coyotes won the battle between two of the PCC's top contenders.

After leading by six points midway through the second half, Cuyamaca missed on consecutive breakaway dunks which would've pushed the lead into double digits. Instead, San Diego City (6-9, 0-1) closed to within a bucket with a minute to play, but three Coyotes -- Griffin , Cunningham and CLINTON SHELTON -- each went 2-for-2 at the foul line to seal the verdict.

"I'm very pleased to get this one," said Coyotes head coach ROB WOJTKOWSKI. "I feel we have a decent shot at winning the conference."

GABE WESSEL came off the Coyotes bench to score a career-high 11 points, while CRAIG JACKSON and RYAN SHUMAKER added eight points each.

Cuyamaca (7-4 overall, 1-0 PCC) shares the conference lead with Grossmont and MiraCosta, which upset Palomar, 55-54. In the other PCC opener, Southwestern smacked Imperial Valley, 58-45.

The Coyotes, who own the 9th-highest RPI (state power index) in California , will play Southwestern in Saturday's (Dec. 16) conference home opener at 7 p.m.

© East County Sports.com
SANTA BARBARA (12-10-06) -- Following its first victory of the season, Grossmont College kept riding high and carried a halftime lead over Cypress in Saturday's (Dec. 9) consolation final of the Santa Barbara City College Classic.

However, the Chargers took over in the second half to down the Griffins, 66-53, despite a team-high 9 points by Helix High alum AARON TINSLEY -- all on 3-point goals -- while Rancho Bernardo product Wais Mahamoud added six points.

"Cypress went on a little run, which forced us to play catch-up-- and we never did," said assistant coach CHRIS O'DOHERTY. "Plus, they grabbed 17 offensive rebounds -- that killed us."

The Griffins (1-10) open Pacific Coast Conference action on Wednesday at 7 p.m., hosting the first-ever conference game for the new program at San Diego Miramar College. The Jets are 0-9.

© East County Sports.com
SANTA BARBARA (12-9-06) -- Following a season-long series of near misses, Grossmont College finally recorded its first victory of the basketball season, snapping a 9-game losing streak by whipping Redwood City's Cañada College, 65-54, in the consolation round of the Santa Barbara City College Tournament.

BRETT ALLRED led the Griffins (1-9) with 17 points, as the Griffins used a 24-9 advantage at the foul line to top the Colts (2-7). In addition, CASEY McROBERTS-HIGHT and AARON TINSLEY scored 10 for Grossmont.

Cañada, which hit only 7-of-35 shots from 3-point range, was led by Johnny Moore's 16 points.

Grossmont will meet Cypress (3-9) in Saturday's (Dec. 9) 3 p.m. consolation final. The Chargers advanced by slapping winless Oxnard (0-9), 65-60, behind 17 points by Khalif Boyd.

© East County Sports.com
SANTA BARBARA (12-8-06) -- Following a series of fast starts, Grossmont College was unable to get in gear Thursday (Dec. 7), falling to Victor Valley College, 80-59, in the opening round of the Santa Barbara City College Classic.

MAURICE CLADY paced the winless Griffins (0-9) with 13 points, five assists and three steals, while CASEY McROBERTS-HIGHT and BRETT ALLRED added 12 points, but the rest of the team combined to score just 22 points against the Rams (2-6).

"We came out kind of flat," noted assistant coach CHRIS O'DOHERTY. "Then we never came out of it. And it wasn't because of the travel, because Victor Valley drove a long way, too."

Grossmont will meet Canada College (Redwood City, CA) in the consolation round. Canada's Colts (2-7) lost to the host Vaqueros.

© East County Sports.com
RANCHO SAN DIEGO (12-6-06) -- Helix High product CLINTON SHELTON registered a game-high 19 points, lifting Cuyamaca College past visiting Santana, 84-78, in Tursday's (Dec. 5) non-conference contest. Shelton's point total was one short of a season high, set against another Orange County program, Irvine Valley.

Three other Coyotes also scored in double figures, including a season-high 18 by LUKE KELLEY, while J.R. GRIFFIN added 16 and GARREN CUNNINGHAM had 14.

The victory snapped a mild, 2-game losing streak. Next for Cuyamaca (6-4) will be its Pacific Coast Conference opener, traveling to downtown to meet San Diego City on Wed., Dec. 13. Tipoff from Harry West Gymnasium is for 7 p.m.

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (12-3-06) -- It's rare to really gain any major positives from a loss, but Grossmont College may have gained some despite getting eliminated from its own Grossmont Invitational.

In Saturday's (Dec. 2) consolation round, the Griffins trailed by as many as 26 points, yet rallied and had a chance to tie in the final seconds before falling to Barstow, 93-91.

"It would've been easy for any team to not care and just simply lose," said Grossmont coach DOUG WEBER. "But this team showed a lot of heart and wanted to get back into it. They didn't want to roll over and they nearly pulled it out."

Down 72-46 with 18 minutes to play, Grossmont forced 14 second-half turnovers and converted on the other end to cut into the deficit. And when AARON TINSLEY converted a transition layin with 1:02 to play, the Vikings huge cushion was down to 90-87.

Richard Collins, who led Barstow (4-5) with 17 points, downed a pair of foul shots to push the lead back to five. However, CASEY McROBERTS-HIGHT hit a deep 3-ball as part of his game-high 29 points with 10.8 seconds left.

Cris Fealy was fouled with 5.0 seconds left, but only made the first of two foul shots to leave it a one-possession game, but Barstow fouled back rather than allow a 3-point shot to finally escape with the victory.

MAURICE CLADY keyed the rally, scoring 12 of his 19 points in the second half. He also posted a season-best 11 assists. Tinsley also responded with 18 of his 23 points after the intermission for Grossmont (0-8).

Barstow advances to the consolation final against Southwestern, which rallied late to slip past Cuesta, 63-59.

In the championship bracket, Brandon Hampton hit a disputed basket at the buzzer to propel College of the Desert over Cypress, 88-87, in overtime. The Roadrunners will meet pre-tournament favorite Chaffey in Sunday's 4 p.m. final, as the Panthers flew past L.A. Southwest, 118-88.

Sun., Dec. 3 Grossmont Tournament Southwestern 65, Barstow 60 (consolation) L.A. Southwest 63, Cypress 62 (third) Chaffey 102, Desert 81 (final)

ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM Michael Strawberry, Chaffey (MVP) Bobby Kovach, Chaffey Roman Leon, Southwestern Chris Smith, L.A. Southwest Nathan Walchuk, Desert Clinton Williams, Cypress

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (12-2-06) -- On the verge of its first victory of the season, the Grossmont College men's basketball team played into the hands of visiting College of the Desert, raising the game's tempo with quick shots to allow the Roadrunners to run "Beep, beep" past the Griffins, 78-71, in Friday's (Dec. 1) opening round of the 35th annual Grossmont College Invitational.

The Griffins (0-7) mounted a 10-point, first-half lead, when CASEY McROBERTS-HIGHT scored 18 of his team-high 24 points -- all on 3-point baskets. However, under up-tempo conditions, Grossmont shot just 11-for-32 (34.4 percent) after the intermission, allowing a 61-53 lead with 9:05 remaining to disappear.

Desert outscored the Griffins, 25-10, to close the contest, as the hosts made just 1 of their final 12 shots from the floor over the final 5:19.

Desert (3-3) received a game-high 25 points from John Walchuk, including four consecutive treys during the Roadrunners' stretch drive. BRETT ALLRED tallied 16 points for Grossmont.

In other tournament action, Cypress staved off Barstow, 69-66. The other half of the bracket saw L.A. Southwest outlast Cuesta, 99-96, while Chaffey scored 59 points in the second half to broke open a close contest to whip Southwestern, 91-74.

Grossmont meets Barstow in Saturday's consolation round at 4 p.m., following a 2 p.m.start between Cuesta and Southwestern. In the championship bracket, Cypress meets Desert at 6 p.m., then L.A. Southwest battles Chaffey at 8 p.m.

Riverside 69, Cuyamaca 59 -- Sophomore J.R. GRIFFIN (Mount Miguel High) scored a team-high 16 points, but the Coyotes were held to their lowest offensive output of the season after falling at home to the Tigers in Friday's (Dec. 1) nonconference contest.

LUKE KELLEY (Hilltop) added 11 points for Cuyamaca (5-4), while GARREN CUNNINGHAM (Morse) had 10. The Coyotes' homestand continues on Tuesday (Dec. 5), hosting Santa Ana at 5 p.m.

© East County Sports.com
TORRANCE (11-26-06) -- Kelly Hubbard scored 19 points to lead El Camino past visiting Grossmont, 70-60, Saturday (Nov.25). Warriors guard Kelvin Wilson had 16 points and seven assists. Chris Benton had 11 rebounds for ECC (4-3).

The Griffins (0-6) received 18 points from AARON TINSLEY. Grossmont hosts its 35th annual tournament this Friday through Saturday. The hosts meet College of the Desert in Friday's 7 p.m. feature contest.

Neil Edwards Tournament -- The 12th-ranked Cuyamaca Coyotes went a disappointing 1-2 at the Neil Edwards Tournament, held at Citrus College in Glendora. The Coyotes fell in the opener to the host Owls, 80-70; defeated the East Los Angeles Huskies, 76-69; but fell in the consolation final to the Orange Coast Pirates, 81-78.

J.R. GRIFFIN paced Cuyamaca in the first two ballgames, scoring 16 and 18 points, respectively. Griffin was one of five Coyotes to score in double figures against Coast with 12, as LUKE KELLEY led the way with 14 points, while CLINTON SHELTON posted 13 rebounds.

© East County Sports.com
SACRAMENTO (11-22-06) -- After all nine Pacific Coast Conference men's basketball teams were shunned in the Coaches Association preseason poll, suddenly two programs have emerged to join this week's California state Top 20.

Included is a berth at No. 12 for Cuyamaca College, which captured the Irvine Valley Tournament last week for its first-ever tournament title for an event with eight or more teams. It's the highest ranking ever for the head coach ROB WOJTKOWSKI's Coyotes (4-1).

Joining Cuyamaca is conference brethren Imperial Valley. The Arabs (4-0) slipped into the state rankings in 20th place.

Antelope Valley leads the state poll after winning its first six contests. The Marauders are now coached by Dieter Horton, who coached Fullerton to an undefeated season (37-0) and the COA state championship a year ago.

Griffins still seeking consistency

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (11-22-06) -- In a flip-flop effort, Grossmont College shot a solid 50 percent from the floor in the first half, but committed way too many turnovers. After the intermission, the Griffins took better care of the basketball, but poor shooting allowed for numerous fastbreak opportunitiies, as visiting Barstow College left the G-House with an 82-62 non-conference triumph.

CASEY McROBERTS-HIGHT paced Grossmont with 22 points, hitting 7-of-11 shots in the opening 20 minutes when the sophomore guard from Ramona tallied 20 of his game-high effort.

The contest stayed close until midway through the second half, when the Vikings (3-4) exploded on a 17-0 run, when guard Richard Collins collected three of his six assists to jump to a 76-55 advantage with 6:14 remaining. During the streak, all of Collins' scoring passes went to forward Markel Farmer on the break, who came off the bench to lead Barstow with 21 points and 13 rebounds.

For Grossmont (0-5), center BRETT ALLRED connected on his first four shots from the floor to power the Griffins to an early 13-6 lead. However, the hosts would score only four additional baskets from their frontline the rest of the night.

MAURICE CLADY added nine points and seven assists for Grossmont, Allred scored eight points, while EMERY MITCHELL scored six points and equaled Allred with a team-best five rebounds. Guard KEVIN WOODRUFF collected six assists.

Also scoring in double figures for Barstow were guards Tony Stroy (12) and Collins (10).

Grossmont returns to action Saturday (Nov.25) against El Camino in Torrance, starting at 3 p.m.

© East County Sports.com
IRVINE (11-19-06) -- Sophomore forward LUKE KELLY scored 16 to earn MVP honors to lift Cuyamaca College to its first-ever eight-team tournament championship, claiming the Irvine Valley College Classic after whipping College of the Canyon, 86-77.

A balanced attack again does it for the Coyotes in winning for the third time in as many days. GARREN CUNNINGHAM posted 16 points while GABE WESSEL and KAREEM RODRIGUEZ each added 10 points.

Wessel also collected six assists and CLINTON SHELTON chipped in with 9 points and 7 rebounds, as Cuyamaca shot an impressive 53.3 percent from the floor in the game, including 59.3 percent (16 of 27) in the second half.

Wessel and Shelton joined Kelly on the all-tournament team.

Canyons got 19 points from Kenya Ward, 18 points from Andre Murray and 14 points from Everett Bryson.

DeAnza 110, Grossmont 68 -- At the San Diego City College tournament, Grossmont (0-4) was eliminated by DeAnza College, 110-68. No information was supplied by the Griffins.

© East County Sports.com
IRVINE (11-18-06) -- Among the favorites entering the Irvine Valley College basketball tournament, every single one of the teams have been eliminated from championship consideration -- except the Cuyamaca Coyotes.

Powered by 20 points and nine rebounds by CLINTON SHELTON, the Coyotes bounced the tournament host Lasers, 68-52, in Friday's (Nov. 17) semifinals. Cuyamaca will play for the tournament crown Saturday against College of the Canyons, which easily downed Cerritos, 78-63.

Irvine Valley could not stop Shelton from dominating the paint. He dropped home 7-of-10 shots, so when the Lasers fouled the Helix High product, Shelton drained 6-of-7 from the foul line en route to a career-high scoring output.

Cuyamaca (3-1) mounted a 30-21 halftime lead, then was never challenged in the second half, as the Coyotes shot 51.7 percent from the floor after the intermission.

LUKE KELLY scored 16 points for Cuyamaca, GABE WESSEL added 14 points and four assists, while GARREN CUNNINGHAM had 10 points and five rebounds.

Irvine Valley (3-1) was led by Marcus Blackshire's 14 points and 11 boards. Along with the Lasers, state-ranked Ventura and Mt. San Jacinto were bumped into consolation play.

Riverside 71, Grossmont 61 -- Casey McRoberts-Hight scored a team-high 14 points, but the Griffins could not hold onto a 5-point lead in the first half, falling to the undefeated and 6th-ranked Tigers (3-0) in Friday's opening round of the San Diego City College Tournament.

Aaron Tinsley (Helix) added 10 points for the Griffins.

Grossmont (0-3) plays the loser between DeAnza and College of the Sequoias in a consolation game at 1 p.m. Saturday at City's Harry West Gymnasium.

© East County Sports.com
IRVINE (11-17-06) -- The annual Irvine Valley College Classic basketball tournament again proved to be a venue for upsets, which was just fine for Cuyamaca College.

Powered by 15 points on 7-of-12 shooting by forward J.R. GRIFFIN, the Coyotes placed four players in double figures to upend 8th-ranked Ventura, 64-59, in Thursday's (Nov. 16) opening round. Griffin also grabbed six rebounds and blocked two shots.

GARREN CUNNINGHAM added 13 points for Cuyamaca (2-1), which also got 11 points from GABE WESSEL and 10 points and 4 assists from LUKE KELLY.

The Coyotes led 26-21 at halftime and then held off the Pirates (2-2) in the second half.

Meanwhile, Mt. San Jacinto, the second-ranked team in California according to the state preseason poll, was bumped off by Cerritos, 86-80.

Elsewhere, College of the Canyons, which needed to go to overtime to defeat Grossmont last week, downed another Pacific Coast Conference school in whipping Southwestern, 83-73. Meanwhile, Cuyamaca will meet the tournament host Lasers in the semifinals after IVC surprised Long Beach City, 58-55.

© East County Sports.com
RANCHO SAN DIEGO (11-12-06) -- The season debut of the Cuyamaca Coyotes wasn't one to remember. However, Game No. 2 certainly was.

Paced by 17 points from sophomore guard CRAIG JOHNSON, four different players scored in double figures to power the Coyotes past Barstow, 99-76, in Saturday's (Nov. 11) consolation game of the annual Cuyamaca Tip-Off Tournament. Imperial Valley took the title by whipping Santa Ana, 84-57.

"We regrouped and came out hard," noted center CLINTON SHELTON (Helix), an all-tournament selection after posting a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. "We're a better team than last season, with more athleticism and better defenders. We just need to cut down on our turnovers."

Cuyamaca stormed to a quick 20-9 lead and pushed the advantage to 47-29 by the half, when Johnson hit a trio of 3-balls to score 11 of his points.

Shelton, who also blocked six shots, was joined on the all-tournament team by J.R. GRIFFIN, who scored 16 points. Meanwhile, Coyotes teammate GARREN CUNNINGHAM added 15 points, shooting a perfect 9-for-9 from the foul line.

Barstow (0-2) forward Cris Fealy shared game scoring honors with 17 points.

Also tabbed to all-tournament were James Silvie of Santa Ana, and Imperial Valley's Brit Kelly and Deveon Jenkins (MVP).

On Thursday (Nov. 16), Cuyamaca will play No. 8 Ventura (2-1) in the opening round of the Irvine Valley Tournament. Through the first week of the season, there are only eight undefeated teams remaining in Southern California.

Santa Ana 77, Cuyamaca 75 -- No information was reported in this first-round contest of the Cuyamaca Tip-Of Tournament. The Coyotes will meet Barstow in Saturday's 1 p.m. consoaltion game; the Vikings lost to Imperial Valley, 68-64.

© East County Sports.com
GLENDORE (11-8-06) -- MAURICE CLADY and GREG MONROE shared game scoring honors with 20 points each, but the rest of their teammates could only convert 11-of-39 shots from the floor, as Grossmont College fell in the season opener to host Citrus College, 91-71, at the Citrus Dome.

"We're running stuff we only put in a week ago," noted Griffins assistant coach CHRIS O'DOHERTY. "We're just a young team trying to put it together."

The season opened poorly when the Owls burst to a quick 17-3 lead. Grossmont trimmed the margin to three before settling for a 45-40 halftime deficit. But when Citrus vacated shooting the 3-ball and operated its halfcourt offense, the Griffins didn't have any answers defensively to stop a veteran Owls squad which returns seven players, including four starters, and is among the favorites to capture the Foothill Conference.

Chad Allen, a 6-foot-4 guard, led Citrus with 18 points. Forward Deonta Black added 17 points, while Aaron Arango, the 2003-04 state high school scoring leader at La Verne-Calvary Baptist (including a 64-point outing), posted 13 points and three assists.

Citrus made just 3-of-17 shots from beyond the arc in the first half, so they went inside in the second half, gaining 22 opportunities from the foul line to take control. The Owls also posted a 45-31 rebounding advantage.

Monroe nailed 9-of-12 shots and grabbed a team-best six boards for the Griffins (0-1), while Clady gained 13 of his points from the foul line. The only other GC player to score in double figures was CASEY McROBERTS-HIGHT with 10.

© East County Sports.com
GLENDORA (11-7-06) -- The community college basketball season opens tonight, as Grossmont College hits the road to meet Citrus College.

Meanwhile, Cuyamaca College will open its 2006-07 campaign by hosting its 6th annual tournament over the weekend.

On Friday, Imperial Valley will meet Barstow at 5 p.m., then the Coyotes host Santa Ana at 7 p.m. The second round games on Saturday are at 1 and 3 p.m.

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (8-28-06) -- Three memebrs from the 2005-06 Grossmont College men's basketball squad, and one player from the prior season, will continue their playing careers at four-year universities.

GERRED LINK, who was a two-year starter for the Griffins will play for Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas. The Swedes advanced to the NAIA national championship game last season, and feature former Griff standout Anthony Javey.

An All-PCC selection, Link led the team in scoring last year and was among conference leaders in 3-point field goal percentage.

"Coach (Clair) O’een of Bethany has penciled him in as the starter at the point guard position," said Grossmont coach DOUG WEBER.

Joining Link at Bethany will be GORDON BROWN, who played at Grossmont during the 2004-05 campaign.

Versatile forward TROY VALENCIA (Mt. Carmel) has signed a scholarship with Avila University in Kansas City, Mo.. The 6-foot-5 Valencia was an All-PCC honorable mention for Grossmont last year and led the Griffins in rebounds and field goal percentage.

"Coach Hall at Avila says Troy will be able to come in and right away play two or three positions," Weber said.

Also going to Avila will be 6-foot-7 JAMES DENG. Although the raw forward played sparingly at Grossmont last season, his potential landed him a spot with the Eagles. Deng is one of the 3,000 “Lost Boys” out of Sudan.

"Although it’s tough to see James go after only one year we tell all of our players we will help them get a scholarship and it will be their decision when to accept it," said Weber. "The best part for James is he will get to play for three years at the university level and there is a significant “Lost Boy” population in Kansas City."

© East County Sports.com
RANCHO SAN DIEGO (5-18-06) -- Among the five sophomores named to the All-Pacific Coast Conference first team in men's basketball this past season, two played for Cuyamaca College. And both recently accepted full-ride scholarships.

Point guard MARLON PIERCE (Helix High) has accepted an offer from Div. II CSU-San Bernardino, while shooting guard JAMES FRANCISCO (Montgomery High) will play at the next level for Chaminade University in Maui, Hawai'i.

"It's an excellent opportunity for two players who have grown and played so well for our program," said Cuyamaca coach ROB WOJTKOWSKI. "They are easily the best pair of shooters to play together at the same time for our program."

Pierce, along with the first-team laurels, was also the Co-Player of the Year in the PCC, sharing the honor with Palomar sophomore Manny Alcala, and was an honorable mention All-state performer for the Coyotes.

"Marlon can step in and contribute immediately for San Bernardino," noted Wojtkowski. "He has an all-around game and their coaches are high that he can come in to run the show as their point guard."

Meanwhile, Francisco will head to the Islands to play for the NAIA power Silverswords.

"James might be the best shooting guard we've ever had," noted the Cuyamaca coach. "Chaminade has been on him since September."

"Since he's older, he had to play for an NAIA school, but now he'll get a chance to play on television in the Maui Classic against three Division I teams which is good for him."

Francisco is a business major.

Pacific Coast Conference

2006-07 STANDINGS	W	L	W	L
Imperial Valley Arabs	13	3	23	10
Cuyamaca Coyotes	12	4	19	12
x-Palomar Comets	11	5	17	13
San Diego City Knights	9	7	18	16
y-Southwestern Jaguars	8	8	14	16
Grossmont Griffins	6	10	7	22
San Diego Mesa Olympians	5	11	8	21
MiraCosta Spartans	5	11	6	22
x-San Diego Miramar Jets	3	13	4	24

x-Mt. San Antonio forfeited 7 non-conference contests, including to Palomar and Miramar.
y-includes victory over Alumni.

Cuyamaca College Athletics Website

Grossmont College Athletics Website

Commission On Athletics

Pacific Coast Conference

2006-07 SCORES