Citrus Men’s Basketball takes game one of the Neil Edwards Classic 83-59 against Santa Monica on Nov. 16 at Citrus College.
The Owls’ held their lead throughout the game and when their lead slimmed, they kept their composure and regained their margin.
“We knew coming in, we had to keep them off the glass; they are very tough team,” Owls’ head coach Brett Lauer said. “We knew we had to try and hold them to one possession.”
In the second half Santa Monica went on a 10-2 run, trimming the Owls’ lead to a one possession game. The Owls’ call a timeout with a score of 42-40, Owls lead.
Sophomore guard Treyvon Watts-Hale sparked the Owls’ defense with a steal off the timeout. Watts-Hale brought life into the game with second chance hussle rebounds and tipped passes on defense.
“No player shows what our program is trying to be about more than Trey,” Lauer said. “High energy, selfless basketball player and one of the best defenders I’ve been around.”
Afterwards, the Owls’ gained their momentum back, the story of the game was at the free throw line. The Owls’ capsized on drawing fouls and shot 23-26 from the line. Santa Monica shot 9-18 from the line.
Turnovers were a problem for the Owls’ as they gave up 20 points to Santa Monica. But they made up for their turnovers on second chance points and three point shots.
The Owls’ shot 10-24 from three point range and scored 14 points off second chance points, while Santa Monica only scored three points off second chance opportunities.
The game was made of runs, and the Owls’ were able to regain their composure and kept control of their lead.
“They threw a lot of punches tonight and our guys handled that very well,” Lauer said. “I’ll say it again, they’re a very good team and this is very good win for our team.”
The Owls’ move to 4-2 on the season and continue to build chemistry with freshman players such as Colby Orr and Toby Okwuokei stepping up in this game with a combined 24 points in the victory.
The Owls’ next game will be day two of the Neil Edwards Classic against Chaffey College at 7 p.m. on Nov. 17 at Citrus College.
