With a state tournament berth on the line, the Fighting Owls delivered when it mattered most.
Citrus College defeated Mt. San Antonio College 91-80 on March 7 in the third round of the 3C2A Southern California Regional playoffs, sending Citrus to the state championship tournament.
The victory extended Citrus’s winning streak to 24 games and improved its record to 29-1. Mt. San Antonio finished the season 25-5.
The Owls overcame a slow start from 3-point range and a tightly contested first half. Citrus trailed early but went into halftime down just 37-36.
The Owls found their rhythm after the break, scoring 55 second-half points while shooting 54.5% from the field.
Guard Leo Ricketts sparked the surge with 18 of his 22 points in the second half, shooting 6 of 9 from the floor and hitting two 3-pointers.
“I think we stayed together,” Ricketts said. “They’re a really good team, they have really good players, but I think it just came down to us. We wanted to win for each other more than anything, and not getting individual, but staying as a team and just staying together was huge.”
Amiri Meadows led Citrus with 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting and consistently attacked the basket, drawing contact and converting at the free-throw line. He finished 5 of 7 from the stripe while adding four rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
“When we’re locked in with each other, and we’re locked in with Citrus, things go well,” Meadows said.
Citrus’ full-court pressure also played a major role in the win. The Owls disrupted Mt. SAC’s offense throughout the night, forcing 17 turnovers while committing just seven. Citrus turned those mistakes into 24 points.
Forward Rockwell Reynolds recorded a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds, helping Citrus dominate inside. The Owls outscored Mt. SAC 56-36 in the paint and finished with an 18-9 edge in second-chance points behind 17 offensive rebounds.
“I think when we play together, when we’re cooking, we can beat anybody,” Reynolds said.
Point guard Dayvon Gates led Mt. SAC with 30 points on 13-of-26 shooting in 39 minutes, but it wasn’t enough. Citrus gradually pulled away in the final minutes, building its largest lead of 16 with under two minutes remaining.
“We knew that if we could get it to the pace that we want to play at, it would be a good outcome,” assistant coach Jeriko Santos said.
Citrus advances to the 3C2A Men’s Basketball State Championship Tournament at 7 p.m., March 13 at the College of the Sequoias, where the Owls will face West Valley College (24-6) in the quarterfinals.
