Citrus College fell to Antelope Valley 79-76, Mark Williams and Kenneth Cyprian led Citrus with 13 points a piece, Joseph Moorer contributed a game-high 22 points for Antelope Valley.
It was a lopsided affair between Citrus College and Antelope Valley to open the match, as Antelope Valley gained advantage early in the first, leading by as much as 14 points mid-into the first quarter before letting Citrus back into the game.
Citrus College had trouble containing the three-point shot, an area where Antelope Valley converted on 50% of its attempts, led by Brandon Wade who held a perfect line of 4-4 from behind the arc, giving him 12 points for the game. Teammate Joseph Moorer poured in 50% of his own from downtown, contributing to his 22 points from the field.
Coach John Taylor considered his team fortunate for the strong start, something which rarely happens. “We had been getting poor starts, so our goal was not to let Citrus beat us, like what happened last time,” Coach Taylor said.
Coach Taylor acknowledged that both teams had been kind of struggling in the conference, admitting that both teams have “good basketball teams,” yet struggle — which he attributes to the rise in talent in the conference they stay in.
Mark Williams faults their slow start as the main reason for their inability to pull out the win, a hole that would prove to be too much to overcome. “A good team like that, we gotta play 40 minutes of really good basketball,” Williams affirmed.
Additionally, Williams acknowledged that the team has to put this match behind them, and focus on the remaining season. “We got five guaranteed games left, we just got to look forward and win these games. But we’re looking at Santa Monica next, so we gotta put this one behind us, and get ready to go,” Williams stressed.
With this loss, Citrus now sits at 10-12 with 5 games remaining on the season. They sit with a 4-5 conference record, with three of the five remaining games on the road. This will prove to be a test for Citrus, who hold a 3-4 record away from home.
Citrus College next faces Santa Monica at home on February 6th, at the Owl’s Nest with tip set for 5 P.M. sharp.
