Citrus College men’s basketball’s season came to an end in an 80-77 loss in the third round of playoffs against Orange Coast College on March 3 at Citrus College.
The Owls played a majority of the game from behind, including a 16-point deficit in the second half.
The Owls chipped away at the lead, bringing it down to one point on a three-point shot from freshman guard, Psalm Maduakor, with one minute left to play.
Sophomore forward Kyle Gray played tough defense on the next possession, recording two blocks, leading to a defensive rebound by Gray, but turned the ball over with 14 seconds left.
With one final opportunity, and quick on his feet, sophomore guard Miles Crawford stole the ball giving Citrus a shot to win the game.
Sophomore guard Jeremy Smith ran the floor and spotted Gray under the basket for a game-winning shot.
Gray being heavily guarded attempted a difficult reverse layup and missed, leading to a rebound for Orange Coast.
Sophomore forward Alexios Ziska quickly fouled with two seconds left to play.
Orange Coast guard Lloyd Wright made both free throws giving them a three-point lead over Citrus.
Citrus pushed the ball up floor and Crawford took a last-second three, but fell short.
Smith finished the game with 25 points and four assists. Smith took lead of the team while chipping away at their 16 point deficit in the second half, scoring 16 points in the second half.
On the defensive side, Gray recorded a team-high 13 rebounds and three blocks.
The Owls were in the game until the last second, but still has had recent trouble getting past the third round in the playoffs.
