Glendora, CA - The Owls rebounded from a tough Thanksgiving weekend tournament to claim third place in the East Los Angeles College tournament late last week. Citrus opened the tournament with a win over Santa Ana College 86-80, followed by a heart wrenching loss to East LA in the semifinals, 83-79 in overtime. Citrus then defeated WSC foe Bakersfield in the third place game, 85-77.
Head Coach Rick Croy and the rest of the Citrus staff was able to get a good look at Santa Ana last weekend in the Neil Edwards Classic at Citrus and the scouting proved helpful as the Owls grabbed a 45-29 half-time lead and held on for the six-point victory. Tron Smith dominated the contest with a season-high 39 points, hitting 14 field goals while shooting 10-for-11 at the charity stripe. Chad Allan and Jason Stubbs added nine points apiece.
Smith wouldn't be as fortunate in the semifinal loss to Santa Ana . He was in foul trouble early on and finished with just nine points over 15 minutes. Despite the limited action for their top scorer, Citrus put pressure on East LA and held the Huskies to just 27% shooting in the first half. The Owls held a 15-point lead at the intermission. ELAC, however, fought back in the second frame to tie the game and send it to overtime, where they pulled out the four-point victory. Phil Friesen led the way for Citrus with 17 points. James Reynolds added twelve and Daniel Fleming chipped in eight along with 14 rebounds.
The Owls got their first look at a conference foe in the third-place game and if it is any indicator of how the Western State Conference season will turn out, the 85-77 win for Citrus over Bakersfield bodes will for the Owls. Citrus shot 48% in the contest and held Bakersfield to just a 38% clip. Smith was back on track with 29 points, along with a team-high four assists. Fleming added a double-double as he scored 20 points and 12 rebounds and Reynolds scored 13.
Citrus is back in action today as they play host to Rio Hondo at 6:00 pm.