Glendora, CA (Men’s Basketball) – Sophomore guard Darren Moore recorded a season high 18 points and swiped a game high 5 steals in helping lead the Fighting Owls to their ninth straight victory of the season in their 104-82 win over Palomar College on Wednesday night.
The Owls would jump out to an early nine point lead after a three-pointer by the game’s leading scorer Buchi Awaji made the score 18-9. The Comets would cut the lead to two points with just over nine minutes to play, but Citrus would responded with a 14-0 run capped off by a Richard Frohlich jumper in the lane. The Owls would eventually take a 15-point 49-34 lead into the half, despite shooting just 42% from the field.
While Citrus struggled with their shooting from the floor, they made up for it by shooting 83.3% from the charity stripe and forcing Palomar into 31 turnovers. The Owls also benefited from their aggressive play on the boards grabbing 21 offensive rebounds to Palomar’s 7.
In the second half the Owls would push their lead to 20 points coming out of the gate, but Palomar proved pesky, pulling to within 11-points with just under seven minutes to play. As they have all season long, Citrus responded with a run, rattling off nine straight points to push their lead back to 20-points.
In the win Awaji led all scorers with 25 points and brought down a near game high seven rebounds. Citrus’ Troy Payne was the game’s leading rebounder with eight rebounds, including five on the offensive glass.
With the win, the Fighting Owls are off to their hottest start in team history as they improve to 9-0. Citrus will be back at home on Saturday as they play host to LA Harbor College. Tip-off is set for 5:00 PM.
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