Glendora, CA (Men’s Basketball) – With a record crowd of 900 plus people on hand, the Citrus College Fighting Owl men’s basketball team closed out their 2008 conference slate with a 90-87 win over Bakersfield College on Saturday night. Sophomore Virgil Buensuceso scored a team high 18 points, as the Fighting Owls finished WSC South play with a perfect 12-0 record.
While the out-come was in favor of the Owls, it was Bakersfield that controlled the tempo for much of the game, including the start, where they jumped out to a 10 point lead over the first seven minutes of the opening half. Citrus would answer with a mini 5-0 run after a conventional 3-point play by Steven Bennet and a rebound and lay-up by Buensuceso, but every time the Owls would charge, Bakersfield would keep Citrus at bay.
The Owls would get to within two points with just over five minutes left, but Citrus was never able to take the lead, as Bakersfield would go into intermission with a 5-point 43-38 lead over Citrus.
In the second half, Citrus came out of the gate fired up, scoring the first five points of the half and tying the game up for the first time since the opening minutes at 43-43. Bakersfield wasn’t quite ready to give up the lead however, as Citrus was forced to tie the game up once more and battle back from four down, before they could take control.
With Bakersfield up by four with 15:47 remaining, Citrus made their move, as they went on a 9-0 run. Six of those nine points came off the hands of the freshman Bennet, including a trey that made the score 59-54 in favor of the Owls.
With the lead finally in their hands, Citrus began to pull away taking as much as a 14-point lead with 5:23 to play. As they game began to slip away, Bakersfield would make a final run that would force the Owls to take the game down to the wire.
As quickly as they built up their 14-point lead, Citrus almost lost it, as Bakersfield came charging at the Fighting Owls. Bakersfield would score 11 unanswered points, and hold the Owls scoreless over four of the final five minutes to draw within 3-points with just over a minute-forty to play. Over that four minute scoreless span, Citrus went to the free-throw line six times, and made just one free-throw.
With the game spinning out of control for the Owls, they turned to their most reliable free-throw shooter, sophomore Darren Moore, who hit all six of his free-throws down the stretch to keep Bakersfield at arms length, helping give the Owls a three point victory.
In the win, Citrus had three players finish with double-digit scoring nights, including Buensuceso (18), Moore (16), and Buchi Awaji (16). Troy Payne would grab a team high 5 rebounds in the victory, while Bennet and Moore each recorded a team high three assists.
With the victory (Citrus’ 21st straight home win) the Owls improve to 30-1 overall and a perfect 12-0 in WSC South play. In a season in which the Citrus record books have been re-written, there is still more to come. Citrus will undoubtedly be a top four seed in the Southern California playoffs come Monday, and will host their first playoff game next Saturday. Seeds and pairing will be determined Monday, so stay tuned to the Citrus web-site to find out who the Owls will host and where they land.
Box Score