Glendora, CA (Men’s Basketball) -- Sophomore Randy Hunter isn’t the flashiest player on the Citrus College roster, but he goes to work every game happy to do the small things like rebound and finish around the basket. Hunter is the Fighting Owls’ silent assassin, quietly going about his business and killing his opponent along the way.
Hunter helped cement that reputation on Saturday night as he scored a team high 18 points and pulled down a team high eight rebounds (including five on the offensive glass) in Citrus’ 84-69 win over San Diego City in the semi-finals of the 2009 Neil Edwards Classic.
The Fighting Owls would open up Saturday night’s contest on fire, scoring 10 of the first 12 points, taking a 10-2 lead after a Keith Thompson lay-up with 16:03 to go. Hunter would help push the eight point lead even further with a three-point play that gave Citrus a 15 point lead with just over ten minutes to go in the half.
San Diego City would chip away at the lead over the final ten minutes of the opening half, closing out the first frame with an 8-2 run that cut the Citrus lead to seven points at the break. The only thing that kept Citrus’ lead from being any smaller was a jumper in the paint by Tom Granado with three seconds left on the clock that made the score 38-31 at half-time.
In the second half the Knights would continue to build on the momentum they got going towards the end of the first, when they tied the game up at 46 all when SDCC’s Anthony Calhoun hit a runner in the paint with just over 13 minutes to go. The Fighting Owls answered with a Randy Hunter lay-up off a Keith Thompson assist and never looked back as they led the rest of the contest.
Hunter would convert on six of his nine shots from the field and go a perfect six for six from the charity stripe in the victory. Keith Thompson added 15 points and Jerry Santos pitched in with 10, as the Fighting Owls shot an impressive 50.7% from the floor for the game.
With the win, Citrus improves to 6-0 overall, while San Diego City falls to 2-3. The Fighting Owls, ranked #4 in the State, will take on the #3 ranked team in the State, Mt. SAC, in the Championship Game tomorrow evening. Tip-off is set for 6:00 PM.
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