 "Photo: Fernando Sarabia")
The Panthers showed up to a gun fight with a pocket knife in a home loss to Rio Hondo Feb. 12. While scoring was up to par, the defensive intensity was missing in the 100-95 overtime loss.
The first-half scoring was distributed fairly evenly throughout the team, with Trone Jackson, Cornell Jenkins, and Deondre Broadie each scoring four points. Six other players scored in the single digits. The bulk of the scoring came from point guard Anthony Cammon, who dropped 14 points effortlessly.
Cammon took advantage of the roadrunner’s high-leaping interior player with his beautiful tear-drop shot — a shot he floats over defender’s reach. Center Mo Hugley had an average first half, scoring six points as he split time with Freshmen Geoffrey Harrison.
Racking up 45 points in the first half is not bad, except they gave up 41 to Rio Hondo in the process.
The Panthers were able to stretch the lead to 60-55 by the five-minute mark of the second half, but that was the limit of their lead. The Roadrunner interior defenders started to repel Panther’s shots, either blocking them or altering them. In the latter part of the second half Hondo’s center blocked five shots in a row. Even Cammon’s seemingly unreachable tear-drop became victim to the high flying Roadrunners.
Chaffey began to unravel as they turned the ball over several times on basic entry passes and ball-handling miscues, which led to both a change in momentum and in the score. With five minutes left in the game, Chaffey was down 80-74.
As the clock wound down, the Panthers were able to squeak back into the game as a result of some late heroics from Cammon. The game was sent into overtime at 84-84.
The turning point in the game was when Chaffey center Hughley noticed his teammate in trouble trying to execute an inbounds play. Hugley took it on his on to call time out from the bench, which resulted in a technical foul.
The technical foul gave Hondo a foul shot and possession of the ball, which they took full advantage of by taking the lead and the momentum. On the ensuing Panther possession Hughley got into a verbal confutation with the official, resulting in his removal from the gymnasium.
The blow was too much for the Panthers to recover as the 8-3 Panthers fell to the 3-8 Roadrunners.
The Panthers are in the Foothill Conference playoffs and are waiting for the seatings.
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