Hawks Defeat The Fighting Cacti

SCC traveled to Joshua Tree to play the Fighting Cacti from Copper Mountain on Friday night.  The road has been well-traveled for the Hawks lately, and the desert proved to be kind to them as they came away victorious by the score of 81-78.  With an enthusiastic crowd on hand, the Hawks quickly quieted them by jumping to an early 10-point lead.  Copper Mountain battled back in the first half to get within single digits, but SCC responded and held a 41-27 lead at the half.  The Hawks connected on 5 three-pointers for the half.  Antoine Jenkins led the way in scoring with 19 points and Paulo Araujo connected on 2 threes for his six points.  David Agba chipped in with 7 points. 

The second half started much like the beginning of the game with the Hawks soaring.  They scored the first 6 points and held a 20-point advantage.  However, the lead was not safe as the Cacti were determined to make it a close game.  They used the remaining 15 minutes of the half to battle back and cut the lead to 1 point with 8.3 seconds to go.  Paulo Arajuo was fouled and stood at the line shooting two free throws.  He calmly connected on both of them to give the Hawks a 3-point advantage.  Copper Mountain had one last possession to try and tie the game, but the Hawks used their swarming defense to not let Copper Mountain get a good look.  Their desperation shot was well off and SCC came out with an 81-78 victory.

Jenkins led the team in scoring with 31 points and connected on 3 three-pointers.  David Agba had a solid all around game with 24 points and 8 rebounds, while limiting Copper Mountain's leading scorer to only 10 points.  Agba's defense was key all game long.  AJ Garrity finished with 10 points on the evening.  The Hawks are now 9-0 on the season.  Their next game will be at home on Wednesday, November 27th vs. Citrus at 5:00pm.