Men’s Basketball Soars Past Cypress

After a tough loss to Irvine Valley early last week, the Santiago Canyon men's basketball team hit the road to take on the Cypress College Chargers in Orange Empire Conference (OEC) action. The Hawks featured multiple contributors that ranged from the starting five to the bench leading to a commanding 89-51 victory.

The Hawk's defense was on display all night as they limited Cypress to a mere 31 points in the first half followed by just 20 points in the second half. They forced 16 turnovers that transitioned into 21 points, while also holding Cypress to an abysmal 2-for-22 from long range. The Hawks only forfeited the lead once, but it was after the opening minute of play and cruised the remainder of the way.

SCC got back to their roots by shooting an impressive 57.4 percent from the floor which encompassed 15 three pointers. They outrebounded the Chargers by a ratio of 33-26 and dished out 20 assists to Cypress' five.

Sophomore guard Joey Longo led the Hawks offensive efforts by bucketing 14 points in 27 minutes of work. He hit a team-high three triples while pocketing a game-high four assists.

Freshman guard Eli Arthurton matched Longo's output with 14 points off the bench, while sophomore guard Kai Smith rose up for 13 points. He flirted with a double-double after hauling in seven boards to go along with three assists.

Freshman guard Damien Parker finished with 10 points, while freshman guard Trevor Manning produced 12 points in 16 minutes of action. Freshman bench tandem Dane Kiefer and Marly Jaisel each scored six points as well.

The Hawks sit in second place with a 5-2 conference record and a 14-5 overall record.