Coyote Athletics : Men's Basketball : News

Coyotes playoff hopes dim after pair of losses

By Nathan Ahle, The Daily Independent

In a season that has quickly become a rebuilding one for the Cerro Coso Coyotes men's basketball team, one must look for positives beyond the won-lost record. The Coyotes dropped a pair of home games this week, but found plenty of encouraging signs to take into the final games of the season.

Big nights from Edwards, Thompkins can't put Coso over the top

Saturday night saw Cerro Coso (8-16, 1-6 Foothill) lose a thriller to the Barstow College Vikings, 91-85 in double overtime. Solid games by Keymonte Edwards and Pantanious Thompkins helped the Coyotes pull even with the Vikings in the second half and force overtime tied at 71. Specifically, two Thompkins three-pointers and two clutch Edwards free-throws in the final two minutes of the second half got the Coyotes in a position to force the extra session.

"This was a game of many big plays," Coyotes Head Coach Larry Bird said Saturday night. "Pan and Key bailed us out at times."

In the overtime, Cerro Coso had a chance to win, but gave up a late three-pointer to Barstow's Jay Sherrod, tying the game at 77 and forcing a second overtime.

"Barstow went through a lull near the end of regulation and into the first overtime," said Bird. "I sensed that we had an edge in the OT, but Sherrod's three-pointer stunned us."

Free-throw shooting hurt the Coyotes in the second overtime period. The Vikings hit ten free-throws in the overtimes to pull away late in the second extra session. Meanwhile, Cerro Coso struggled, shooting only 41 percent from the charity stripe.

"We win that ballgame if we can convert," Bird said. "They hit big free-throws and we didn't. Our offense is just not consistent."

Offensive inconsistencies plagued the Coyotes again Monday night, as Antelope Valley College (23-4, 6-1 Foothill) came to town. The Marauders came into the game atop the conference standings and ranked second in Southern California. On Jan. 2, the Coyotes played AVC tough, losing 70-61 despite playing the Marauders evenly at times. Monday night was a true test of the Coyotes' mettle, but Antelope Valley proved just too tough, winning 65-52.

In Monday's game AVC opened up a 43-27 halftime lead, behind solid shooting from the field. AVC converted 15-of-25 field-goal attempts in the half, including a 13-2 run in the final 3:02, while the Coyotes made only 10-of-27 shots in the half.

"We never recouped from that," Bird said.

In the second, the Coyotes pulled to within single digits, coming as close as six points at 53-47 with just over five minutes to go. The Coyotes missed two free-throws at this point, and were able to convert only seven of 15 tries from the line in the second half.

"That won't win many ballgames," Bird said.

The Marauders then pulled away, led by forward Trae Fortier (17 points) and center Johnathan Holland (12 points). Holland went six for six from the field on the night.

A highlight for the Coyotes came late in the half, when Simon Compain grabbed a rebound and slammed the ball home, the first dunk at home by a Coyote this season.

Tyrone Taylor led the Coyotes in scoring with 13 points, followed by Pantanious Thompkins with 10, but the rest of the offense continued to struggle. Cerro Coso shot 37 percent (19-for-51) from the field on the night.

Despite the offensive woes, Coach Bird was pleased with the defensive effort.

"Holding a team like AV to 22 points in the second half is major," Bird said. "We lost our opportunity in the second, but I thought we were able to make a transition and handle the pressure better."

At 1-6 in conference play, a playoff berth appears to be a dim possibility for the Coyotes, but seven games remain. Cerro Coso hopes to turn things around at Mt. San Jacinto Wednesday. Earlier this month the Coyotes lost to San Jacinto 80-75. The team will return home to face College of the Desert Saturday night at 7 p.m.

January 28, 2003

For more on this story please subscribe to The Daily Independent at: dieditor@ridgecrestca.com