Coyotes lose 'heartbreaker' to Eagles
By Nathan Ahle, The Daily Independent
The Cerro Coso mens' basketball team took on the Mt. San Jacinto
Eagles Wednesday night in a must-win situation. With a 1-6 Foothill
Conference record, the Coyotes needed a big push in their final seven
games to get back into the playoff race.
Wednesday saw the Coyotes get the push they needed, but last-second
heroics gave the Eagles a 67-65 win.
Mohammad Wilson took the game-winning shot for the Eagles as time
expired. In a 65-65 game with two seconds remaining, Wilson fired from
close range. The shot rattled around the rim and fell through as time
expired.
The shot brought back memories of a Coyotes-Eagles showdown last year,
when a half-court buzzer-beater gave the Coyotes a win.
Cerro Coso played well in stretches throughout the game, and at one
point in the second half led by as many as 13 points at 44-31 before San
Jacinto began to come back.
"We played well enough to win that ballgame tonight," said Coyotes Head
Coach Larry Bird. "It was a real heartbreaker."
Cerro Coso took the early advantage with what Bird called "big plays."
"We had a fairly good shooting percentage, and we made some big plays
and good stops on defense," said Bird. "It came down to two or three
turnovers that led to layups, and in a tight game that will nail you."
Leading 47-41 with 10 minutes to go, Bird described a "momentum shift,"
as the Eagles switched to a four-corner offense, enabling them to take
the lead. The Coyote defense responded by stepping up, and Pantanious
Thompkins tied the game at 65 on a three-point play with 52 seconds
remaining.
"We defended well out of the four-corner and were able to come back,"
Bird said. "That made it anyone's game."
On the night, Frank Saketa led the team in scoring with 14 points,
followed by Tyrone Taylor with nine and Simon Compain with six. Compain
also pulled down six rebounds.
"Simon and Frank were forces inside," commented Bird.
The coach was also pleased with his bench, particularly Nathan Hiner,
Karl Williams and Abdirizak Mohamed.
"This was a total team effort," added Bird. "We got big plays off the
bench when we needed them."
The Coyotes will return home to face College of the Desert Saturday at 7
p.m. The game can also be heard on KLOA 1240 AM radio.
January 30, 2003
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The Daily Independent.
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