Six Knights Score in Double Figures in 1st Round Playoff Victory

San Diego City is back in the second round of the CCCAA playoffs after eliminating Los Angeles Southwest, 92-73, at Harry West Gym on Wednesday night. All five starters scored in double figures, including freshmen Legend Stamps and Dominic Hovasse who led the Knights with 16 points and seven rebounds apiece. 

The Knights, who are the 11-seed, will now travel to Fullerton College to play the 6-seed Hornets on Saturday, February 29 at 7 p.m in the second round.

Kai Huntsberry scored 12 of his 15 points in the second half as the Knights pulled away. NaShom Carter put in 12 points, all of which came in the first half, and Victor Irhirhi, who was plagued by foul trouble, still managed to score 14 points. 

Isaac Davis scored 10 of City's 19 bench points and dished out a game-high eight assists.

The Knights scored the first eight points of the game and made eight of their first 10 shots to take a 19-10 lead. Los Angeles Southwest, led by Lamar Harris' 32 points and 10 rebounds, cut City's lead down to four, but the Knights responded with a 14-2 run to grab a 40-26 lead with 5:41 to go in the first half. 

City finished the final 4:10 of the half with a 12-3 spurt and went into halftime holding a 54-33 lead. The Knights shot 57.1% in that half and made 5-of-10 from the 3-point line. 

San Diego City kept adding to that lead and eventually went ahead by 35 points midway through the second half as they cruised to their sixth consecutive victory and first postseason win since advancing to the state championship final in 2018. 

The Knights did a good job of protecting the ball on Wednesday as they only committed nine turnovers, which is the lowest amount of the season. Southwest, however, turned it over 23 times which led to 28 San Diego City points. 

City's next opponent, the defending state champion Fullerton Hornets, are 22-5 this season and finished third in the Orange Empire Conference. They went 5-5 in the final 10 games of the season, whereas the Knights have won 13 of their last 14 games. 

The last time the Knights and Fullerton met in the postseason was in the state championship game on March 12, 2017, which the Knights won 53-51. The Hornets have won two of the last three regular season meetings. 

General admission to Saturday's game is $12. Students, faculty, staff, seniors 60 and over, and children under 12 will be admitted for $8.