Now ranked #23 in the current State Top 30, The Pasadena City College men's basketball team went 1-1 at the Cerro Coso Crossover tournament held Nov. 29-30.
The Lancers (4-2 record) defeated host Cerro Coso, 66-58, in the opener as they rallied from down 35-28 at halftime. PCC trailed by as much as 39-31, but went on a 10-2 run capped on a steal by Donovan Ford and fast-break layup by Kaiden Fine to tie it. PCC would go ahead for good on a 4-point play as LaQwon Cole was fouled on made 3-pointer and hit the free throw for a 50-48 Lancers lead with 8:41 left.
Limited to 22 minutes due to foul trouble, Dylan Swillis led PCC with 18 points (5-for-5 from the line), Jalen Vazquez added 15 points, and Darrius Freeman scored 11. The team was 17-for-22 at the stripe (77.3 percent) and had strong play from the bench by Ford (four points, four assists, four rebounds, three steals, and two blocks) and Cole, who scored six points with three steals. Fine collected six points, a team-high six rebounds, four assists and two steals.
The next night, PCC was edged by Victor Valley, 85-82, despite leading 45-40 at halftime and maintaining the advantage for the first 12 minutes of the second half. The Rams sizzled from the floor, making 57 percent of their shots as Jordan Clayton scored 25 points, Jordan Malveaux 23 points (8-for-14), and Derrick Hankins 19 (8-for-10) with 10 rebounds.
VVC took the lead at 71-70, upped it to 80-73, but Pasadena responded as Swillis hit a layup with seven seconds to go that cut it to 84-82. The Lancers had one last chance, but turned it over as Victor Valley ran out the clock.
Swillis had an outstanding performance with 31 points (13-for-21 on field goals), 14 rebounds, five assists and three steals while Vazquez just missed a double-double in scoring 20 and dishing out nine assists. Fine added nine points and five boards and Quinlan Daly sank three treys for his nine points.
"We really haven't play well enough defensively this season," said PCC head coach Ryan Frazer. "That and we went from having a big 3-point shooting night in our opener to just too many games of poor outside shooting. If we can improve in both of these areas, we have a chance to be a really successful squad."
On Friday, Dec. 6, PCC begins play in the 8-team, bracketed Antelope Valley Gregg Anderson Memorial Tournament with a 1 p.m. game v. Palo Verde. The tourney continues on Saturday-Sunday, Dec. 7-8.