Knights Edge No. 2 West Valley to Claim Grossmont Tourney Title

San Diego City held on for a 64-63 win over the No. 2 team in the state, West Valley, to claim the Grossmont tournament championship for the fourth time in the last five seasons. Jonathan Ogugua was named tournament Most Outstanding Player and Makiah Morris was selected to the all-tournament team. 

Ogugua poured in a season-high 27 points to go along with five rebounds, two assists, and five steals to lead the Knights in the title game against West Valley. He averaged 25 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.6 steals while shooting 50% in the three wins at the Grossmont tournament. Ogugua has now scored at least 22 points in four straight games.

Morris' defensive effort over the weekend earned him a spot on the all-tourney team while averaging five points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.3 steals.

City started off the tournament by getting an 81-67 victory over Palo Verde. The Knights went on a 23-9 run to start the second half that turned a 39-36 lead into a 17-point advantage and they never looked back. Ogugua led with 22 points, six rebounds, and three steals, while Taleh Wade and Lamon Hudson provided 14 and 10 points, respectively, off the bench.

The Knights faced PCAC-rival Palomar in the semifinals on Saturday and jumped out to a 31-4 lead. They shot 68.6% for the game and hit 7-of-10 from 3-point territory as they cruised to an 84-56 win. Ogugua shot 10-of-13, including 3-of-4 on 3s, on his way to 26 points, three rebounds, three assists, and three steals. Josh Williams added 20 points, while missing only one field goal attempt (9-of-10), and dished out four assists. 

San Diego City fell behind, 54-51 with 6:41 remaining in the championship game against West Valley, but responded with an 11-0 run over the next three minutes to take a 62-54 lead. Ogugua scored nine of his 27 points during that stretch, including a 3-pointer to give City the 8-point lead. 

West Valley, however, got back in it with a 9-2 push to cut City's lead down to 64-63 with 1:55 left. The Vikings missed their final three shots, including two in the final seconds, as the Knights hung on for the victory while also handing West Valley (9-1) its first loss of the season. 

Drew Cisse scored 11 points to go along with nine rebounds. Morris added five points, five rebounds, and three steals.

The Knights, who are currently ranked No. 14 in the state, improved to 7-2 on the season and will take their 3-game win streak to the Fullerton College tournament, which begins on Thursday, December 9. City will play No. 11 Citrus in the opening round with the tip scheduled for 1 p.m.