NO. 1 FC BACK IN THE SADDLE

The No. 1 in state FC men's basketball team played its first game of the 2023-24 season Wednesday night and won it 73-63 over visiting MiraCosta College.

Fullerton was recently tabbed as the preseason No. 1 team in the state by the California Community College Men's Basketball Coaches Association (CCCMBCA). Coming fresh off their second state title in three seasons under head coach Perry Webster, the Hornets have another talented team that is looking to make another state run.

The Spartans and Hornets got after it in the first minutes of the game with MiraCosta knocking down a three-pointer by Mason Bowers to open it up. FC countered with a nice layup by Christian Watson and soon jumped out to a 12-6 advantage. The Spartans tied the game up at 14 apiece at the twelve-minute-mark, which seemed to be the theme of the half with the Hornets taking a nice lead and then MiraCosta shrinking it. Fullerton was up 32-31 with three minutes left on the clock, and then the team took off on a small 7-3 run that gave the team some breathing room at 41-34 with a minute left on the board. By halftime the Hornets held a 41-36 lead.

Jeremiah Davis opened the second half with two jumpers and Mike Davis followed with a layup giving FC a 47-38 edge. The Hornets kept the skilled Spartans squad at arms length for the remainder averaging a 9-point lead throughout. MiraCosta did its best to get back in it, however the defense of Fullerton did its job holding the Spartans to 27.6% shooting in the second half.

FC's Jeremiah Davis led all scores with 18 points, while Christian Watson put up 13 of his own. Watson also had 6 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. Mike Davis almost had his first double-double as a Hornet with 12 points and 9 rebounds. 

Up Next: The Hornets (1-0 overall) are back in action on Tuesday, November 7th when they host Porterville College. Tipoff is at 6:00 pm.

*Photo by Jim McCormack.