Panthers roars into the third-round of playoffs

Chaffey College's men's basketball team is heading to the third-round of the 3C2A SoCal Regional after a 86-71 victory over West Los Angeles College.

Sophomore Uriyah Rojas led the attack with an all-around performance of 26 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals. He was supported by the always consistent Nate Simon (15 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists) and of Mourad Toure (13 points, 5 rebounds). Ryan Lewis added 10 points, while Jermaine Rogers and Jace Conway contributed 9 each.

Chaffey's strategy was clear and effective: attack the basket and get to the free-throw line. "Our goal was 30-plus free throws," Head Coach Jeff Klein explained. "We knew they liked to leave their feet to try block shots, and we capitalized on that." The Panthers shot 32 of 35 from the line (91.4%), with both Rojas and Simon maintaining their perfect free-throw records. Simon went 12-12 and Rojas 4-4 in this game.

The first half was a back-and-forth battle, with Chaffey holding a narrow 40-34 lead at halftime. A halftime adjustment to drive the offense "downhill" and attack set the tone the entire half. The Panthers came out firing on all cylinders and went on a 14-0 run, quickly building a commanding 20-point advantage at 56-36.

Rojas continues his stellar play, averaging 26 points per game. His rebounding has been equally impressive, leading the team with 10 rebounds against Irvine Valley College and 11 against West Los Angeles.

Despite the win, the coaching staff  mentions that they need to tighten up ball security. Committing 20 turnovers against West Los Angeles, double their season average, is a concern that Coach Klein will focus on during the week of practice, leading to the game. 

Chaffey faces their toughest test yet: a showdown with the #1 seed Fullerton College Hornets. The Hornets, who edged out Southwestern College 70-67, are led by the top  JUCO player in California, Joe Grahovac, a 6'10 center who averages 16 points per game and shoots an incredible 64.2 percent from the field. In addition, Klein adds that they have solid players in all positions and are a very well coached team.