Owls Drop First Battle of New Year

Almost two weeks after its last contest, No. 18-ranked Citrus College battled but came up just short in a 70-67 loss at No. 9-ranked West LA.

The Owls drop to 9-5 on the year and open Western State Conference action at 0-1. The Wildcats improved to 11-3 overall, 2-0 in conference.

Cedric Reed led the Owls with 16 points (6-for-14), while Chris Chiles chipped in 12 points and had seven rebounds.

There were eight ties and eight lead changes in the game, before West LA took a five-point lead with two minutes to go. Hayden Dykstra banked in a shot off a Reed assist to put the Owls within a possession, but the Wildcats wouldn't let the visitors get any closer and secured the 70-67 victory.

Citrus heads to Santa Monica College on Saturday, tipping off at 1:00 p.m.