It took three games, but the Pasadena City College men's basketball team earned win #1 for new head coach Ryan Frazer. The SoCal preseason #19-ranked Lancers' 70-65 triumph over #17 Saddleback on Saturday also matched last season's win total (1-26).
PCC played well overall at the Ventura We Play Hard Tournament, losing a close one v. #11 Riverside City, 61-58, in Frazer's Lancers coaching debut, then falling to host and #13 Ventura, 83-62. In the first half of that contest, Pasadena roared back from down 21-8 to take a brief lead and were as close as five, 60-55, with eight minutes left before the Pirates took control.
"The Ventura tournament was a a great set of first games for us," Frazer said. "The three teams we played were all ranked above us in the state South rankings, and I felt like we did a good job of competing. We found out what happens when you take a few possessions off. I was really impressed with the way the team grew and finished off the final win over Saddleback as we only made seven turnovers. This is win #1 of hopefully many more to come this season. One thing is for sure--this team wants to win and we will work hard every day to do so."
Against Saddleback, Rande Harper scored a game-high 22 points, making 8-for-14 from the floor, including three treys. The big story was the play of reserve guard Shant Chenorhavorian, who was a perfect 6-for-6 on 3-point bombs for his 18 points. Chenorhavorian broke an early 9-9 tie with back-to-back treys as the Lancers took a 30-25 halftime lead.
In the second half, the Bobcats pulled ahead at 52-47 before the All-CIF shooting sensation from Arcadia High sank two more 3s as part of a 17-6 run, the second basket allowing the Lancers a 64-58 cushion with 1:23 left.
"Having Shant go 6-for-6 from 3 was pretty special," Frazer said. "His teammates were excited for him and made it a point to find him the ball."
Pasadena shot well from the free throw line, making 14-for-17 (82.4 percent), including a 6-for-6 day for backup wing Nurridin Abdur-Rahmann, who finished with eight points, five rebounds and two steals. Starting guard Jayden Winfrey tallied eight points and distributed five assists.
In the opener on Thursday, Harper came off the bench to score 18 points (6-for-7 from the line) while Winfrey and wing Myles Watkins (plus eight boards) each scored 10 points. A Winfrey 3-pointer cut it to 54-52 with 5:25 remaining but RCC preserved its lead the rest of the way.
In Friday's loss to Ventura, wing Jonathan Tchengang was a force with 20 points and 13 rebounds (6-for-6 from the stripe) while PCC letterman guard Jordan Flowers came off the bench for 13 points. Winfrey added five points and seven assists.
The Lancers (1-2) make their home debut on Saturday, Nov. 12 against #3-rated Citrus. Tip-off is 6 p.m. at Hutto-Patterson Gymnasium.