COD (5-18; 3-9) had three of their five starters in double figures and got the 6th double-double of the season from Abraham Bell, as the Roadrunners upset the Chaffey Panthers of Rancho Cucamonga (10-15; 6-8), 69-68.

Sophomore starting guard D'Shaun Barrett (Twentynine Palms H.S.) led the way for the Roadrunners, scoring 9 of his 19 points in the first half, shooting 7 of 16 from the field and going 5 of 12 from beyond the arc, along with dishing out 5 assists in the win.

Sophomore starting forward Abraham Bell (Twentynine Palms H.S.) scored 10 of his 17 points in the first half, grabbing his 6th double-double of the 2022 season, along with 10 of his 14 total rebounds from the defensive side of the glass.

Sophomore starting guard D.J. Adams (Moreno Valley H.S.) scored 12 of his 14 points in the first half, shooting 4 of 11 from the field and going a perfect 4 for 4 from the free throw line, as well as falling one assist short of another double-double and leading the team in steals with three.

Sophomore starting guard Marquis McKinzy (Los Angeles John C. Fremont) had 6 of his 9 points in the first half, shooting 3 of 5 from beyond three-point range in the win.

While Desert lost the battle of the boards (42 to 30) and lost the turnover battle (14 to 11), they had a significant advantage in field goal percentage (47.1 to 38.1%) and three-point shooting percentage (41.4% to 36%).

Chaffey opened the game on a 10-1 run, by halftime, the Roadrunners were within five, 34-29. Desert would use a 9-0 run to take their first lead in the game with 10 minutes left in the second half, 51-50. The Roadrunners would build to their largest lead of the game, when Adams nailed a 3-pointer with 2:19 left to give Desert a 66-61 lead.

The Panthers would tie the game at 66-66, but Barrett hit his fifth 3-pointer of the game, to give the home side some breathing room, 69-66. Chaffey would get a layup with 25 second left to make the score 68-69, but a missed free throw by Desert led to a hand delivered chance to win underneath the basket for the Panthers, but McKinzy stole the ball to seal the win.

The Roadrunners will continue IEAC play by traveling to Victor Valley (3-21; 2-10) on Thursday, February 17 at 7p.  The next home game for Desert is Sophomore Night on Wednesday, February 23 at 5p, as the Roadrunners host the Mt. San Jacinto Eagles (15-9; 10-3).

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For additional information, please contact the COD Sports Information Office at 760.423.6641.

Information, Photo & Story provided by COD Sports Information.