LCC men’s basketball team wins two on the road
The Lassen Community College Cougars hit the road again to participate in two games at American River College on Thursday, Nov. 10 and Friday, Nov. 11 and then a single at Las Positas College on Saturday, Nov. 11.
The opening game of the weekend was against a scrappy De Anza team. The Cougars came out of the gate sluggish and struggled to make shots they usually convert. They battled throughout the first half but found themselves down by 10 points at the break. The second half saw a different, more energized Cougar team. LCC immediately went on a 15-0 run to erode the deficit and gain the lead. However, De Anza refused to go away quietly as they kept things close until the end, where Lassen pulled away winning, 75-66.
Sophomore Shelton Taylor led the Cougars in scoring with 20 points, followed by Darien Guyton, who had 15 and Evan Caldwell, who had a double-double, 15 points, and 11 rebounds.
The Cougars would then take on the host team, American River College. LCC jumped out to an early 8-0 lead and had control for most of the game. The Cougars led at halftime 32-24 and withstood a few runs by the home team to come out on top, 71-58.
Darien Guyton led all scorers with 16 points, followed by Cole Rutherford, who added 14 points to go with his five assists.
On the final day of the road trip, the Cougars traveled to Livermore to take on No. 10-ranked Las Positas College. This game was a physical, intense battle from the opening tip. The Cougars would bounce right back each time Las Positas seemed to be pulling away. The game was tied at 34 going into halftime. LCC led by as many as 3 points in the second half, but the high emotion of the game ended up wearing the team down. Las Positas was able to come away with a 62-76 win.
Cole Rutherford and Shelton Taylor led LCC in scoring with 11 points each, and Trey Wilmot added six assists.
“I am extremely proud of how this group responded from the first weekend,” said coach Will Freedman. “We returned from San Jose knowing we needed to learn how to win. Coming back from this road trip, we now have confidence that we can win, but now it’s about putting together consistent effort and execution to get these big wins that will hopefully help us get into the playoffs. I believe we will be able to look back at the Las Positas game and know that this was the game we came together and established a brotherhood.”
Next up for the LCC men’s basketball team is the Mendocino College Tournament Nov. 17-19.
