SQUEEZING CITRUS IN DOUBLE OT

In one of the most electric games this season between two of the top teams in Southern California, the No. 1 (south/2 state) Hornets hosted No. 2 (south/5 state) Citrus in the Nest Friday night and squeezed past the Owls in double overtime 116-113.

It was a good win as Fullerton took its first loss last Wednesday night on the road against a tough unranked West LA squad 92-86. With the win tonight, FC's overall record now stands at 5-1, while Citrus take its first loss of the season with a record of 5-1.

The two powerhouses traded punches for the entire game combining for 229 points and 8 ties. There were a few instances where Hornets took control of the game, but the Owls would fly right back in it.

In the first half, FC jumped out to a 28-15 lead that was capped off by a layup by Yoda Oke in the 9th minute. Citrus scrapped their way back into it forcing timely turnovers to pull within seven at 41-35, however Fullerton's Jaqari Miles drained a deep two-pointer right before the buzzer sounded to end the first half. Both teams walked back to their respective locker rooms with FC up 43-35.

Donovan Pitts opened the second half with a trey and Miles soon followed with one of his own as the Hornets leapt ahead 62-48 by the 13^th minute. Fullerton continued its barrage pushing on with its largest lead of 19 points (73-54) by the 11^th minute. Down deep, the Owls never gave up and great success running a full court press and hitting big three-pointers to get back in it. Citrus took its first lead of the game on a trey by Leo Ricketts at 91-90 with 48 seconds left in regulation. The Owls owned a 93-91 advantage with mere seconds left, but Yoda Oke came up huge with a shot in the middle of the key to tie it up sending the game into overtime.

Both the Owls and Hornets slugged it out in the first OT with neither team gaining any ground.

In the second overtime, the game was all knotted up at 113 with 35 seconds left, but Fullerton managed to break through with a set of timely free throws. Despite shooting only 67.4% (29-43) from the line, FC's Jaqari Miles took care of business hitting 3 of 4 to seal the victory.

Yoda Oke powered the Hornets with his physical presence in the paint finishing with a team-high 25 points with 14 rebounds for a double-double night. Donovan Pitts and Miles were also a force as both dropped in 23 points. Miles locked down a double-double by adding 10 boards. Brayden Smith added 15 points and 8 rebounds, while Trey Thompson contributed 10 points and 3 blocks. Trey Thompson and Bishop Brooks put up 10 points and Kairi Shepherd scored 8.

Up Next: The Hornets (5-1 overall) will host another tough opponent on Wednesday, November 26^th when No. 3 (south/6 state) San Bernardino Valley College comes to town. Tipoff is at 6:00 pm.