By John M. Sherrard
(Walnut, CA) Down by as much as 13 points, the Mt. SAC Men's Basketball Team made a comeback early in the second half of the 9th Annual Mountie Classic, only to lose, 63-58, to Cerritos College on Sunday afternoon.
The Mounties (3-6) lost two of their three games in the Classic, by a combined seven points, with the outcome decided in the last few seconds in each game.
Cerritos and Orange Coast both finished at 3-0 in the six-team tournament.
Mt. SAC was led by three players in double figures, with forward Evan Council (3 of 5 3pt.) leading the way with 16 points.
Marc Howard Jr. (3 of 6 3pt., 4-4 FT) and Minfeke Sanoe (6 of 7 FG, 3-4 FT, steal) both had 15 points. Sanoe, a 6-9 forward, had a game-high 12 rebounds.
As a team, the Mounties were 15 of 21 at the charity stripe. Guards Josiah Yarde and Corey Grant were nearly perfect at the line, going 4 of 5 and 3 of 4 respectively.
Trailing by 10 points at the half, 33-23, Mt. SAC began its comeback with a 15-3 run and took its first lead of the game, early in the second half, on a 3-pointer by Howard to lead 38-36.
A minute later, after the Falcons retook the lead, 39-38, Sanoe drove the lane for a layup, followed by a Mt. SAC timeout that got the supportive Mountie crowd in a frenzy.
Neither team led by more than four points the remainder of the way. Grant, the Mountie point guard leader, fouled out midway through the second half.
Mt. SAC had a chance to steal the victory in the last minute, but Cerritos' Demetrius Thomas, the tournament MVP, scored a layup to secure the win for the Falcons.
The Mounties will host Palomar College (6-4) on Wednesday, at 7:00 pm, in a nonconference match-up.
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For additional information, please contact the Mt. SAC Sports Information Office at 909.274.4630.