What appeared to be a meaningless basket turned out to be the timer that made the pendulum of momentum swing the other way in Wednesday’s Southern California Regional Playoff first-round game.
L.A. Pierce hit a three-pointer to cut the lead to 47-37 with 15:30 left in the second half. This shot ignited the flame of momentum needed for the Brahmas to pull off a seemingly improbable comeback.
Down by 11 at halftime, and by as much as 13 in the second half, the Brahmas (16-11, 11-3 WSC) used a second half surge to steal the game out of the Moorpark College Raiders back pocket.
Forward Jeremy White led the Brahmas with 21 points, including two key three pointers that gave the Brahmas their first lead in the second half.
The Raiders appeared to have had the game locked, with a 3-2 zone that was working to perfection. Although undersized, they out-rebounded the Brahmas in the first half, and picked apart their defense.
The second half was simply a mirror image of the team’s performance, as the Raiders 16-11, 8-5) were outscored 37-13 in the final 15 minutes, before falling to the Brahmas 71-60 at Pierce College.
Raiders Head Coach Remy McCarthy believed the Brahmas stepped up their game in the second half, outplaying the Raiders.
“They [Brahmas] played really well,” he said. “They did a nice job on us in the second half.”
According to McCarthy, his team was unable to stop the Brahmas’ momentum in the second half, allowing them to score more easily.
“I thought we got anxious on the offensive end, and that led to easy baskets,” he said.
Raiders’ guard, Spenser Schulte believed his team had a chance, but blew it in the second half.
“They got a little momentum [in the second half], they out-rebounded us, and they beat us in transition,” Schulte said.
“Unfortunately, we couldn’t get back on defense, and that hurt us tonight.”
Despite the disappointing loss, McCarthy was proud of the way his team performed throughout the season despite being a smaller team, attributing comebacks against Oxnard and Ventura College to his team’s character.
“This team really battled all year…we really didn’t have any size to speak of, and that makes it tough defensively.”
