Donovan Terblanche
City Times
The City Knights men’s basketball team has accomplished its goals and seen its dreams come true. The tail end of the season has been filled with highlights and drama.
The start to this epic run started with their victory over San Diego Mesa and clinching the Pacific Coast Conference Championship.
Myles Luttman’s efforts would be awarded by being named Athlete of the Week for his contribution to the team.
City was unable to rest on their laurels, as the men had to compete against Antelope Valley in a narrow finish to overcome the hurdle, which would take them one game away from the state championships.
The Knights would go into the changing rooms, down at half–time, a rarity for City College.
Davis would end on figures of 20 points and 3 rebounds, with Malcolm Thomas leading the scoring with 30 points and 13 rebounds to along with his three.
Nehemiah Simpkins would hold fast in defense with his 8 rebounds and 1 block. His glory moment came when he put away a 3 pointer with 3 seconds on the clock to tie the game and send it into overtime.
In a finish that required nail biters seeking medical attention for the remaining stubs at the end of their hands, City would only take the lead with two minutes to spare and Marquintice Davis putting away the winning shot with 0.8 seconds on the clock.
The regional semi final was held in a front of a large group of spectators all wanting to witness a piece of history. A large percentage of those in attendance had all come out to see the Knights smite the opposition. Mt. Jacinto came with the same mindset, and the gauntlet was thrown down.
The game was not as easy by any means and City had to work hard to match Mt. Jacinto’s surge.
Malcolm Thomas is the kind of athlete that requires his own scorekeeper as he was putting them away like a kid who had not eaten in three days.
“I love my team, it feels so amazing to go to the state championships,” Thomas said.
The sheer dominance on display by Thomas was astounding as he slashed and tore apart the defense from every side of the court. Mt. Jacinto tried everything they could to control him but to no avail. Thomas would add 15 blocks to his score of 24.
Jamel McGuire who ran riot in the first half with his scoring would end on figures of 20 points.
City’s victory led the team to Fresno to play in the California Community College Athletics Association state conference. The first game was against San Joaquin Delta on March 12 at 3 p.m.
But the Knights’ incredible basketball season came to and early end.
The opening half would see the Knights struggle, as this was the first time many of our players had played so far from home.
After a brilliant comeback that would see us trailing by 19 points at the half the Knights played with heart and struggled their way through.
The second half was hard played and we did well to advance as we did. The comeback was initiated by who else, but Thomas, the Knights gallantly fought their way back and came within two points. Marquintice Davis was on fire as he matched the opposition basket for basket. City dominated this period of play and San Joaquin Delta struggled to contain the brilliance of the Knights.
Jamel would contribute to the score with his 13 points and 3 rebounds. The score leaders were Marquintice with 20 points and 4 rebounds, and the scintillating Malcolm Thomas would lead with numbers of 23 points 17 rebounds and 4 blocks.
The men’s basketball team comes home after a grueling season and will take a well-deserved break.
