CHULA VISTA — Th City College Knights literally took it to the hoop on Friday night with their ninth straight victory as they defeated the Jaguars at Southwestern College, 97-66, in the last game of the regular season.

The Knights finished with the record 22-7, and 8-0 in conference. They were crowned the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference South Champions and begin their journey to the State Championship with a playoff game Feb. 24. The time and location are to be determined.

At the beginning of the game against the Jaguars (16-12), Sophomore guard Spencer Mattox took control of the court scoring the first two points of the game. But Southwestern College played aggressively, keeping the Knights behind by one or two points in the first half.

With 3:07 left in the half, the Knights tied the game 36-36.

Freshman guard Romario Wilson was a star in Friday night’s game. Wilson used his vertical leap to his team’s advantage as he flew through the air not once, but four times grabbing the ball and dunking it into the basket with assistance from his teammates. Sophomore guard Jonathan Smith and Wilson were a great pair on the court running this play multiple times.

“Coach always told us we could go up against anyone in the state,” said Wilson, in an interview after the game. “And if we just bring it and decide that we need to do what we need to do, then we can do anything…We just have to focus on one game at a time right now though, like we have every game.”

The Knights charged onto the court ready to play in the second half. They looked ready and everyone in the stands could tell that they came to play. The Jaguars weren’t ready for what the Knights were bringing to the table.

Smith and Wilson made a spectacular play as Smith stole the ball from the Jaguars. Rushing down the court he spotted the opportunity to pass to Wilson, who then ran and jumped high into the air dunking the ball for another two points for the Knights. The crowd in the stands went wild.

The Jaguars made a terrific effort but nonetheless fell short to the Knights, finishing the game with a score of 97-66.