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In a battle between the top teams in the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference, the San Diego City College men’s basketball team won its sixth consecutive game, 94-86, against Palomar College at Harry West Gym on Friday, Jan. 23.
Currently, the Knights are 9-0 in PCAC play after their defeat of the Comets was followed by a win on the road against Grossmont on Jan. 26. City holds the No. 1 spot in the conference while the Comets are 6-3 and sitting at No. 2.
The Knights have only played one non-conference game since their PCAC opener on Dec. 17. That was on Dec. 30 against Fullerton College, which City lost, 78-66.
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Against Palomar, sophomore Junior Camacho led City with 27 points, while freshman Dylan Griffin scored 23 points, 12 rebounds, and five assists
Griffin, the PCAC Athlete of the Month, averaged a total of 19.5 points and 7.5 rebounds in December, leading the Knights in points in five out of eight games.
With many lead changes and 11 minutes left in the first half, Griffin was fouled by Palomar guard Isaiash Pomare, ending the last lead the Comets would have for the remainder of the game.
“We knew we had to stop (Palomar) defensively,” said Matin Madadkar, who started his first conference game for City, “rebounding, guarding, knowing our scouts, and focusing on working together.”
In the second half, the Comets started off down eight points behind the Knights, but that did not stop Palomar from changing the pace of the game for their benefit.
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Although they did not surpass the Knights on the board, they were able to completely control the game and shift the momentum, allowing the Comets to close the gap in points.
Both the audience and the players became very vocal about certain calls during the game, saying their opinions for the entire gym to hear.
A former student-athlete at Palomar, Madadkar chose not to engage, considering the Comets part of his journey. He said he is focused on his current team and what they need to do to win.
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“Today we showed that we can work together, and we proved we can be a very dangerous team coming out of the league,” Madadkar said.
The Knights next will be at home as the second game in a double header. The women’s team starts off at 5 p.m. against Cuyamaca College followed by a 7 p.m. game for the men’s basketball team against Mesa College.
This story was edited by Mari Pliego and Connor Jewett.
