EYES BACK ON THE PRIZE

After a hiccup-loss at the hands of No. 29 San Bernardino Valley on Tuesday, the No. 1 Hornets got the offense back in gear beating No. 7 East LA 91-81 at home Friday night. 

The first half of the game was an all-out slugfest with both teams pumping in shots and butting heads in the post. East LA gained a little cushion taking a 7-point edge on a pair of free throws by JT Langston at 12:08. The Huskies kept a short lead throughout the half, but the Hornets flipped the script with 8 seconds left tying the game up 41-41. As seconds ran off the clock, FC made its move with Sammy Howlin blocking a shot giving Sean Newman Jr. had a chance to make a move to the basket, laying the ball in for the halftime lead. A technical foul after the play, gave ELAC a chance to pull within a point of FC at 43-42. 

Fullerton's Jeremiah Davis welcomed the second half with a nice jumper, but East LA's Scott Noel knocked down a shot of his own keeping within a point of the Hornets (45-44). FC powered up on both sides of the court and went on an 11-2 run at 15:38. The Huskies did their best to cut into the Hornet lead, however Fullerton was too much pushing its lead to 17 by the 6-minute mark. With the game in the Hornet's grasp, ELAC could do nothing to shake the eventual loss. 

The game's high scorer was Sean Newman Jr. with 21 points (13-14 free throws). He also added 7 assists and 5 rebounds to the stat sheet. RJ Banks dropped in 14 points with 4 assists. Scoring 13 points each were Kobe Newton and Jeremiah Davis. Sammy Howlin put up 9 points with 7 boards, while Mike Ofoegbu scored 8 points and had a game-high 10 rebounds. 

Up Next: The No. 1 Hornets (8-1 overall) host the 36th Annual Fullerton College Classic December 8-10. FC will open the tourney up against No. 9 San Diego City on Thursday, December 8th at 7:00 pm. The FC Classic will feature some of the top talent in Southern California. The other four colleges participating will be No. 27 West LA, No. 19 Chaffey, No. 15 Citrus, and LA Southwest. Come out to the Hornets Nest for this special event.