Pirates win a pair to claim Canyons tourney title
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Orange Coast (2-11 (0-0)) | 42 | 28 | 70 |
|
Canyons (8-5 (0-0)) | 33 | 36 | 69 |
SANTA CLARITA -- The Orange Coast College men's basketball team picked up a pair of solid wins to take home the top spot at the 2014 College of the Canyons Basketball Tournament on Dec. 27-28.
The Pirates opened the tournament with a convincing 90-69 win over L.A. Trade Tech. Coast (2-10) came out firing in the opening half, outscoring LATTC 49-38, thanks in large part to 7-of-13 shooting from 3-point land. Brad Buchignani, who hit six of those seven treys in the opening half, finished the game with 26 points and five rebounds.
Deion Page also had a big game for the Pirates, scoring 26 points and grabbing 11 rebounds, while Davasyia Hagger chipped in 10 points and a team-best 13 rebounds.
The win set up a showdown with tourney hosts, the College of the Canyons Cougars. Much like the opener, the Pirates came out strong in the first half and grabbed a 42-33 lead before the Cougars (8-5) pushed back and grabbed their first lead of the game -- 53-52 midway through the second half -- on a tip-in by Tullio Parry.
But Coast pushed back and scored eight straight points to regain the lead at 60-53.
Both teams battled hard and with 21 seconds remaining, COC's Coley Apsay nailed a 3-pointer to get the Cougars to within a point at 70-69. After a missed free throw by the Pirates, Apsay drove to the hoop, but missed his layup attempt with nine seconds left, enabling Coast to hold on for the win.
Hagger led the way with 19 points and 11 rebounds, while DeAndre Page chipped in 14 points off the bench for the Pirates.
Coast will now begin Orange Empire Conference play on Wednesday at home against Irvine Valley, beginning at 7 p.m.
