Pirates honor sophomores, then topple rival Rustlers, 76-68
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Golden West (2-24, 1-13) | 24 | 44 | 68 |
|
Orange Coast (11-15, 5-9) | 27 | 49 | 76 |
COSTA MESA -- The Orange Coast College men's basketball team ended the home portion of their regular season on the right note ... by beating rival Golden West, 76-68 on Thursday night inside the Peterson Gym on Sophomore Night.
Playing inspired basketball for their four sophomores -- Cody Aquino, Sam Hunter, Josh Govett and Isaiah Lee, the Pirates used a strong second-half surge to pull away from the Rustlers and give the second-year guys one more victory in the home gym.
Aquino picked a good night for a good night, scoring a game-high 29 points for Coast (11-15, 5-9 in the Orange Empire Conference). Freshman Mitchell Rawlins had a monster night down low with 18 points, 17 rebounds and five steals. Lee and Govett finished with a combined 20 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists and five steals.
Coast led through most of the first half, but the Rustlers hung around and stayed within reach throughout the game. In the early minutes of the second half, GWC grabbed a 32-31 advantage, but over the next five minutes, OCC went on an 18-10 run to grab a 49-42 lead with 9 minutes left to play.
OCC never looked back, pushing the lead to as many as 13 before settling for an eight-point victory.
The Pirates will wrap up the regular season on the road next week, first, at Santa Ana College on Wednesday, followed by at Santiago Canyon on Friday. Both games tip off at 6 p.m.
