The Valley Chronicle - Eagles run Roadrunner boys off the roadng

MSJC Men’s Basketball took an easy win from College of the Desert, 96 - 65

[caption id="attachment_8730" align="alignright" width="576"] Photo by Corey Evan/The Valley Chronicle
MSJC fends off College of the Desert’s defense to take a 96-65 win.[/caption] ■ By Corey Evan / Reporter Boys nights aren’t just Friday nights anymore…they can go down any night, anywhere. The Mt. San Jacinto College men’s basketball team spent their Wednesday evening playing the Roadrunners from College of the Desert. The Eagles got off to a good start, taking the first two points of the game before putting a ten-point distance between themselves and COD. The Roadrunners eventually picked up traction, at times pinching the gap to just four. After twenty minutes, the Eagles were ahead 40-32. That said, it was still a bit close to call. But the plucky Eagles proved they were up for the challenge, and swooped in for the kill in the second half. The Roadrunners tried to keep up, but struggled. Then with 13:29 left on the clock, both teams had a chance to take a breather as game officials dealt with technical difficulties with the newly-installed equipment--the shot clock controls needed new batteries. The Eagles used this time to buckle down and focus, and took the game straight to victory. The final score came out to be 96-65. Leading the Eagles’ nest on the scoreboard were Davon Sanders with 21 points, four rebounds and four blocked shots. C.J. Hyder came off the bench to add 16 points, seven rebounds, and a trio of three-point shots on the evening. Olabanji Osinaike scored a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. That’s worth buying the boys a round of double-doubles! Good burgers, those are. Coach Patrick Springer gave his boys a good halftime push to shoot better, and it paid off. “We played a lot better in the second half; the first half, [the Roadrunners] shot 20 free-throws and we shot five,” said Springer. “In the second half, it was just the opposite--we shot 18 and they shot nine. That usually tells you how aggressive your team is.” Indeed! The Eagles made 15 of those 18 second half free-throws, for a rate of 83 percent. Not bad. Now, those who attend MSJC games often know just how animated Springer can get, both leading his boys and keeping the refs on their toes. “If I wasn’t yelling and screaming at them, that’s when they have to worry,” he explained. “In the second half, I wanted them to know how important this game was. The whole staff set the tone with that. If it was personal, they wouldn’t be here.” Although disappointed with his first half performance, Springer gave a shout out to Osinaike for coming alive in the second half and proving he could do it. He also congratulates Hyder for reaching a season high, with scores noted above. This win puts the Eagles at 11-12 for the season and 3-1 in PCAC North games, as Desert goes to 1-16 and 0-4. Talk about roadkill! The Eagles are gearing up to make the Friday night trek to San Diego for their 7:00 p.m. game against the Miramar Jets. Who will reach terminal velocity? Will it disrupt Miramar AFB traffic? Will there be enough hot dogs? Make your way there tomorrow to find out!