A huge win for the Copper Mountain College men’s basketball team last night in the quarterfinal round of the 80th annual Modesto Junior College Tournament. The Fighting Cacti, who are ranked seventh in the state, faced off versus a traditional power, and fifth-ranked team in the state, Fresno City College, and won 92-84. With the win, CMC improved to 12-2 on the year and advances to the semifinals Friday night to take on the winner of Saddleback College and Cuesta College at 9 p.m.
The first half was a back-and-forth battle with several lead changes. The Rams of Fresno City went into the locker room with a 2-point advantage over CMC, 46-44. Copper Mountain came out playing team tenacious defense and began to control the game, stretching the lead to 15 points at one point in the second half. The Rams wouldn’t go away easily, as they charged back late in the half and cut the lead to only six points. Ronald Bell, who had a game-high 28 points and 11 rebounds, sealed the game with an emphatic two-handed slam dunk, followed by two clutch free throws on back-to-back possessions to secure the victory for the Fighting Cacti. Murshid Randle added 17 points and Jaleel Simmons chipped in 11 points for Copper Mountain College.
