By Fighting Cacti Assistant Coach Britain Kelly
Wednesday was a great evening to be a Fighting Cacti, as the Copper Mountain College men’s basketball team took on the visiting team, Barstow College. It was the home opener for CMC and the team didn’t disappoint.
In the first half, great pressure defense and the hot shooting of sophomore point guard Anthony Rice propelled the Fighting Cacti to a big lead 56-30 going into the half.
Barstow made a second-half push but could never bring the score under a double-digit deficit. Great play from freshman guard Will Valsien helped Copper Mountain sustain the lead and ultimately secured the victory, 96-83.
Anthony Rice led CMC with 23 points and 11 assists. Dillon Voyles scored 12 points. Freshman Zack Kroker added 12 points and eight rebounds and sophomore “Big Man” Darius Davis chipped in 10 points for the Fighting Cacti.
CMC improved to 2-2 on the year and are set for a big time match-up 5 p.m. Friday, November 9, at the Bell Center in Joshua Tree as they host top 20 nationally ranked Arizona Western.
