By Brittain Kelly
When it rained, it poured in the Hi-Desert on Valentine’s Day, but the Cacti didn’t let the weather stop them from rolling. Thursday’s contest was a “must win” game for Copper Mountain against the Lasers of Irvine Valley College, who made the trip to Joshua Tree, and the Cacti came through, winning 77-65 in the final home game of the season.
The first half was a game of strategy as both teams executed their respective game plans and kept the game close, leaving the score 34-31 at halftime, with Copper Mountain College taking the lead.
CMC came out of the locker room for the second half looking like a team possessed. Some of their most exciting basketball of the season opened up the second half. Emphatic dunks from sophomores Dominique Anderson and Kenny Bates sparked a huge run for the Fighting Cacti.
Freshman Guard Will Valsien played tenacious defense and Dshaun Barrett knocked down clutch shots to help extend the lead and secured the victory for CMC.
Thursday’s win was a complete team effort. Anthony Rice led CMC with 15 points and six assists; Zack Kroker and Kenny Bates both had 13 points and six rebounds each; and Dominique Anderson, along with Dshaun Barrett, both chipped in 12 points for Copper Mountain in the win.
The Fighting Cacti improved to 15-11 on the season and 5-5 in the Orange Empire conference. Next up for CMC is a rematch against top-ranked Fullerton College on Wednesday February 20; tip-off is at 5 p.m. at Fullerton College.
