By Brittain Kelley
The Copper Mountain College men’s team was back in action Wednesday night after 10 days off. Battling through one of the toughest schedules in the state, CMC has definitely been tested so far this season. In a heart-breaker, the Fightin’ Cacti lost in the last seconds, 87-86.
Coming off a three-game skid, Copper Mountain College opened up conference play at Mt. San Jacinto college. Both teams came into the game with four wins on the year and the fans inside the “Eagles Nest” were definitely in for a show.
Mt. San Jacinto jumped out on the Cacti with an early 7-0 lead. But CMC turned it into a back-and-forth game. Both teams made respective runs in the first 20 minutes and there were several lead changes before going into the half with Mt. San Jacinto up 38-34.
The Fighting Cacti found their rhythm in the second half. For a minute, it looked like they were running away with the game stretching the lead out to 59-51. But Mt. San Jacinto wouldn’t go away quietly. Knocking down two consecutive three-pointers on back-to-back possessions, the Eagles were right back in the game. The final 15 minutes of regulation were a dog fight. Tough play from both teams had it all knotted up at 75 apiece, forcing the game to overtime. One point was the difference in the additional 5 minutes.
After two missed free throws by CMC with nine seconds left, Mt. San Jacinto drove the length of the court and made a desperation layup as time expired, winning the contest 87-86.
Sophomore Hyking Brisbon led CMC with 21 points and 15 rebounds. Freshman point guard Tyler Hudson had his season’s best performance with 20 points and 12 rebounds. Marc Hall got his first start of the season for the Fighting Cacti and contributed 17 points, and sophomore Dilon Voyles added 14 points to round off the high scorers for CMC.
Copper Mountain College falls to 4-8 on the year. The teammates look to break their losing streak after the Christmas holiday. CMC travels to Imperial Valley College for its annual holiday tournament. The Fighting Cacti will take on Pasadena City College and LA Harbor College the last weekend of 2019. Visit FightingCacti.com for game times and updates.
