Men's Basketball Takes 2nd in Alan Hancock Tournament

CYPRESS, CA- Cypress men's basketball falls short of the championship in the Alan Hancock tournament. This was the first loss of the year for the Chargers as they fall to (5-1).

Cypress came out strong to begin the tournament vs. Santa Barbara College. They got out to a 22-11 lead in the first half, but they let up and went into halftime only up by 1. The offense was quiet from three shooting 3 for 16 and shot under 50% from the free throw line. The offensive struggles continued in the second half, but Kae'jon Barnes put the team on his back and scored 13 of Cypress' 29 points in the second half. The defense held tight and Cypress was able to squeak out a 59-57 win over the Vaqueros.

The second game of the tournament was a much different story for the Chargers. They faced off against (4-1) Las Positas in the semifinals. Aaron Edison and Devion Smith Coleman came off the bench and gave Cypress a 24-point lead heading into halftime. They combined for 7 threes and 31 points in the first half. The Chargers controlled the game and coasted to a 85-65 win to advance to the championship.

A tough matchup loomed for the undefeated Chargers as the home team, Allan Hancock Bulldogs, met them in the championship. Allan Hancock has a high-powered offense that has already scored 100+ points in 3 of their previous 6 games. The Chargers focused on limiting turnovers and playing team defense to slow down the Bulldogs. Both teams started slow as the game was knotted 10-10 after the first 10 minutes of the first half. After the Bulldogs connected on 5 three pointers to end the half the Chargers trailed 18-29. The athletic duo of Kamron Barnes and Kae'jon Barnes led Cypress in the second half, in hopes of climbing back into the game. The Chargers were unable to close the gap against a very talented team, and were defeated 66-60. Kameron finished with 11 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists and Kae'jon added 15 points and 6 rebounds. Sebastian Castro had 20 points of his own, and the Chargers created 20 points off turnovers. After a hard fought game, Cypress has a lot to be proud of after a fantastic effort and a 2^nd place finish in the Alan Hancock Tournament.

Aaron Edison and Sebastian Castro were selected to the All-Tournament Team for their play throughout the weekend. Edison had a stand out game in the semifinals scoring 23 points and hitting 6 three pointers. Castro finished all three games in double figures and led the championship game in scoring.

The men's basketball team will be back in action December 5^th when they face West Valley to open up the Monterey Peninsula tournament. First tip-off is at 1:00pm.

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