CYPRESS, CA- Cypress men's basketball (10-7, 3-2 OEC) were victorious Monday night against the Golden West Rustlers (2-13, 0-4 OEC), 82-53.
Cypress opened with a slow start with three turnovers and were held to five points in the first five minutes. The home team found a rhythm, and worked their way back up from being down six. With a reverse windmill layup from Cristian Butler, the Chargers took their first lead of the night, 15-14. Halfway through the first frame, the Chargers took control of the game. Seven minutes left in the half, Cypress took a double-digit lead 26-16, on a Blake Ballard three-point shot. A hot hand from Butler aided Cypress in leading 14 points at the half, 39-25.
More of the same occurred in the start of the final 20 minutes. Cypress maintained an average of a 15 point lead the entire second half. Cypress took advantage of second chance opportunities, and off of a Ballard three, the Chargers extended their lead to 20 points six minutes into the half. They defeated the visiting Rustlers by 29 with the final score being, 82-53.
Ballard led the high scoring affair with 21 points, being 50% in field goal opportunities. Leading in rebounds with 12, Hadi Essayli also contributed 9 points. Butler was second in scoring with 16 points, bringing down 3 rebounds and lending 4 assists. The team improved their conference record to 3-2 while also advancing in the OEC standings. After winning their last two at home, the Chargers will be on the road in the upcoming week at Santa Ana and Santiago Canyon.
UP NEXT: The Chargers will be the visiting team in their next matchup against the Santa Ana Dons. The game will be on Wednesday, January 11th with tip-off at 6PM.
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