Bracket is Set for Day Two of The Don Johnson Classic
Cuyamaca 52 – Rio Hondo 64
Rio Hondo College opened up the Don Johnson Classic with a 64-52 victory over Cuyamaca. Leo Maidana led the Roadrunners in scoring with 17 points to go along with nine rebounds while Christian Smith contributed 12 points, 16 boards, a block, and a pair of steals. Chase Parsons ran the show for the Coyotes with 17 points, four rebounds, and a block. The Coyotes got off to an 8-3 start thanks to two three-pointers from Chase Parsons. The Roadrunners went on an 8-3 run of their own to tie the game at 11 apiece and the two teams went back and forth from there. With 9:59 left in the first half, the Roadrunners went on a 13-4 run to take a 28-19 lead with 4 minutes left in the first half. The Coyotes took back the lead in the second half after a 13-5 run including nine points from Rodney Dantzler. Cuyamaca's lead was short-lived as Rio Hondo regained control and came out with a victory.
LA Harbor 58 – Irvine Valley 52
LA Harbor grinded their way to a 58-52 victory over the Irvine Valley Lasers. The Seahawks managed to pull away in the final minute and advance to the second round. Dushone Brown had an all-around performance for the Seahawks, scoring 14 points to go with 12 rebounds, five steals, and two blocks. Craig Magyar led the Lasers with nine points and six rebounds while Mike Turner chipped in seven points and five rebounds. The Seahawks defended well in the first half, holding the Lasers to 23.5% shooting in route to a 30-22 lead. Irvine Valley managed to crawl their way back with an 11-4 run to start the half capped by Craig Magyar's jumper to take a 36-34 lead. LA Harbor took back the lead and the two teams remained close. Down 54-49 with 1:23 remaining, Magyar hit a three-point basket to make it a two point game. LA Harbor's Dharion Taylor ended any hopes of a comeback victory with a layup at 00:19 to put the game away.
Glendale 47 – Cypress 60
The hosts made a statement in their opening round of the tournament with a solid 60-47 victory over the Glendale Vaqueros. Jordan Fleck led the team in scoring with 19 points and nine rebounds while Jeremy Wright added 16 points and three steals. Ange-Michel Kuo and Juwan Thomas netted 11 points each for the Vaqueros. The Chargers struggled offensively to start the game, shooting 34.8% from the field. Cypress played well enough defensively to take a 25-19 lead at the half. Cypress College opened up the second half with a 14-2 run to take a 39-21 lead thanks to six quick points from Jeremy Wright and two layups from Nolan Kelly. The Vaqueros cut the Chargers lead to nine with 6:40 remaining but Cypress was able to hang on.
Victor Valley 79 – Southwestern 92
The Southwestern Panthers capped off the night with a 92-79 win over the Victor Valley Rams. It was a fast-paced, high-scoring affair as Victor Valley shot 53.2% from the field while Southwestern shot 48.6%. DeLano Jones led the Panthers with 19 points, two assists, and a pair of steals. Gamaun Boykin added 15 points, 5 assists, and four rebounds. Xavier Roy carried the Rams with a game-high 22 points on 11-of-15 shooting, while Teon McCarter added 21 points and six rebounds. The Panthers shot a lower percentage and grabbed fewer rebounds than the Rams (39-28), but they made more three-pointers (13 to 1) and scored 28 points off turnovers to win the game.
The Don Johnson Classic will resume Friday morning with the consolation rounds. The Cuyamaca Coyotes will face the Irvine Valley Lasers at 1:00 PM followed by a matchup between the Glendale Vaqueros and the Victor Valley Rams at 3:00 PM. Rio Hondo and LA Harbor will kick off the championship round at 5:00 PM and the hosts will take on the Southwestern Panthers at 7:00 PM to close out the second round.