SAN MARCOS, CA- #19 Cypress men's basketball (17-12) traveled to the #14 Palomar Comets (18-11) for round one of the CCCAA State Playoffs. The Chargers fought back and came out victorious, 66-63, and will advance to face San Bernardino Valley College on Thursday, March 3rd, at 7pm.
Ramiah Adedigba led the comeback for the Chargers totaling 15 points with 13 points coming in the second half. Grant Sii was the leading scorer for Cypress with 22 points to go along with 5 steals, 4 rebounds and 2 assists. Tommie Flanagan, Grant Sii and Hadi Essayli played big minutes all night for the Chargers as they all eclipsed 42 minutes played. Essayli was a monster on the glass finishing with 12 rebounds and 3 blocked shots. Trent Goldmann reached double figures with 10 points, knocking down 8-of-10 free throws.
Cypress came out of the gates slow in the first half as they saw Palomar jump out to 22-8 lead. The Comets found their stroke from deep knocking down three early three-pointers. The Chargers were able to cut the deficit to eight just before halftime as Felix Reeves scored back to back buckets.
With 11:14 to play in the second half, Ramiah Adedigba led the charge as he scored four straight points to bring Cypress within five. Grant Sii finished a break-away layup to give the Chargers their first lead of the game 49-48 with 6:10 to play. The Comets would answer all of the Chargers baskets and then some as they recaptured and stretched their lead to four points, 55-51.
The Cypress defense was the turning point down the stretch as they held Palomar scoreless in the final 4:13 of regulation. With 26 seconds to play, Grant Sii made the biggest shot of season as he banged home a three off of a terrific offensive rebound by Tommie Flanagan. The game would head to OT tied at 55.
Ramiah Adedigba exploded in the overtime period scoring 9 of his 15 points including four key free-throws with the game on the line. Palomar totaled only 8 points in the overtime period as Cypress was able to dribble the clock out with a 69-63 victory.
The Chargers win is a monumental one when it comes to the history of Cypress men's basketball. The program has clawed its way back to playoff contention and has won their first playoff game since March 1, 1997 exactly 24 years to the date.
UP NEXT: Cypress will see a familiar face in their round two matchup as they will travel to #3 San Bernardino Valley College on Thursday, March 3rd. SBVC and Cypress will tip-off at 7pm.
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