MARAUDERS LOSE TO WSC LEADER WEST LA ON LAST SECOND SHOT

PHOTOS by Byron Devers

AVC Men's Basketball lost 88-90 to the West LA Cougars in their second conference game of the season. The Marauders are now 1-1 in conference play and 6-10 overall.

The Marauders came out with plenty of energy jumping out an early 7-2 lead in the opening minutes. Da'Jour Lewis had 12 first-half points off the bench to give Antelope Valley a 48-39 lead at the break. Lewis finished with 20 points 8 rebounds. 

The Cougars found their rhythm in the second half as they shot 63% from the field and outscored AVC by 11.  Justin Hill kept AVC in it offensively, having a huge second half with 18 points. The 6'3 Freshman from Highland High was 6-10 from behind the 3-point line and led all Marauders with 26 points on the night. Hill now has a team-high 28 3-pointers on the season. He also chipped in three steals in the loss.

Both teams stepped up the intensity in the final minutes. The Marauders were down 85-88 with :11 seconds to go when Hill hit his sixth 3-pointer of the day off an assist from Habib Arogundade. Tied at 88, West LA called a timeout to set up one last shot to avoid overtime. With :01 seconds left on the clock, West LA's Derrick Woods took the baseline inbound pass and threw up a quick jump shot that fell in as the clock expired to give the cougars the win.

Habib Arogundade finished with 12 points and 7 rebounds, and led AVC with 6 assists, while Mekhi Smith had 13 points and 5 assists. 

Sophomore Tyriq Perry led the Marauders in rebounds with 10, and also had 6 points and 2 blocks.

AVC will travel to Santa Monica before returning home to face Bakersfield on Saturday, January 18th, at 7:00 pm.