MARAUDER MEN'S BASKETBALL WALKS TIGHTROPE AGAIN - WINS IN OVERTIME 82-80

Photo by Bruce Jacobsen

LANCASTER - For some peculiar reason this season the Marauder men's basketball team allows teams that aren't on its level hang around until near the end of the game when they start to step it up.

It happened again on Saturday night against LA Valley College.

AVC dug itself a 13-point second half deficit but a late rally again sent the game into overtime where the Marauders claimed the 82-80 victory.

The Marauders (17-2, 3-1), ranked eighth in the state, trailed 45-32 after LA Valley (6-9, 2-2) opened the second half by connecting two consecutive 3-pointers. AVC cut into that lead later in the half but still trailed 71-65 with less than two minutes remaining in the game.

The Marauders' Cory Dollarhide drilled a 3-point shot that trimmed the lead to 71-68. AVC's pressure full-court defense gave LA Valley fits the entire night and following Dollarhide's 3-pointer it was that defense which forced a turnover into the hands of Dollarhide, which he turned into a layup on the other end and the Marauders only trailed 71-70 with 1:20 remaining.

AVC's Chris Martin tied the game 71-71 with 37 seconds remaining and LA Valley still had a chance to win the game, but it was the Marauders defense that forced a turnover and Martin's desperation 3-pointer missed extending the game five more minutes.

In overtime, the Marauders Kashif Williams scored a bucket giving his team a 78-76 lead. LA Valley College was able to tie the score later in the overtime frame following a couple of free throws. 

Two free throws by Dollarhide gave AVC a 2-point lead. After a block on LA Valley's Michael Morrissey by Dollarhide the Marauders regained the ball. AVC ran down the clock and Jalen Etienne was forced to put up a 3-pointer which missed giving the ball back to LA Valley and one last hope to tie the score.

However, the Marauders forced LA Valley College to commit a turnover as time expired and AVC escaped again.

AVC had five players score in double figures, Dollarhide with 18 points, Martin and Etienne with 14 points apiece, and Williams and Joseph Moorer with 12 points each.

The Marauders defense held Morrissey, the state's second leading scorer to 19 points on 5-of-13 shooting. Morrissey entered Saturday night's contest averaging nearly 25 points per game, but AVC's defense-by-committee on Morrissey was able to hold him in check.

AVC has been walking a fine line in conference play this season. The Marauders won two close games against Glendale College and Citrus College. They let West LA College hang around on Wednesday night and it wound up biting them in the end as they lost for the first time to a team other than CItrus College since joining the Western States Conference.