The Knights captured their second tournament championship of the season by winning all three games at the Palomar CollegeThanksgiving Tournament, including a 92-79 triumph over Miramar in the championship game on Sunday. Wonder Smith was named tournament MVP and Robert Taylor was selected to the all-tournament team.
The Knights are off to a 10-2 start, one game better after 12 games than last season, and have made it to the championship game of all four tournaments they've participated in, a feat they had never accomplished before.
City started the weekend off with a narrow 73-72 win over Orange Coast. Taylor scored the tying layup and winning free throw on a three-point play in the final minute. He totaled eight points, seven rebounds and three assists off the bench for SDCC. Smith led the Knights with 23 points and eight rebounds.
In the semifinals, the Knights matched up against No. 4 ranked Santiago Canyon and gave the Hawks their first loss of the season. Smith recorded season-highs in points (25) and rebounds (12) in City's 96-86 victory over Canyon.
Santiago Canyon had a 63-58 lead with 12:17 remaining in the second half, but the Knights turned it around with a 21-5 run over the next 6:38 to take control of the game. The Knights dominated the boards, 49-29, which led to an 18-8 advantage on second chance points.
Taylor had 15 points and eight rebounds, while Luis Salgado added 18 points and seven rebounds off the bench.
The Knights didn't wait till the second half of the championship game against Miramar to take control. They used a 16-3 surge in the first half to turn a 1-point deficit into a 33-21 lead with 6:18 left.
City led by 12 at the half and kept adding to that lead in the second half, going ahead by as many as 22 late in the game. The Knights shot a season-best 55.2 percent and outrebounded Miramar, 48-40.
Five Knights scored in double figures against Miramar, including Robert McCoy who scored a game-high 17 points to go with 11 rebounds, his fourth double-double of the season. Darius Lee scored a season-high 15 points. Smith added 14 points, while Taylor put in 13 points and eight rebounds. Joseph Riley provided a season-high 13 points off the bench.
The Knights will play in the Grossmont Tournament beginning on Friday, December 1 against College of the Desert at 4 p.m. The Knights will be looking to win that tournament championship for the second straight year.
