TWO DAYS IN SAN DIEGO

The No. 1 Hornets spent Thursday and Friday in San Diego playing two colleges from northern California winning one while losing the other.

On Thursday, FC took on No. 3 West Valley College to open the San Diego City College Crossover held at Harry West Gym. The two CCCMBCA preseason favorites went right after one another from the opening tipoff matching shots in what turned out to be a true nailbiter. The Vikings turned up the heat on the Hornets taking a 24-11 lead that was capped off by a dunk by Ariya Briscoe. Fullerton would not be outdone as the team fought back taking a 40-39 lead off a jumper by Christian Watson with 40 seconds left in the first half. West Valley's Baron Bracey snuck in a three-pointer to put his team up 42-40 by halftime.

By the 15:53 mark of the second half, Addy G'Bye knocked down a three giving FC a 53-46 advantage, however by 8:25 the Vikings spun it the other way grabbing a 62-56 lead on a dunk by Elijah Mahi. With 28 seconds left in the game, Fullerton had got within a point (79-78) of West Valley, but with time running out the Hornets could catch a break taking their first loss of the season 82-81. Jeremiah Davis led FC with 27 points, while Addy G'Bye was right behind with 23. 

In the second game on Friday, Fullerton played No. 9 Chabot College and once again had to battle it out against another tough NorCal squad. The Hornets fell behind 17-8 in the 13th minute on a three by Noah Thomas. The Gladiators maintained a decent lead over FC ending the first half with a 39-28 lead.

In the second half, the Hornets stepped up their game pulling within four points of Chabot (46-42) thanks to a pair of free throws by Jaden Byers. The Gladiators shoved back with a 63-49 lead by the 7-minute mark. It was not looking too good for Fullerton, but the team rallied back with a crazy 22-6 run to snatch the lead (71-69) that was set off by Godfrey Little's three-pointer with 49 seconds left in the game. From there, FC controlled the game and finished strong with a dunk by Byers to end it 75-69. Jaden Byers had an outstanding game with 20 points and 4 steals, while Shawn Woodson contributed 13 points, Jeremiah Davis 12, Godfrey Little 11, and Addy G'Bye 10.

Up Next: The Hornets (3-1 overall) will play at No. 12 Santa Monica College on Thursday, November 16th at 6:00 pm.