In Thursday's quarterfinal game of the California Community College Athletic Association men's basketball playoffs, San Bernardino Valley College jumped out to a early 13-0 lead and never looked back to defeat West Valley College.

Saturday, the Wolverines started out with a similar 9-0 run in the opening 1 minute, 37 seconds against Fullerton College in the semifinals. This time was different.

The early nine-point advantage was the only lead the Wolverines would have, as the South's top-seed adjusted and took the lead for good mid-way through the first half with a 12-0 run of its own, as Fullerton advanced to Sunday's final with a 83-76 victory.

"(Fullerton) did a very good job," said SBVC coach Quincy Brewer. "In basketball, you have to give credit where credit is due. They calmed themselves down and got into their sets and beat us."

The Hornets had answers for every spurt the Wolverines would go on to try and close the gap. The closest SBVC got in the second half was seven points - until a Shadale Knight 3-pointer with 2 seconds left made the deficit five. Fullerton's Jaqari Miles made two free-throws to account for the final score.

Knight led the way offensively for the Wolverines with 22 points and four assists. Jason Hilliard added 15, while Darius Carr had 14. Khemanni Davis posted a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds, while Jason Lee finished with seven points and a game-high 12 rebounds. 

And while the final result was not what they wanted, Brewer had high praise for his squad as the season came to an end.

"A great team of kids who worked their butts off all year," he said. "They were very, very resilient. A good group."

Brewer also sent his thanks to the large contingent of SBVC staff and administrators who made the trip for Saturday's game.

"It's the first time in 16 years that I've seen anything like this," he said. "I want to thank our president and Dave Rubio, our athletic director, it's definitely trending in the right direction. I'm very grateful for it."