4TH STRAIGHT ORANGE EMPIRE CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP

The FC men's basketball team won its fourth straight Orange Empire Conference title beating Santiago Canyon College 77-68 in the first annual OEC Tournament Friday night.

Played in the Hornets Nest, the win gives Fullerton its first four-peat in in the 21st century and the sixth conference championship under head coach Perry Webster in nine seasons. The Hornets won six straight titles from 1949 to 1955 under Hall of Fame head coach Alex Omalev.

Friday night's victory puts the Hornets at 26-3 overall and 14-2 in the OEC as the team now awaits its placement for the upcoming Southern California Regionals. The Santiago Canyon defeat bumps the Hawks to 24-6 overall with a OEC record of 14-3. 

Fullerton fell behind in the first five minutes 11-3, which was the Hawk's largest lead of the game. Fortunately, the shots eventually fell for the Hornets as the team swung the game back 16-15 at the 10-minute mark when Justin Davis drove the lane for two. Three minutes later, FC had pushed ahead with a 25-17 lead. Santiago Canyon got hot and took back the lead at 28-27 on a three-pointer by Tony Colley. A layup and a three-point shot by Addy G'Bye pulled the Hornets past the Hawks 32-28. When the buzzer sounded for the halftime break, Fullerton owned a 41-33 advantage.

The second half was all Hornets as the team defense turned up the pressure holding SCC to 35% from the floor. The FC offense also got stronger as the game went on shooting 52.2%. Two big blocks by Joe Grahovac and a rim-rattling dunk put a lid on the game as Fullerton celebrated its 33rd men's basketball conference title. 

Five Hornets scored in double-digits with Jaqari Miles scoring a team-high 19 points with 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 steals. Jackson Hopps scored 13 points with 4 rebounds, and Joe Grahovac put up 12 points, 4 rebounds and had an astounding 8 blocks. Addy G'Bye was good for 11 points and 8 rebounds, while Kairi Shepherd dropped in 10 points with 3 rebounds. Justin Davis (7 assists) and Darvelle Wyatt both chipped in 6 points each.

Up Next: The Hornets (26-3 overall, 14-2 OEC) will play in the 3C2A Southern California Regional Playoffs. The Hornets will play the 2nd Round of the SoCal Regionals this Saturday, March 1st in the Nest against the winner of Santa Monica/Southwestern, which we be played this Wednesday night. Tipoff for the Hornets this Saturday night will be at 6:00 pm.