Smooth Sailing for No. 9 Men’s Basketball in Claiming Co-Conference Championship

It was all Hawks on Tuesday night as the No. 9 Santiago Canyon College men's basketball team hosted the Riverside City College Tigers in their final regular-season conference contest. After a relatively close start in the first half, the Hawks tightened up their defense and dominated the Tigers, pulling away in commanding fashion.

The victory secured an Orange Empire Conference (OEC) Co-Conference Championship, which they share with the Fullerton College Hornets. As a result, the Hawks will enter the inaugural OEC Tournament as the second overall seed. Their first game is set for Thursday, February 13, at 6 p.m. against the seventh-seeded Tigers.

The Hawks delivered another stellar offensive performance, shooting 49.3 percent from the field, including 48.3 percent from beyond the arc. While both teams committed 11 turnovers, the Hawks capitalized on those opportunities, turning them into 14 points. Additionally, the Hawks' defense held each Riverside starter to fewer than 10 points.

Six players reached double-digit scoring for the Hawks, led by a 17-point performance from sophomore Trevor Manning. Manning was perfect from three-point range, converting three of his attempts, and also contributed nine rebounds and four assists.

Freshman Efe Gucoglu provided a spark off the bench, scoring 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the floor, including 3-of-5 from three-point range. Sophomore EJ Bryson followed with 14 points, three rebounds, and three assists, while sophomore Eli Arthurton added 13 points off the bench.

Freshman Salim Semaan played 19 minutes and scored 10 points, all inside the three-point line, and sophomore Marley Jaisel contributed five points off the bench