RISING TO THE OCCASION - FC MOVES ON TO THE STATE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME!

And then there were two, as the No. 1 south Hornets played their hearts out Saturday defeating No. 3 south San Bernardino Valley College 83-76 moving Fullerton on to the 3C2A State Championship game to be played against San Francisco this Sunday.

The victory propels Fullerton College to its 10th title game in the State Tournament since 1951 and 4th since 2016 under head coach Perry Webster.

Earlier in the day, the Rams of San Francisco ended Citrus College's season with a high-scoring 111-97 win over the Owls and will now face off with Fullerton in a rematch of the 2023 title game. The Hornets went on to win the 2023 state title beating the 2022 champs of CCSF 83-73.

Earlier in the season, San Bernardino and Fullerton fought it out with the Hornets winning a close one on the road 73-69. Today's game began as a battle but ended with Fullerton completely taking over by out-shooting SBVC 49.1% to 33.8%.

The Wolverines came out smacking Fullerton in the mouth in the first two minutes with a 9-0 run. The Hornets took the lick and did not bat an eye. After head coach Perry Webster called a timeout, Fullerton hit back with a 12-2 run of their own. The Hornet fans went crazy on Brayden Smith's shot down low after the team took the 12-11 lead. San Bernardino Valley tied the game up 16-16 in the 11th minute, but Addy G'Bye's three-pointer put the Wolverines on notice as the Fullerton took off on another run- a 35-20 advantage with 4:25 left in the half. SBVC used the final minutes of the half to cut into FC's lead as both teams went to their respective locker-rooms at the half with FC up 38-30.

The second half was a physical battle, but Fullerton's top defense forced San Bernardino's offense into low percentage shots as the team hit only 34% from the floor and a mere 18.2% from beyond the arc. Posing no threat to the Hornets near the end, the Wolverines could not pull the momentum in their direction as Fullerton walked away with the win. 

It was a well-balanced attack from the Hornets as four players scored in double-digits. Darvelle Wyatt was a bigtime factor scoring a game-high 22 points with 6 rebounds. Joe Grahovac and Addy G'Bye both dropped in 14 points. Grahovac added 8 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 block, while G'Bye had 8 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals. Kairi Shepherd put up 10 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists. Also contributing to the win were Justin Davis (8 points/2 rebounds/2 assists), Jaqari Miles (7 points/5 rebounds/2 assists/2 steals), Brayden Smith (5 points/4 rebounds), and Jackson Hopps (3 points/2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block)

Up Next: The No. 1 south Hornets (30-3 overall) will play in the 3C2A State Championship game vs. No. 1 north City College of San Francisco (31-1 overall) on Sunday, March 16th at Mt. San Antonio College. Tipoff is at 1:00 pm.

The State Bracket

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