Men’s Basketball Advances to Southern Regional Round Three, Defeats AVC

The game was tied at 78 with two minutes remaining in the second round of the 3C2A Southern Regional playoffs as the sixth-seeded Santiago Canyon College men's basketball team hosted the 21st-seeded Antelope Valley College Marauders on their home court. The Hawks battled their way to their first second-round victory in six years, clipping Antelope Valley, 90–87, to advance.

With three minutes remaining and the Hawks leading by two, the Marauders tied the game on a layup to make it 78–78. After Antelope Valley missed another layup, they regained possession, but freshman Paris Lassiter quickly took the ball back with a steal, leading into a Hawks timeout. Freshman Dominic Bolton, who made several crucial buckets down the stretch, put the Hawks back in front with a jumper and drew a foul under the two-minute mark. He converted the free throw to complete the and-one, his second of the contest after a four-point play in the first half, giving the Hawks a three-point advantage.

After a defensive stop and rebound by freshman Matt Mendias, freshman Jacob De Armas followed two possessions later with an emphatic dunk to extend the lead to five. It became a free-throw game from there, as sophomore Chico Lopez knocked down two from the charity stripe, followed by a Lassiter free throw and two more from Bolton to secure the 90–87 victory.

The Hawks, who scored 51 points in the first half, faced a pesky Antelope Valley defense in the second that held them to 37 points. Nonetheless, Santiago Canyon shot an even 50 percent from the field, including a strong 41.4 percent from long range.

Three starters reached double figures, and Lassiter recorded his second career double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. He nearly posted a triple-double, adding eight assists.

Bolton led all Hawks scorers with 22 points, shooting 4-for-5 from three-point range and a perfect 8-for-8 from the free-throw line, while adding two rebounds and two steals. De Armas followed with 21 points, 13 in the first half, along with five rebounds, three assists, and two steals.

Freshman Jayden Oei contributed eight points off the bench, including a key three-pointer, while Lopez added eight points and five rebounds.

The Hawks will face the winner of No. 3 Cerritos and No. 18 Irvine Valley on Saturday, March 7. The highest remaining seed will host the game. Stay tuned to www.scchawks.com for more information.