Hancock Men's Basketball Hosts LA Pierce Wednesday and Cuesta on Saturday
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
L.A. Pierce (1-3, 8-13) | 33 | 40 | 73 |
|
Allan Hancock (2-3, 10-12) | 31 | 25 | 56 |
The Hancock men's basketball will host L.A. Pierce on Wednesday, Jan. 20 at 7 p.m. before hosting first place Cuesta on Saturday, Jan. 23 at 5 p.m. The Bulldogs start the week in fourth place in the Western State Conference standings at 2-2 and 10-11 overall.
LA. Pierce has dropped its first three conference games by a combined 13 points. The Brahmas are 0-3 in league and 7-13 overall. Pierce lost its conference opener 75-70 in overtime to Cuesta despite 29 points and 10 rebounds from Montel Shirley. The Brahmas lost 95-90 to Ventura and 73-70 to No. 15 Moorpark. Pierce has three players averaging at least 12 points per game led by Shirley, who is averaging 16.9 points and 6.4 rebounds. Guard Kaelan Hicks averages 13.8 points and is shooting 52.8 percent from the field. Charles Hall averages 12.2 points and shoots 29.8 percent from three-point range.
Cuesta starts the week 16-6 overall and atop the conference standings at 3-0 in league games. The Cougars will host Oxnard on Wednesday before traveling to Hancock on Saturday. Sophomore center Roberto Mantovani is the team's top scorer at 14 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. Rafali Eleftheriou, a sophomore forward, averages 11.4 and 6.8 boards per game. He is shooting 42.5 percent from three-point range. Karem Ozel averages 13.6 points and 2.7 assists. Sophomore guard Daniel Solis is shooting 50 percent from three-point range for the Cougars.
Hancock started last week with an 81-70 win at Moorpark, the 15th ranked team in California. Matt Willkomm (Arroyo Grande HS) led the Bulldogs with 24 points. The sophomore drained 7 of his 12 shots from three-point range. Shane Carney poured in 19 points to go with eight assists and three steals. Malik Rhodes added 18 points and three assists. Freshman forward Tim Ford scored four points, but led the team with 13 rebounds. Hancock sank a season-high 16 three-pointers. The Bulldogs ended the week with a 100-86 loss at Ventura despite 28 points from Rhodes. Willkomm added 16 points and Carney finished with 14 points.