Citrus Controls Cypress

No. 5-ranked Citrus College took control of Saturday's game from the jump, downing Cypress College 81-74 despite a late surge from the visitors.

The second-seeded Owls improve to 26-3 on the year and advance to the third round of the CCCAA SoCal Regional. The Chargers end their season at 18-12 overall.

Chris Chiles led five Owls in double figures with 16 points (3-for-6, 9-for-10 FT). Jamal Briscoe (4-for-6) followed with 12 points, while Anthony Tello (5-for-9), Jayden Johnston (3-for-7), and Grant Martin (2-for-4) each chipped in 11 points.

Aibigho Ujadughele grabbed nine rebounds for the Owls, while Martin finished with six boards.

Defensively, Citrus didn't allow the Chargers to reach double-digit points until just five minutes before halftime, holding a 40-21 lead at the break.

Cypress tried to battle back and made things interesting in the final minutes of the game, cutting the margin all the way down to just five points with eight seconds left on the clock. The Chargers fouled to try to get a chance at the ball, but Johnston sank both his shots to keep the visitors at bay.

The Chargers threw up a quick, deep three in hopes of keeping their season alive, but Lance Rodrigues came up big off the glass to grab the rebound and secure the 81-74 win for the Owls.

Citrus closes out its home season next Saturday for the third round of the SoCal Regional. The Owls tip off against seventh-seeded Ventura College at 7 p.m., with the winner advancing to the State Championship held March 9, 11-12 at West Hills College Lemoore.