MCC Holiday Tournament Day Two Recap
Thursday, December 29, 2022 - 12:00 pm | Dylan DeVlieger
Mesa, Ariz. - Day two of the 2022 Mesa Community College Holiday Tournament Presented by VisitMesa was full of intense games and clutch performances.
In the first game of the day, Justice College took down No. 19 Snow College, 64-71. Justice was led in scoring by Ray King, who had a game-high 23 points. Snow College was led in scoring by Chase Potter who had 20. Though both teams shot nearly identically from the field, the Badgers had difficulties finding the bottom of the net behind the three-point line as they shot 4-31 (12.9%). The Lions were able to hit their mark behind the arc more often as they were 9-22 (40.9%).
In game number two of the day, the Mesa Community College Thunderbirds battled a familiar opponent as they took on the Glendale Gauchos. Just like in their game in the regular season, GCC took the victory over MCC 65-46. Glendale was led in scoring by Eric Blackwell who had 15, Justin Chambers led the T-Birds in scoring and rebounding as he captured a double-double as he had 12 points and 10 rebounds. Glendale controlled the game from the start as they went on a 13-0 run right out of the gate. Mesa shot just 32.3% from the field as Glendale hit their mark more often shooting 42.2% from the floor.
The third contest of the day and possibly the game of the tournament had No. 1 Salt Lake defeat No. 14 South Plains College 77-76. The Bruins seemed to control the game in the first half as they took a 48-36 lead into the locker room. The Texans however, made solid adjustments at the break and were able to cut the deficit and even take the lead late in the game. Down the stretch, the two teams traded blows which came down to the Texans with the ball and a chance to win with 1.9 seconds left. Christian Coleman caught a high inbound pass but was unable to find the bottom of the net as the clock struck zero. Regardless of the outcome, this game will go down as one of the best in MCC Holiday Tournament history.
In the final matchup of the night, San Bernardino Valley College took down Seward County, 86-59 to punch their ticket to the championship game. The Wolverines with two twenty-point scorers in Armon Muldrew (21) and Dominique Daniels (20) shot 43.7% from the field and 36.4% from deep. The Saints had three players tied in scoring as Mario Whitley, Daeyon James, and Wilson Dubinsky each had 12 in the loss. The Saint shots seemed to go a bit cold as they shot 31.6% from the field and 22.7% from deep.
On the final day of the tournament, MCC will take on No. 19 Snow College in the fight for 7th place at 2 p.m. At 4 p.m., South Plains and Seward County will battle for 5th place. The tussle for third place pits Justice against Glendale at 6 p.m. In the championship game of the tournament, San Bernardino Valley will take on No. 1 Salt Lake at 8 p.m.
If you're not able to enjoy the action in person, MCC has you covered with the tournament website which has links for streaming every game while staying up to date with live stats. To access this web page, CLICK HERE.
