Eduardo Miranda
The Daily Independent
After splitting the last two games – a home win over Palo Verde and a road loss at Victor Valley – the Cerro Coso men's basketball team returned home hosting Inland Empire Athletic Conference fourth-place Chaffey Saturday.
In the first meeting at Chaffey on Dec. 20, the Coyotes lost by 12 points, 72-60, and the Coyotes looked to earn a third conference win at home. But struggles in the perimeter defense and an inability to get over the hump after cutting the deficit to a point on six occasions and cutting the deficit to two points on three occasions saw the Coyotes settle for a 74-66 home loss.
Head coach Chris Dugan was unavailable for comments after the game.
The Coyotes shot 40.3% from the field on 62 attempts, 30.4% from the three-point line on 23 attempts, and 56.3% from the free-throw line on 16 attempts. The defense held the visitors to 55 attempts from the field for 47.3%, 24 attempts from behind the arc for 33.3%, and 77.8% from the free-throw line on 18 attempts.
The home team won in every category but the scoreboard, outrebounding the Panthers 34-32 and winning the offensive glass 14-10. They won in assists 18-14, steals 5-4, blocks 4-1, and fouls 19-20. The two teams tied in turnovers 9-9.
Cerro Coso had three starters finish in double dights, led by Demarris Day with 14, Issiakoi Aminou with 13 and Lance Bailey Jr. chipping in 12. Terrance Sims Jr. just missed out on double digits with nine off the bench. Jay Matthews led the team in rebounding with nine and Aminou had eight. Day led the team in assists with eight and Sims had five. Sims led the team in steals with two, and Aminou had a team-high three blocks.
Cerro Coso struggled defensively against the Panthers, giving up 37 points in each half. The biggest flaw came on the perimeter with the visitors making eight three-pointers with the Coyotes defender on multiple occasion backing off and giving the shooter enough space to take the shot.
On the offensive end, the Coyotes struggled against the Panthers' defense with the home team at no time in the game having a lead. In the first half, Cerro Coso cut the lead to two points and to one point on one occasion. They even tied the game twice, but every time they made the defensive stop to cut the lead to two or less, the visiting team responded with a run.
In the second half, the Coyotes cut the deficit to two points on three occasions and one point on five occasions. But after the Coyotes cut the lead, the Panthers went down and made a three-pointer. With 2:33 left in the game after cutting the deficit to two, the Coyotes could not score for the next two minutes, allowing the visitors to seal the win.
Cerro Coso (5-18, 2-9) continues its season with five games remaining, three on the road and two at home. The Coyotes' final two home games are Feb. 11 against Desert and Feb. 18 against San Bernardino Valley. Both games tip off at 6 p.m.
The first half on Saturday began with Chaffey on a 5-0 run until Day made a jump shot. Matthews was fouled on the ensuing possession and made a free throw. Sims grabbed the offensive rebound and found Bailey at the top of the key for a three-pointer to cut the deficit to two, 8-6.
A bank shot from Day tied the game at 8-8, and after the visitors scored, a reverse layup from Arki Thornton Jr. tied the game at 10-10. That was the closest the Coyotes got to taking a lead. The Panthers scored the next five points until Ade Daramola found Matthews for a layup. The Coyotes defense followed that by forcing a 30-second shot clock violation against Chaffey that forced a Panthers timeout.
Out of the timeout, Day found Aminou for a layup to cut the deficit to 17-14. Sims scored the next two buckets on a putback from an offensive rebound and a layup cutting the deficit to one, 19-18. Chaffey scored two unanswered baskets forcing Duggan to call a timeout. Matthews was fouled and made both free throws. But Chaffey went on a 6-0 run forcing another Coyotes timeout, and the Panthers finished a 10-0 run until Sims found Bailey for a three to cut the deficit, 33-23.
Marc Vincent found Thornton for a layup to start an 8-0 Coyotes run to close the first half. Day hit a three, and Thornton scored on a putback and then was fouled on a layup attempt where he made one of two. Cerro Coso went into the half trailing 37-31.
Bailey found Day for a three to start the second and cut the deficit, 37-34. Day and Matthews both found Aminou for a layup to cut the deficit to one, 39-38. After Chaffey scored, Day found Sims for a layup to keep the deficit at one, 41-40. But the visitors went on a 5-0 run until Sims made a layup but missed the and-one free throw. Sims found Matthews for a layup. Aminou scored in a pick and roll with Day, and Day found Bailey in the corner for a three to cut the deficit to two, 52-50.
After the Panthers scored, Vincent found Bailey in the corner for another three to cut the deficit to one, 54-53. Aminou made a layup but missed the and-one free throw to snap a 4-0 run by the visitors. Day found Vincent for a layup to cut the deficit to one, 58-57. After a three by the Panthers, Sims found Vincent in the corner for a three, 61-60. The Panthers hit another three, and Cerro Coso responded with Aminou grabbing the offensive rebound for a layup.
After a bucket from the visitors, Day made two free throws to cut the deficit to two, 66-64. But the Coyotes went into a two-minute cold streak until Day made two free throws with 35 seconds left and cut the Chaffey lead to 70-66. The visitors scored two buckets before time expired for a 74-66 win over the Coyotes.