Men's basketball team dominates in home opener against Imperial Valley

Still in the first half, the El Camino men’s basketball team had yet to score a single point against opponents Imperial Valley College who themselves had four points on the board during the Nov. 4 home game.

With the clock at 14:03 El Camino’s forward Zachary Bates hit his first of two 3-pointers in the game.

Bates’ 3-point play activated the rest of the team. They went on an 11-0 run, making the score 15-4 halfway through the first half.

“We were working the ball well, but we just weren’t hitting shots,” Bates said. “Getting that three is really what we needed, and I feel like that [activated] everyone, and that’s when the scoring started happening.”

With a final score of 83-62, El Camino would end the Saturday game with a 21-point lead victory.

Back in the first half, the Warriors were in a groove, making quick passes and finding the open man in the paint for easy buckets.

The Warriors controlled the paint for most of the game, ending up with 50 points compared to the Desert Warriors’ 32.

El Camino’s guard Billy Ray Barnes III did a lot of the work, leading the team with 19 points off the bench.

“Our philosophy is get it inside [the paint],” Barnes III said. “Draw two and make the right play, and I tell my guys to be locked and loaded [for when I pass it back out].”

El Camino men’s basketball players push up the court versus Imperial Valley basketball players during a home game at El Camino College on Saturday, Nov. 4. (Tommy Kallman | The Union) — El Camino men’s basketball players push up the court against Imperial Valley basketball players during a home game at El Camino College on Saturday, Nov. 4. (Tommy Kallman | The Union)

The shooters were ready for El Camino, shooting 46% from the field and 25% from three point land in the first half.

A fast pace and high offensive intensity helped the Warriors finish the first half with an 11-point lead which had the team clapping and cheering on their way back to the locker room.

The second half saw more of the same as the Warriors were playing aggressive defense, forcing the tone and making the Desert Warriors turn the ball over.

“What set us apart was our pressure on defense,” said Robert Uphoff, El Camino’s men’s basketball coach. “We made them turn it over 30 times, so [I think] that was the biggest factor.”

El Camino men’s basketball players defend the paintAntelope Valley football players during a home game at El Camino College on Saturday, Oct. 28. (Tommy Kallman| The Union) — El Camino men’s basketball players defend the paint against Imperial Valley basketball players attacking on a fast break during a home game at El Camino College on Saturday, Nov. 4. (Tommy Kallman| The Union)

The Warriors took advantage of Imperial Valley’s mistakes, scoring 26 points off turnovers, while the Desert Warriors could only score 14 points off turnovers.

What it came down to though, was the depth El Camino had over Imperial Valley.

The Warriors bench scored 56 points, dominating the Desert Warriors in that stat, who only had nine.

Key bench performances came from Barnes III (19 points, 5 rebounds), Bates (12 points, 5 rebounds) and guard Vaitai Tuione (13 points, 5 rebounds).

Imperial Valley couldn’t help themselves at the free-throw line. They went 23-38 on free throws throughout the entire game, while El Camino went a perfect 13-13 from the charity stripe.

Overall it was a confident win for the Warriors who, following the slow start in the first half, had the lead for the rest of the match

The El Camino men’s basketball team will take to the court again to face off against Santa Ana College in an away game on Nov. 8.

“We’re going to get a lot of shots in the paint, so we’re going to have to finish them,” Uphoff said. “Santa Ana is typically really tough, they usually have an older, more mature team, so we’re going to have to play through more contact and finish shots.”