The El Camino College Men’s Basketball team suffered its second loss of the season to the Long Beach City Vikings in a nail-biter home game on Friday, Feb. 16.
The first five minutes of the game was close, with a score of 10-8 in favor of the Vikings.
A pair of threes made by Warriors guard Ryan Hirabayashi helped El Camino stay in the game early on and compete.
The Warriors weren’t able to keep the same pressure on their opponent though, as the Vikings went on a 13-0 run, giving them a 23-8 lead with 12 minutes left in the first half.
This run was possible through careless turnovers by the Warriors and open shots that just couldn’t find the bottom of the net.
After a much-needed timeout, the Warriors’ second unit came into the game and changed its intensity.
It wasn’t perfect, but the Warriors’ second unit clawed its way back into the game with a hard-nosed defense and good performance on the offensive end.
Contributions off the bench from Warriors guards Jedaiah Mortimer and Billy Ray Barnes III helped them cut the Vikings’ once 22-point lead to just seven going into the second half.
Mortimer and Barnes provided 11 points and six points each respectively.
“I’m not surprised by [the bench’s] impact because they’ve been key guys for us,” Warriors coach Robert Uphoff said. “They did a great job at fighting back and having some composure.”
The Vikings came out in the second half looking for their shots and forcing the Warriors to foul, which helped them build their lead back up to 11 with 13 minutes remaining in the game.
The Warriors didn’t let it faze them, as they went on their own 8-2 run, sparked by four straight points from forward Aaron Cortes, making the score 55-50.
Down the stretch, both squads shot lights out from behind the arc, as both teams combined for 21 made threes on the night.
The Vikings’ shooting even came as a surprise to the Warriors who knew they were a team that didn’t shoot a high percentage from three.
“We were letting them shoot [the three ball] because they’re not great three-point shooters,” Mortimer said. “I guess today was just their day.”
Countering the Vikings, Warriors guard Shamar Carter had an impressive shooting night, making six of his 12 three-point attempts from the field.
“My teammates allowed me to get shots and kept feeding me the ball,” Carter said. “They had faith in me, so I just went out there and executed.”
Both teams were trading huge shots as time winded down, and with just under five minutes remaining, the Vikings held the lead of 74-69.
The ferocity of the game had picked up and everyone in the gym could feel it.
Fans screamed at the referees, while players and coaches on the sidelines became more animated.
In the middle of this chaos, the Warriors cut the Vikings’ lead to just three with 37 seconds left, giving them one last possession to keep themselves in the game.
They looked to feed Carter’s hot hand, but the Vikings would not let that happen, forcing the Warriors to take a shot-clock violation, and putting a stamp on their road victory.
Ultimately, the turnover battle is what set the two teams apart in this matchup, with the Warriors turning the ball over 13 more times than the Vikings.
Carter’s 23 points, 13 rebounds, and six assists weren’t enough to lead the Warriors to victory as they fell to the Vikings by a score of 86-81.
With just two games left in the season, the Warriors look to end on a positive note and improve on their mistakes in their next game versus Compton on Feb. 21.
Next Game
El Camino College vs Compton College
@ ECC Gym Complex
Wednesday, Feb. 21, 5 p.m.
