Eduardo Miranda
The Daily Independent
Coming off an overtime loss to Barstow, the Cerro Coso men's basketball team hosted Palo Verde in Inland Empire Athletic Conference action on Saturday. The Coyotes were in the midst of a seven-game losing streak with their last win being against Palo Verde on the road to start conference play on Dec. 13.
The Coyotes had one of their best shooting games and played strong defense to secure a 92-84 home win to snap the losing streak and secure their second win in conference. Coyotes head coach Chris Dugan spoke on his team's win.
"It's been a long time since we (won), lost seven in a row. We needed a win. My wife said I wouldn't have gotten dinner tonight if we lost to Palo Verde," he jokingly said.
Dugan's Coyotes finished the game shooting 57.1% from the field on 56 attempts, 42.1% from the three-point line on 19 attempts, and 60.6% from the free-throw line from 33 attempts. The Coyotes lost to the Pirates in three categories, in rebounds 59-42, steals 8-3, and blocks 3-0. The two tied in assists with 20 each. The category the Coyotes won was turnovers, committing 13 to the Pirates' 15.
They finished with four players scoring in double digits and two just missing out. Ade Daramola led the team scoring 24 points, including going 6-for-8 from the three-point line. He had six assists and two rebounds. Demarris Day had 21 points with nine from the free-throw line. He had seven assists and five rebounds. Arki Thornton and Issiakoi Aminou off the bench had 14 points each. Jay Matthews and Terance Sims Jr. both just missed scoring in double digits with eight points each. Matthews just missed out on a triple-double with team highs of 11 assists and nine rebounds.
Dugan said about his team's offensive performance, "we kind of made a decision, and if you have been around long enough, you have seen the type of teams that we have had, so there have been years where we ran and shot. And like last year, I was very controlling, and I've done that with this group, and I said, let's just let it rip. Our backs against the wall, who cares, house money, and we just played fast, looking to shoot transition threes, and it was nice. Some guys stepped up, and it was nice to see Ade Daramola make shots. And I think he was happy too because his mom was in town, so that was great."
The new free-flowing offense had a big run in each half against the Pirates. In the first half with the team trailing 10-6, Day hit a big three-pointer to start an 11-0 run. Daramola made two threes, and Thornton made a layup but missed the and-one free throw in the run that included back-to-back timeouts being called for a 17-10 lead. Cerro Coso had a smaller 6-0 run four minutes later with Terrance Sims Jr. making two free throws, Aminou grabbing the offense rebound for a putback, and Day making a layup.
The biggest run in the second half was an 8-0 run started by a jump shot from Daramola. Aminou made two free throws, Day made a layup but missed the and-one free throw, and then he went and made two free throws for a 79-67 lead.
The Coyotes defense had a good game but still struggled to close out shooters on the perimeter. The visitors hit 10 threes on the Coyotes' defense with more than half either open or had a late closeout. But one area the Coyotes' defense did improve was in its interior defense, especially in the paint. The team did not commit many fouls while challenging a layup, floater, or a Pirate player who tried to dribble and make a post move.
"We have been zoning, which we have never done, and we decided to go man, so we went man. Some of it was good, like you have to make them make the shot, and fouling is not good," Dugan said about his defense.
The defense did enough as they never let Palo Verde cut the lead to under four on multiple occasions. And with the strong defensive stance, it allowed the offense to play with a lead and not play under the pressure of having to retake a once-big lead. The defense kept Palo Verde to one-and-done on multiple occasions, giving the offense more possession, which allowed them to run and find open looks from behind the arc.
The Coyotes continue Inland Empire Athletic Conference action with a road trip to Victor Valley on Wednesday and then return home to host Chaffey on Saturday. Dugan spoke on his upcoming trip to the Rams.
"We have never lost and I would hope the guys want to keep that. We have all the ammunition and all the motivation that we need. Every game we go into we have lost, so let's go, and get these dubs. Getting this one will help confidence wise and playing faster, and me letting go and letting those guys play," he said.
Cerro Coso and Victor Valley are scheduled to tip off at 7 p.m. on Wednesday. The home game against Chaffey is scheduled for a tip-off at 1 p.m.
The Coyotes began the first half on Saturday with Day finding Thornton under the basket for a layup. The visitors hit a three and the Coyotes responded with Matthews finding Daramola for a jump shot and a one-point lead. After a Palo Verde bucket, Thornton was fouled and made two free throws. Palo Verde made a three and a two to take a 10-6 lead.
Cerro Coso went on an 11-0 run with Daramola finding Day for a three. That led to a Cerro Coso timeout, and as the players took the court the visitors called a timeout. After the two timeouts, Day found Daramola for a three, Thornton made a layup with the foul but missed the and-one free throw, and Thornton found Daramola for a three for a 17-10 lead. The Coyotes' defense then forced the Pirates into a 30-second shot clock violation, but could not take advantage and the visitors hit a three on the ensuing possession.
Lance Bailey Jr. found Daramola in the corner for an open three. After a Palo Verde three, the Coyotes went on a 6-0 run with Sims making two free throws, Aminou grabbing the offensive rebound and scoring on the putback, and Day driving down the lane for a layup and a 26-16 lead. After a two from the visitors, Day made two free throws and then found Aminou, who spun past his defender for a layup.
Daramola made a three on a pass across the lane from Bailey. Thornton made an easy layup on a pass from Day for a 10-point lead, 35-25 with 7:16 left in the first half. Bailey then ran across the middle of the lane and found Day for a three, forcing a Palo Verde timeout. Day hit a jumper after the timeout. Aminou made one of two from the charity stripe, and Matthews made a layup for a 43-36 lead. Cerro Coso ended the first half with Aminou scoring a point at the free throw line, Daramola hitting a three from the top of the key on a Day pass, and Day finding Sims for a layup and a 51-42 halftime lead.
Matthews opened the second half with two free throws and after a Palo Verde two, Daramola and Matthews both made a layup for a 57-46 lead. The visitors went on a 7-0 run leading to a Cerro Coso timeout. Out of the timeout, Thornton hit a jump shot to snap the Palo Verde run and give his team a six-point lead, 59-53. After a Pirates layup and a Coyotes timeout, Aminou scored by bullying his defender in the paint for an easy layup.
After a Pirate three-pointer, Day found Matthews on the baseline for a jump shot. After making one of two at the free throw line, Palo Verde called a timeout with the Coyotes leading 63-59. Sims grabbed the offensive rebound and made the layup. The visitors went on a 5-0 run until Day found Daramola in the corner for a three and a 68-64 lead. After a Coyotes timeout and the visitors scoring a point at the free-throw line, Matthews found Bailey for a layup and made the and-one free throw.
After the Pirates scored, the Coyotes went on an 8-0 run starting with a jump shot from Daramola that forced the visitors to call a timeout. Out of the timeout, Aminou was fouled and made two free throws. Day made a layup but missed the and-one free throw, but was fouled on the ensuing possession and made both free throws for a 79-67 lead.
Daramola found Thornton in the paint for a layup. Aminou made two free throws, and then made a layup on a pass from Daramola for an 85-75 lead. Sims scored on an offensive putback, and Day made five out of six free throws to secure a 92-84 win.