Spartans Come up Short in Clete Adelman Classic

The second annual Clete Adelman Classic, named for the former MiraCosta hall of fame coach, was loaded with talent. The field included teams ranked #2, #13 and #16 in the state. For the Spartans a tough first round game against Antelope Valley College showed signs of progress. MiraCosta competed and only trailed by a few points for much of the first 30 minutes before the athleticism of Antelope Valley took over.  The Spartans came up short by a final score of 88-68.  Cody Hicks led MiraCosta in scoring with 14 points and four made three-point shots.  Rob Phillips added 12 points and Andrew Thomton, Cole Barton and Xavier Allison all scored eight.

The second day of the tournament matched the Spartans up with Grossmont College, the #15th ranked team in the region.  Again the game showed improvement for the young MiraCosta team leading much of the first half and going into halftime tied at 35.  In the second half the Spartans couldn't continue their play and dropped their second game in as many days.  MiraCosta was led in scoring by the big guys, Andrew Thomton (11 points) and Aleks Pocej (10 points.) Xavier Allison added eight points and four assists.

MiraCosta has a break before opening conference play at College of the Desert on January 12th at 7pm.