MiraCosta Comes Up Short in Tournament Championship

After a long three days of basketball the short-handed MiraCosta Spartans came up short in the championship of the Don Gehler Memorial Basketball Tournament, losing in overtime to the host, Miramar College, 82-75.  Despite the loss, the Spartans finished the weeked with two wins against strong opponents and some invaluable experience for a roster packed with freshman.

In the first game of the tournament MiraCosta ran away with the win against West LA College, winning 100-72.  West LA, a traditional powerhouse program, had no answer for the perimeter scoring of Lee Hubbard III (25), Kobe Smith (25)and Mason Bowers (21). The Spartans shot 46% from behind the 3-point line and showed defensive quickness and athleticism that disrupted their opponents.

In the second day of action, The Spartans took on Southwestern College.  Although they trailed early, MiraCosta gave themselves a chance by keeping it close in the second half. With under a minute left in the game, freshman forward Kobe Smith scored a lay up off of an offensive rebound to give the Spartans a 62-59 lead. In the last minute neither team scored again and MiraCosta secured their second win in as many tries.  Remington Rofer led the way with 14 points and 11 rebounds.  Bowers had another nice game scoring 12 points, making four three point shots, and Smith added 10 points, including the last basket of the game.  Benji Hilstock, Dylan Cabs and Darryl Jackson Jr combined for 20 points in a supporting effort.

With the win against Southwestern College, the Spartans earned their way into the championship game against host Miramar College.  40 minutes wasn't enough to determine a champion in this game so the teams played the extra five minutes of overtime. Before leaving the game with an injury in the second half, Kobe Smith played a near perfect game.  Smith scored 25 and grabbed eight rebounds. The notable statistic was that he made 9-10 shots from the floor, including all four of his long range shots.

In the end, MiraCosta's lack of roster depth made it hard for them to finish the way they wanted to.  The Spartans finished with the loss but left the tournament with a 2-1 record and showed that they can compete with the best teams in the state.