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Warriors Playoff Run Halted By Antelope Valley
March 1, 2012
The El Camino College Warriors entered the CCCAA Men’s Basketball Southern California Regionals as a No. 15 seed and considered lucky if they won a game. Instead they beat a solid Santa Monica team in the first round a pulled off a shocking upset over No. 2 Mt. San Antonio and were two games away from the state championships.
But it was not to be as the Warriors dropped a heartbreaker, 67-64, to No. 7 Antelope Valley Wednesday at the Marauder Gym, losing their chance to advance to the state championships for the first time since 1988.
The game was close in the first half and the Warriors went into the locker room down 29-26 at the break. Things got a little bleak, however, early in the second half as they fell behind by as many as 11 points. But the Warriors continued to show the resiliency that got them to the third round of the playoffs, clawing back and even taking a one-point lead with a little more than four minutes to go in the game.
The Marauders regrouped, however, and regained the lead as the game was winding down. With one minute to go and down seven points, the Warriors started to rain 3-pointers to keep the pressure on the opposition. They sent the Marauders to the free throw line in hopes of slowing the game down and getting a few misses to try and cut the lead down further, but their opponents would not oblige them, sinking the clutch free throws to ice the game.
Freshman guard Joshua Wilson (Westchester) led the offense with 20 points on 9-of-15 shooting. Center Julian Camper had another magnificent performance, scoring 16 points on 80 percent shooting while also grabbing 10 rebounds for his first double-double of the playoffs. In three playoff games, Camper averaged 15 points per game.
The Warriors offense was a struggle in the first half, shooting just 31 percent from the field. Their performance was even more abysmal from beyond the arc as they missed all 10 3-pointers they attempted, which proved costly at the end.
Jason Johnson paced the Marauders offense with 20 points while Da’Shawn Gomez added 17 for the No. 7 seed, who will host another “Cinderella” team in No. 19 Riverside on Saturday for a chance to advance to the state finals.
The Warriors finish the season with an 18-10 record and as the third place finishers in the South Coast Conference, South Division, but also with the distinction of being the last team standing from the SCC, North or South Divisions.
Camper and Gray Lead Warriors Into Second Round
February 23, 2012
TORRANCE, Calif. – Sophomore Julian Camper scored 19 points and Cameron Gray added 17 as the Warriors defeated Santa Monica 82-77 in the first round of the CCCAA Men’s Basketball Southern California Regionals Wednesday night at the El Camino College North Gym.
Christen Clark scored 15 points and freshman Joshua Wilson added 14 for the Warriors (17-9), who won their first playoff victory under head coach Michael Fenison.
It appeared the victory was going to come easy to the Warriors as they led by 10 with 2:59 left in the game. But turnovers and a barrage of fastbreak 3-pointers by the Corsairs (15-13) cut the lead to 75-72 with 59 seconds remaining. That’s when Gray hit the biggest shot of the season.
With the Corsairs pressing, Wilson dribbled it up the left sideline and across midcourt, where he passed it to Gray at the halfcourt logo. Gray attempted to drive to the hole, but was cut off by the Corsairs defense near the top of the key. Gray then forced up a turn-around, fadeaway 3-pointer that found the bottom of the net as the shot clock buzzer sounded, giving the Warriors a 78-72 lead with 32 seconds to go. Gray scored seven of his 17 in the final minute.
The teams went back and forth in the first half, exchanging the lead six times to go along with six ties. It was in the first half where Camper did his damage on offense, scoring 11 points. His rebounding was also crucial in the second half, securing four offensive rebounds, each resulting in a put-back layup.
The Warriors will now head to Mt. San Antonio on Saturday for the second round of the playoffs, where they will try to exact a bit of revenge for their 85-64 loss to the Mounties on Jan. 20 at the ECC North Gym.
Sophomores Shine In Win Over Long Beach
February 16, 2012
TORRANCE, Calif. – On a night when the sophomores were honored in a pregame ceremony, it was fitting that they were the biggest contributors in the Warriors important 79-74 South Coast Conference, South Division victory over Long Beach Wednesday at the El Camino College North Gym.
Sophomores Cameron Gray, Christien Clark, Julian Camper and Isaiah Hawkins all started and scored in double figures to help the Warriors (16-8, 7-5) pull even with the visiting Vikings (10-15, 7-5) and L.A. Harbor into a three-way tie for second place in the South Division. The Warriors put themselves in a great position to secure an at-large playoff berth with a win in their last game against Cerritos on Saturday at Biola University.
It was not an easy victory despite a blazing start by the Warriors. They jumped out of the gates on a 23-7 scoring run, but the Vikings cut that deficit to 40-30 at halftime. The teams traded buckets for much of the second half, but then the Vikings made their run in the last three minutes of the game and cut the Warriors lead to 72-70 with just under a minute left.
But Gray and Hawkins combined to sink seven free throws in to secure the win for the Warriors. Gray finished with a game-high 27 points to go along with 11 rebounds. Hawkins added 15 points and was a perfect 6-for-6 from the charity stripe.
Camper scored 23 points and had eight rebounds and Clark dropped 10 with eight boards.
For the Vikings, Will Ervin led the way with 20 points off the bench. Kristien Owens scored 17 and grabbed seven rebounds, Jared Garber added 13 and Raynard Tyler scored 11.
Warriors Split Games Versus Harbor, LA Southwest
Februrary 13, 2012
The Warriors began the week with a crucial 69-63 victory against South Bay rivals L.A. Harbor on Feb. 8. Freshman guard Joshua Wilson led the way with 24 points and eight rebounds while sophomore forward Cameron Gray added 18 points in the win.
With the victory, the Warriors moved into a tie for third place in the South Coast Conference South Division going into their matchup against division-leading L.A. Southwest on Feb. 10.
Wilson scored 19 points and grabbed 11 rebounds but it was not enough as the Warriors dropped a crucial 79-63 South Coast Conference game to the Cougars at the El Camino College North Gym.
The Warriors (15-8, 6-5) came into the contest nipping at the heels of second place Long Beach and the first place Cougars (20-7, 10-2). But a rough first half in which the Warriors shot just 23 percent and fell behind by 16 proved too much to overcome.
Julian Camper scored 13 for the Warriors off the bench and Christen Clark added 10. For the Cougars, they had five players score in double figures, led by Ralph Williams who scored 20 points and dished out eight assists. Shannen Garner had 19 points and 11 rebounds, Thurman Thomas scored 16 and Jarrett Cunningham and Robert Wade each added 11.
Up next for the Warriors is a crucial matchup against Long Beach on Wednesday at the ECC North Gym, a must-win game for the Warriors if they have any hope of making the playoffs. The game will also commemorate Coaches vs. Cancer at El Camino College.
Warriors Right The Ship With Wins Over LATT, Pasadena
January 30, 2012
The Warriors had a bounce back week as they won both their games to pull their South Coast Conference record even at 4-4 and stay in the thick of the South Division race. They began the week with a 66-60 victory at L.A. Trade Tech on Jan. 25.
The Warriors jumped out to a 30-17 lead at halftime and held on after a L.A. Trade Tech rally in the second half. Sophomore Cameron Gray led the Warriors with 21 points while hitting 10-of-11 free throws. He also grabbed seven rebounds.
Sophomore Christen Clark added 11 points and eight boards while guard Joshua Wilson scored 10. He also led the team with nine rebounds, five assists and four steals.
The team then hosted Pasadena on Jan. 27, where Gray and Clark again sparked the El Camino offense, combining for 38 points en route to a 68-58 victory over the Lancers at the El Camino College North Gym.
Gray scored 24 points on 7-of-15 shooting to go along with seven rebounds while Clark dropped 14 on 4-of-9 shooting while also pulling down seven boards. Wilson was the other Warriors (13-7, 4-4) player in double figures, scoring 10. He also led the team with eight rebounds and dished out four assists.
The Lancers (12-11, 3-5) were led by point guard Chris Smith with 13 points while Givon Crump added 10 points off the bench. Jerrick Thomas scored seven points and pulled down a team-high eight rebounds.
The Warriors will face East Los Angeles College on Feb. 1 at ELAC while Pasadena will host Cerritos in their next game.
Roller Coaster Week Sees Warriors Beat Cerritos, Lose to Mt. SAC
January 23, 2012
(Box Score vs. Cerritos)(Box Score vs. Mt. SAC)
After a couple of road losses, the Warriors returned home on Jan. 18 looking for some home cooking and got it when they faced a struggling Cerritos team.
Cameron Gray led all scorers with 21 points to lead the Warriors to a 89-63 South Coast Conference victory at the El Camino College North Gym.
The Warriors jumped out to a 20-3 lead and never looked back. Guard Joshua Wilson added 11 points and seven steals and sophomore Isaiah Hawkins scored 16 points off the bench. The win put a stop to the Warriors two-game losing streak.
The Warriors got great production from their reserves as their bench outscored the Falcons bench 40-18, led by Hawkins. Julian Camper was another big contributor off the pine, dropping 14 points on 50 percent shooting.
Anthony Holliday led the Falcons with 17 points, Darius Williams added 16 and Anthony Scott had 10 for the Falcons (8-11, 0-5), who have now lost five straight games to start conference play.
The win set up a big showdown with Mt. San Antonio College on Jan. 20, a team that came in unbeaten in conference play.
The Warriors only managed to grab seven rebounds and allowed visiting Mt. San Antonio College to shoot 69 percent in the second half as El Camino College dropped a 85-64 South Coast Conference game at the El Camino College North Gym.
The Warriors (11-7, 2-4) hung in there during the first half, trailing by just one point going into halftime thanks to stellar ball movement that saw the team dish out eight assists on 12 made shots. But the Mounties (15-5, 6-0) jumped out to a 14-2 run to start the second half and they never looked back.
Cameron Gray led the Warriors with 15 points and seven rebounds and David Howard scored 11 off the bench in a losing effort. Sophomore Christen Clark added nine points and five assists and Derrick Twigs dished out four assists and led the team with three steals.
The Mounties had five players score in double figures, led by Darnell Martin with 20 points to go along with his team-high eight rebounds. Corey Allen dropped 15 and Taj Spencer and Garret Nevels each added 12 apiece for the Mounties.
Warriors Have A Rough Week
January 17, 2012
It was a rough week for the Warriors as they dropped a crucial State Top-20 showdown with L.A. Southwest and followed that with an even more disappointing loss to Long Beach.
On Jan. 11, the Warriors traveled to L.A. Southwest, ranked No. 6 in the state this week, where they dropped a 72-62 decision. The Warriors actually led 32-28 at halftime but faded in the second half, getting outscored 44-30.
Sophomore Cameron Gray led the team with 19 points, including four 3-pointers. He also grabbed five rebounds. Freshman Joshua Wilson added 12 points, four boards and four assists.
Then, on Jan. 13, the Warriors were overwhelmed by unranked Long Beach, losing 94-69. The Warriors trailed by five going into halftime, thanks to Gray who scored 21 of his 30 points in the first half.
But the Vikings erupted for 51 points in the second half, shooting 67 percent from the field. Their defense held the Warriors to just 35 percent shooting and put the clamps on Gray, holding him to just nine points in the second half.
The Warriors actually outrebounded the Vikings, 39-38, but they had problems taking care of the ball as they committed 22 turnovers in the game.
The two losses dropped the Warriors out of state and regional rankings this week, but all that could be remedied with an impressive showing this week against Cerritos and state No. 11 (No. 6 SoCal) Mt. San Antonio.
Warriors Edge Harbor
January 6, 2012
Read the Daily Breeze Story Here
The Warriors snapped a three-game losing streak by pulling out a 55-52 South Coast Conference, South Division victory over L.A. Harbor Friday at the El Camino College North Gym.
Sophomore Cameron Gray led the team with 15 points and freshman Joshua Wilson added 12, including two free-throws with under five seconds left to ice the game.
The Warriors (10-4, 1-1), who are ranked No. 8 in Southern California and No. 16 in the state, led 23-22 at the half thanks to solid defense, forcing the visiting Seahawks (10-6, 0-2) to commit seven first half turnovers.
The Seahawks, ranked No. 11 in Southern California, responded by taking a 39-37 lead midway through the second half. That’s when the Warriors went on an 8-0 run to take the lead for good. There were 12 ties and 10 lead changes in all during the game.
The Seahawks cut their deficit to 51-50 with 11 seconds to go in the game on a layup by guard Marquel Jones. That’s when the Warriors came through at the free throw line, a place that has been a sore spot for the team throughout the season.
Gray sank two free throws to make it 53-50 and then, after a dunk by Jamal Washington, Wilson nailed two free throws with three seconds left to give the Warriors a 55-52 lead. The Seahawks still had a chance to tie the game, but Jones’ 3-point attempt from the top of the arc clanged off the front of the rim as time expired.
The Warriors pulled out an important conference victory despite getting outrebounded 43-34 and shooting just 31 percent from the field for the game.
Julian Camper scored six points and grabbed five rebounds for the Warriors off the bench and Christen Clark also grabbed five rebounds to go along with four points.
For the Seahawks, Jason Daley led the way with 11 points while Jamal Washington added eight points and eight rebounds off the bench.
The Warriors will travel to L.A. Southwest on Jan. 11 for their next conference matchup.
Warriors Fall To Saddleback In Overtime
December 20, 2011
TORRANCE, Calif. – Sophomore Cameron Gray scored 19 points and freshman guard Joshua Wilson dished out a game-high nine assists but the Warriors could not hold on as they dropped a 78-75 decision in overtime to Saddleback Tuesday night at the El Camino College North Gym.
The No. 6 Warriors (9-3) trailed 67-65 with less than 20 seconds left in the game and had five chances at the free throw line to take the lead but only sank two of them to send the game into the extra period. The free throw line was a sore spot for the entire game for the Warriors as they missed 12 of their 29 attempts at the charity stripe.
The Gauchos (8-6) made four of their seven shots in the overtime and three free throws to give them a 78-75 lead with 20 seconds left. Wilson’s ensuing layup attempt for the Warriors clanged off the rim and then Gray missed a game-tying 3-pointer as time expired to seal the Warriors fate.
The Warriors committed 14 turnovers and the Gauchos capitalized by scoring 19 points off those giveaways. Guard David Howard (El Segundo) scored 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting while Julian Camper and Derrick Twiggs added nine apiece off the bench for the Warriors.
The Gauchos had four players score in double figures led by freshman Josiah Thropay’s 17. Forward Alex Worthen-Harris scored 16, sophomore Darnell Taylor dropped 15 and Everett Osborne had 10.
The Warriors will travel to El Camino College Compton Center for their next game on Jan. 4 to open up South Coast Conference play before they host L.A. Harbor on Jan. 6.
Warriors Face Big Test This Week
December 14, 2011
The El Camino College men’s basketball team will have more than three weeks off when they play their next game on Thursday at the Bill Brummel Classic at Saddleback College.
The Warriors defeated Orange Coast College 73-50 on Nov. 27 to take third place at the Neil Edwards Classic hosted by Citrus, the No. 1 team in the state. The Warriors were next scheduled to face Citrus on Dec. 1, but high winds caused power outages at Citrus and the surrounding communities causing the game to be postponed to a later date.
At the time, the Warriors were ranked No. 5 in Southern California and No. 10 in the state, but the long period of inactivity has caused them to drop in this week’s polls. The Warriors fell two spots in the Southern California poll, ranked No. 7 in Monday’s California Community College Men’s Basketball Association Poll. They dropped further in the state rankings, falling to No. 14, sandwiched between two Northern California teams.
This week the Warriors will see if the rest has paid off when they face Irvine Valley College in the opening game of the Brummel Classic on Thursday. The Lasers are ranked No. 6 in the state and No. 3 in Southern California. The tournament also features other powerhouses like Mount San Jacinto (state No. 10, SoCal No. 5) and Saddleback (SoCal No. 12), teams that the Warriors will not have to contend with until the championship game scheduled for Dec. 17.
As for the current season, the Warriors have jumped out to a 7-1 record thanks to their work on defense. They are allowing opponents to shoot just over 40 percent on the season and are forcing 16.9 turnovers a game. They are also outworking opponents on the glass, grabbing 41.8 boards per game for, 4.1 rebounds better than their opponents.
On offense, the Warriors have been led by sophomore Cameron Gray and freshman Joshua Wilson. Gray leads the team in scoring with a 18.6 ppg average, followed by Wilson who scores 13.5 per game. Both players average seven rebounds per game and Wilson leads the team with 4.25 assists per game. Gray also leads the team in 3-pointers made (19) and 3-point percentage (.475). Freshman guard Jamar Cannon is second on the team with 17 makes from downtown and also averages 10.4 points a game.
Sophomore Julian Camper has also been a key player off the bench for the Warriors, ranking third on the team with a 11 ppg average while logging slightly more than 20 minutes a game.
After the tournament, the Warriors will finally return home on Dec. 20 to host Saddleback in their final game of 2011.
Gray Scores 24, Camper Adds 21 In Rout Of Cypress
November 23, 2011
TORRANCE, Calif. – Cameron Gray dropped 24 points and Julian Camper added 21 off the bench as the Warriors defeated Cypress 96-77 Wednesday at the El Camino College North Gym.
The Warriors (5-0) led by 25 at halftime thanks to 67 percent shooting in the half, including going 7-for-11 from 3-point land. Gray scored 15 of his points in the first half and Jamar Cannon hit 3-of-4 from 3-point land en route to 13 first half points. Cannon finished with 15 and grabbed six rebounds.
The Warriors defense was stifling, forcing the visiting Chargers (3-2) into 20 turnovers. The Warriors made them pay for their mistakes, scoring 27 points off Chargers turnovers. The Warriors also outran the visitors, outscoring the Chargers 14-8 on the fastbreak for the game.
The reserves were also a strength for the Warriors as their bench outscored the Chargers backups 35-15, led by Camper who was 6-for-8 from the field and 9-for-11 from the free throw line. He also grabbed a team-high eight rebounds.
David Howard chipped in with eight points and nine assists along with two steals and guard Joshua Wilson dished out six assists along with five steals.
Andre Winn led the Chargers with 31 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.
The Warriors will next participate in the Cuesta Tournament starting on Nov. 25.
Gray Erupts For 29, Leads Warriors Past West L.A.
November 11, 2011
Sophomore Cameron Gray scored 25 of his 29 points in the second half as the Warriors won their third straight game, 87-78, against West L.A. College Friday at El Camino College.
The Warriors (3-0) trailed by a point at the half with Gray struggling to get his offense going, missing all five of his shots and just tallying four points courtesy of free throws.
But Gray shook off the cobwebs and erupted in the second half, hitting eight of his 10 shots including all five of his 3-pointers in the period. With the Warriors clinging to a lead, Gray heated up from downtown, hitting three straight from beyond the arc to give the Warriors a more comfortable cushion.
Freshman David Howard (El Segundo) scored 20 points on 80 percent shooting and freshman Joshua Wilson added 10 points with seven assists.
The game was close throughout, with the teams being tied twice and exchanging the lead 11 times. The Warriors pulled ahead in the second half thanks to 56 percent shooting and 46 percent from 3-point land in period.
The Warriors will travel to Grossmont for their next game on Nov. 16.
Warriors Sweep Landreaux Classic With Win Over L.A. Pierce
November 9, 2011
TORRANCE, Calif. – Five players scored in double figures for the Warriors as they defeated L.A. Pierce 73-65 Wednesday in the final game of the 6th annual Paul Landreaux Classic at El Camino College.
The Warriors (2-0) won both their games in the two-day event and sophomore Cameron Gray was named to the All-Tournament Team.
Gray finished with 14 points against L.A. Pierce (0-2) on 6-of-13 shooting and finished the tournament averaging 21 points per game. He also grabbed five rebounds on the night.
The Warriors led 31-22 at the half but lost the lead thanks to a furious 14-2 run from the Brahmas to start the second half. But sophomore guard Isaiah Hawkins hit consecutive shots, including a 3-pointer, to stop the bleeding for the Warriors and reclaim the lead, one they would not relinquish.
Hawkins finished the game with eight points and three rebounds.
Freshman Jamar Cannon (Redondo Union) scored 14 points of his own, freshman David Howard (El Segundo) added 13 and Julian Camper and Joshua Wilson had 11 apiece.
The Warriors shot 54 percent from the field for the game and hit five of their 10 3-point attempts. Their defense held the Brahmas to 37 percent shooting and pilfered seven steal, led by freshman Derrick Twiggs with three.
The Warriors will get one day off before hosting West L.A., the team they defeated in the first game of the tournament, on Friday at 7 p.m.
Warriors Open Paul Landreaux Classic With Win
November 8, 2011
Freshman Joshua Wilson scored 28 points and the Warriors opened the 2011-12 season with a 99-90 victory over West L.A. College Tuesday night in the 6th annual Paul Landreaux Classic at El Camino College.
Wilson was 10-for-19 from the field and hit eight of his 11 free throws in 27 minutes. Sophomore Cameron Gray chipped in with 23 points and 12 rebounds along with three assists.
The Warriors (1-0) shot 42 percent but were raining 3-pointers, hitting eight of their 24 attempts. Freshman Jamar Cannon (Redondo Union) led the Warriors with six makes from downtown.
The Warriors also made their way to the free throw line constantly, hitting 25 of 36 from the charity stripe. Wilson was 8-of-11 from the line and Gray was 6-of-10.
The Warriors dominated the glass against West L.A., outrebounding the Wildcats 58-28, including an astonishing 27 offensive boards. Center Shawn Ray (West Torrance) grabbed 11 rebounds, Wilson nabbed eight and freshman David Howard (El Segundo) added seven.
The Warriors will face L.A. Pierce in the final game of the tournament Wednesday at 7 p.m.