Men's basketball team loses in first round of Saddleback tourney
Dec 13, 2007
The Irvine Valley men's basketball team won its first 11 games of the season.
The Lasers have now dropped two straight. IVC lost to LA Trade Tech, 77-68, in the first round of the Saddleback tournament on Thursday afternoon.
IVC lost its first game of the season last Saturday to LA City in th finals of the Rio Hondo tournament.
The Lasers, who are ranked ninth in th state and sixth in Southern California, had their hands full with LA Trade Tech on Thursday. LA Trade Tech, ranked 14th in the state, took a 39-37 lead at halftime.
Irvine Valley couldn't get things going in the second half, shooting just 30.6 percent (11 of 36) from the field in the second half. Meanwhile, LA Trade Tech shot 53.1 percent (17 of 32) to pull away for the win.
The Lasers had just two players in double figures scoring. Sophomore wing Kashif Watson finished with 12 points and sophomore guard Jason Toney added 10 points. Sophomore center Bryce Webster chipped in with nine points, six rebounds and three blocks.
Besides shooting, IVC struggled in a couple of other areas. The Lasers were out-rebounded, 49-41. LA Trade Tech had 23 offensive rebounds. And Irvine Valley committed 23 turnovers in the game. It had just 13 assists.
LA Trade Tech, which improved to 10-1, was led by Joseph Morgan, who had 17 points.
The Lasers fell into the consolation bracket of the tournament and will play Santa Monica in the next round on Friday at 1 p.m. Santa Monica, which is ranked 11th in Southern California, lost to Riverside, 66-58, in a first-round game on Thursday.