Men's basketball makes final in Sacramento
Dec 08, 2008
The Irvine Valley men's basketball team won two of three games and reached the final of the American River Tournament in Sacramento last weekend before losing to the ninth-ranked team in the state.
The two wins improved Irvine Valley's record to 7-4 overall.
"We didn't play great overall," IVC Coach Jerry Hernandez said. "We played all right. We made some strides and just have to continue to get better."
Irvine Valley started the tournament with an easy 67-52 win over Sacramento City on Thursday.
The Lasers got a balanced scoring attack with three players in double figures and six players finishing with at least seven points.
Sophomore guard Jeff Ledbetter led the way with 17 points. Sophomore forward Carlos Pinto added 13 points. He made three three-pointers.
Sophomore center Matt Ballard contributed 10 points and sophomore forward Brandon Hucks had eight points.
The Lasers then defeated host American River, 60-45, on Friday behind 17 points from sophomore forward Jon Reed. Reed had 14 of his points in the first half. He finished making five three-pointers in the game.
Hucks added 10 points, Ballard had nine points and Ledbetter chipped in with eight points for IVC.
Irvine Valley met Yuba City in the tournament final, falling, 65-61. Yuba, which improved its record to 7-1 overall, is ranked fifth in Northern California and tied for ninth in the state.
Yuba jumped out to a 33-23 lead at halftime. The Lasers out-scored Yuba by six points in the second half, but it wasn't enough.
"We had too many breakdowns in transition," Hernandez said. "They were quick and made us pay. But we can play with those guys. They are highly ranked and we were right there with them, which is encouraging."
Freshman forward Kwame Alexander and Ledbetter led the way with 13 points each for Irvine Valley. Pinto finished with 10 points and freshman guard Blake Touchard added eight points.
Irvine Valley plays next in the Rio Hondo Tournament starting on Thursday. The Lasers take on LA City in the first round. LA City is ranked 12th in Southern California in the latest poll.