COD Men’s Basketball falls in close contest against the Chargers, 64-56

COD (9-4) had a rare Sunday afternoon game, hosting a pesky Cypress Chargers (9-5) squad, but a narrow first half lead would not hold throughout, as the Roadrunners fell, 64-56.

Desert shot out of the gate quick, putting the Chargers in a hole early, building a 7-0 lead and then Cypress would start to close the gap, as the Roadrunners called their first time out, up 14-11. Desert would eventually build their largest lead of the game at the 3:20 mark in the first half, leading the Chargers, 27-15. Unfortunately, Cypress would go on a 13-2 run to close out the first half, getting to within one of the host Roadrunners, 29-28 at the break.

In the second half, the Chargers took a 35-34 lead with 16:39 remaining in the game and Desert could not get any closer the rest of the contest.

Freshman starting guard Devlin Adams (Moreno Valley H.S.) was the leading scorer with 20 points on 7 of 13 shooting, including going 2 of 5 from three-point range, and tying for the team lead in assists with four.

Sophomore starting forward Kavonte Kinney (Cathedral City H.S.) contributed 11 points on 2 of 6 shooting from the field, going 6 of 10 from the free throw line and leading the team with eight total rebounds.

Desert first faced the Chargers in 1984 and has collected a 5-8 record since, last defeating Cypress in 2013, this is the first time in program history that these two teams have met in Palm Desert.

Sophomore starting guard Sam Skipper (Perris H.S.) added eight points on 3 of 15 shooting, leading the team in steals with three and sophomore starting guard Joshua Jones (Moreno Valley Valley View) tied for the team lead in assists with four.

Sophomore forward Kristopher Howard (Palm Springs H.S.) had seven of his eight points off of the bench in the second half, as he led the Roadrunners in bench scoring, going 3 for 5 from the field.

The next home game for Desert is in four days, Thursday, January 2 at 6p, when they continue Inland Empire Athletic Conference (IEAC) play, by hosting the Palo Verde Pirates of Blythe. The Roadrunners have not played Palo Verde since 1978, when at the conclusion of the 1977-78 school year eliminated the athletics program. The last time Desert played the Pirates, the head coach of the Roadrunners was legend Frank Garcia, in his final year at the helm.

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For additional information, please contact the COD Sports Information Office at 760.423.6641.

Information, Photo & Story provided by COD Sports Information.