COD Men’s Basketball takes #1 team to the limit, falls late to Hornets, 84-72

COD (0-6) continues to play hard-nosed Basketball, holding a one-point lead at the break, but a 14-2 run in the second half buried any chance for the upset bid of the year, as the Roadrunners fell to the #1 team in the state, the Fullerton Hornets (8-0), 84-72.

Throughout the 2021 season, the Roadrunners have been close, but have yet to crest that hill of wins, they almost slayed the biggest dragon yet on their schedule.

The game was a real tale of two halves. In the first half, Desert and the Hornets were almost identical from the field and from beyond the arc, the Roadrunners just so happened to have made one more free throw than Fullerton. In the second half, Fullerton (14-26) shot only slightly better than the Roadrunners (13-31), but what hurt Desert (7-17) was the three-point shots that the Hornets (10-14) hit mid-way through the half.

Sophomore guard D.J. Adams (Moreno Valley H.S.) would lead the way for the Roadrunners off of the bench, scoring 10 of his team high 22 points in the first half, shooting 7 of 15 from the field, including going 2 for 6 from three-point range and a strong 6 for 8 from the free throw line. Adams also led the team in assists with seven.

Sophomore starting center Tommy Mooney (La Quinta H.S.) led the starters with 9 of his 11 points in the first half, shooting 5 of 8 from the field, grabbing five total rebounds a steal and a blocked shot on the afternoon.

Sophomore starting guard D'Shaun Barrett (Twentynine Palms H.S.) had 2 of his 8 points in the first half, shooting 3 of 7 from the field, including going 2 for 5 from beyond-the-arc. Barrett would have a steal, four assists and lead the team in total boards with seven.

Sophomore starting guard Marquis McKinzey (Los Angeles John C. Fremont) had 5 of his 9 points in the first half, shooting 3 of 7 from the field, including going 2 for 5 from three-point range.

Freshman forward Johnny McCarus (Powder Springs (GA) Hillgrove) lept off of the bench to score 5 of his 8 points in the first half, shooting 3 of 6 from the field, including going 2 for 3 from beyond-the-arc. McCarus grabbed five total boards with a steal and a blocked shot.

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

Information & Story provided by COD Sports Information. Photo by Michael Leone Photography (f8leone@yahoo.com).