Busters fall to hot-shooting Trinidad in Turkey Classic

11/26/2012

Busters fall to hot-shooting Trinidad in Turkey Classic

By ADAM HOLT

aholt@gctelegram.com

The Garden City Community College men's basketball team's loss to Trinidad State (Colo.) on Saturday boiled down to this: One team made shots, the other didn't.

An oversimplification, sure. But also accurate.

The Trojans seemed to make a big shot every time they needed to, and the Broncbusters couldn't say the same, in an 85-74 Trinidad victory in the Thanksgiving Classic at the Perryman Athletic Complex.

Trinidad State shot 50 percent for the game. That didn't make the game any easier for a Garden City team that was struggling shooting the ball from the field.

"Very tough," point guard Frank Agholor said. "They shot the ball really well. We closed out, but they still managed to hit it. You have nights like that, you know?"

The Busters didn't have too many answers for Devonte Malcolm, who scored 24 points, going 8-of-13 from the field and a specatcular 7-of-10 from 3-point range. Malcolm hit his first three 3-pointers of the game, and got a lot of open looks off screens and cuts in the first half, where he had 17 points.

"I'd say for the most part, we tried to hang with him," GCCC head coach Rand Chappell said. "He got away from us a few times, but I feel that wasn't a lack of effort."

When it wasn't Malcolm doing the damage, the Trojans had another player step up and hit shots. Point guard Tre'von Wilkerson had 18 points and went 3-of-5 from behind the arc, making a couple in transition and one with a hand in his face. Tyrell Taylor came alive late in the game, finishing with 20 points and going 8-of-8 at the free-throw line.

As a team, Trinidad State shot 52.2 percent from 3-point range, while also going 15-of-21 at the line.

Meanwhile, Garden City is left lamenting a poor free-throw shooting performance. Garden City was 17-of-33 and just 9-of-20 in the first half. Time and again, the Busters would get the ball inside and draw fouls, but an inability to convert left a lot of points off the board in what was a 34-31 deficit at halftime.

A few more free throws in the first 20 minutes, and it might have been a different game.

"Most definitely, that definitely changes the game," Agholor said.

But the way the Trojans were shooting, it may not have mattered.

Garden City tied the game at 42 early in the second half, and the Busters were within 50-49 with 12 minutes, 17 seconds to play. In the next two minutes, Kendall Godley got a layup, Wilkerson made a 3-pointer, the Busters were called for goaltending, and Michael Martinez dunked to make it a 10-point game.

Garden City got back within 63-59 with 7:20 to play, but Taylor made back-to-back 3-pointers to essentially seal the game. Chappell said the Trojans got too many open looks in transition or when a Buster didn't get to his assignment. And when the Trojans were open, they hit their shots.

Agholor had 18 points, while Reuben King led the team with 20 and Chris Hall added 18. Six of King's points came in the final four minutes, when the Busters were down by 18 points, and five of Hall's points also came in that late push.

Garden City was 39 percent from the field and 34.6 percent from 3-point range.

The Busters don't have much time to dwell on the loss, as they host Lamar (Colo.) at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday at Perryman.

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Trinidad State (6-4) -- Wilkerson 6-14 3-6 18, Malcolm 8-13 1-1 24, Taylor 5-10 8-8 20, Corbino 1-2 2-2 4, Lehnerz 0-2 0-0 0, Godley 3-6 0-0 6, Musleh 2-2 1-1 5, DeCristino 0-1 0-0 0, McCalop 3-5 0-1 6, Martinez 1-3 0-2 2. Totals 29-58 15-21 85.

Garden City (6-3) -- Ebondo 3-7 2-4 8, Joseph 3-5 1-4 7, Agholor 5-13 6-8 18, King 6-14 5-9 20, C. Hall 6-14 2-4 18, Jones 1-5 0-1 2, K. Hall 0-2 1-2 1, Chandler 0-1 0-1 0. Totals 24-61 17-33 74.

Halftime--Trinidad State 34-31. 3-point goals--TS 12-23 (Wilkerson 3-5, Malcolm 7-10, Taylor 2-5, Godley 0-1, DeCristino 0-1, McCalop 0-1); GC 9-26 (Ebondo 0-1, Agholor 2-2, King 3-9, C. Hall 4-10, Jones 0-3, K. Hall 0-1). Fouled out--Corbino, Labine, Agholor. Rebounds--TS 34 (Labine, Corbino 5); GC 39 (Ebondo 8). Assists--TS 16 (Wilkerson, Taylor 5); GC 12 (Jones 4). Turnovers--TS 12; GC 11. Total fouls--TS 24; GC 19.