Men bounce back after loss to Las Positas

Rams forward Chris White gets airborn as he attempts two points in game against Foothill Jan. 23. White would finish the game with 17 points and 11 rebounds in a win against the Owls. MEGAN TORRES / THE GUARDSMAN
Rams forward Chris White gets airborn as he attempts two points in game against Foothill Jan. 23. White would finish the game with 17 points and 11 rebounds in a win against the Owls. MEGAN TORRES / THE GUARDSMAN

By Aaron Turner
ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

Coming off a bitter loss to league rival Las Positas, City College’s men’s basketball team wanted to make a statement —  getting a big win on the road. They were able to get back in the win column with a gutsy 90-78 win over the Foothill Owls on Jan. 23.

In a game that was neck and neck throughout the first half, the Owls had outstanding performances from Josh Scheibley and Matt Christman, who kept the game close and finished with 22 and 15 points respectively.

Despite a solid shooting effort by the Rams, they were unable to pull away and led by only three at the half, with 40-37.

In the second half, the Rams were able to put some distance between themselves and Foothill. Greer Wright led the Rams with 24 points and Christopher White and Steven Brown scored 17 and 12 respectively, allowing the Rams to stave off valiant comeback attempts by the tenacious Owls.

Despite a few late 3-pointers by the Owls, the Rams managed a late surge by icing the game at the free throw line, thwarting any attempts at a Foothill comeback. Still, Rams Head Coach Justin Labaugh knows his team has some work to do.

After the game, both Brown and Jeff Thomas were excited the way the team responded to Las Positas, yet both knew the team needed to stay the course.

“This win gets us forward,” said Brown. “We know our ultimate goal is to win a league championship and possibly a state title. But we just need to take it one game at a time. We were all pretty excited after the game, and we definitely had a different mindset going in than we did against Las Positas.”

As for the way the team would play, Thomas promised this would not be the last game they shine in.

“I just felt like we all had to come out and play our game,” Thomas said. “These are good games to win, but we haven’t won three games in a row yet. We need to focus on every game we play and not worry about what happens anywhere else.”

The Rams will challenge first place Chabot College at the Wellness Center Jan. 28 at 7:30 p.m.