Canyons Starters, Bench Race Past Moorpark in 103-90 Regional Victory

Moorpark College basketball Coach Al Nordquist will search for thoroughbreds for next season’s team because, he said, you can’t win the Kentucky Derby with donkeys.

Nordquist wasn’t calling his players donkeys after they dropped a head-spinning, 103-90 decision to College of the Canyons. He was referring to his lack of manpower during Saturday’s horse race at Canyons, otherwise known as the first round of the Southern California regional tournament. Canyons (20-9) had 10 players score, Moorpark had five.

Canyons Coach Lee Smelser and Nordquist both agreed on a little fast-break philosophy: He with the most horses wins.

“They only had eight bodies and I don’t think they played them all until late in the game,” Smelser said. “We knew right away that we would have an advantage that they didn’t and that was to run.”

By winning its 20th game, Canyons earned another chance to spotlight its high-energy fast break. The Cougars will play at Grossmont of San Diego at 7:30 Wednesday in the second round of the regionals.

As it had all season, Canyons relied on its potent five starters and intermittment help from the best bench in the area. Freshman guard Kevin Honaker, with 15 points, was one of four Cougars who came off the bench to combine for 24 points. That made it possible for the starting five to get well-deserved rests.

Forward Vincent Ray and guard James Mixon, both of whom average more than 20 points, worked up a sweat Saturday. Ray, a first-team all-Mountain Valley conference selection, scored 29 points and Mixon, who also picked up first-team honors, scored 25. Ron Stapp had 11 points for the Cougars and Anthony Hines, the 17-year-old freshman also on the conference’s first-team, scored 10 points and had 12 rebounds. Derek Hughes, who usually goes unoticed by everybody except the opposition--possibly because he’s a questionable 5-11--had 15 assists, a necessity for Canyons’ run-and-gun show.

“Honaker had a great game for us tonight,” Smelser said. “He played a great floor game and he hit some crucial free throws. Jerry McNulty had a strong game off the bench. We all made contributions. We need those. We need those pick ups.”

McNulty scored four off the bench and Honaker hit six free throws in the last two minutes.

It wasn’t all Canyons, although you won’t be able to tell by the box score. The Raiders also gave the Cougars a run. Yes, they did.

The Raiders, trailing, 87-75, with 4:30 left, ran up seven straight points. Moorpark’s Danny Berryman, who equalled Ray’s game-high 29 points, scored five in that stretch, and suddenly the Raiders appeared to be back.

But again, it was Canyons’ ability to execute the break under pressure that got it out of the jam. The Cougars scored eight straight of their own and started making plans to head south.

“The biggest thing was we didn’t have enough bench, enough guys,” Nordquist said. “Some of our players have come along way this season but they’re just not as experienced as most of the players they have had to play against.”