RIVERSIDE COLLEGE BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT : Whistle Puts Stop to Golden West in Loss

In the time it took for an official to blow his whistle, Golden West College went from a tie score to a 76-72 loss to West Los Angeles in the fifth-place game of the Riverside tournament Saturday.

Golden West’s Craig Rice appeared to score on a layup to tie the score at 74 with 17 seconds left, but the basket was waved off when center Alex Kreps was called for hooking his defender as Rice drove along the baseline. Instead of a tie, West Los Angeles’ Maurice McKinzy was heading to the free-throw line with a chance to put the Oilers (7-8) farther ahead.

McKinzy made both ends of the one-and-one and West LA led, 76-72. Rice missed a three-point attempt and West L.A. got the rebound and ran out the clock.

It was an especially tough loss for Golden West (10-6) because the Rustlers had rallied from a 10-point deficit early in the second half.

Golden West came back to post a 56-56 tie on a short jumper by Kevin Andersen with 9:51 left. The score was tied at 58, 60, 70 and 72 as well, before David Hallaway scored on a layup with 1:20 to play to give West LA the lead for good, at 74-72.

Kreps led Golden West with 22 points. Ric Van Scoyce had 12, Rice 11 and J.J. Jenkins 10.

In the consolation championship:

College of the Desert 91, Fullerton 77--Denulius Burkes had 28 points, 20 in the second half, to lead Desert (10-5). Desert led, 40-34, at the half and expanded the lead to as many as 13 before Fullerton made a run.

The Hornets cut the lead to 67-60 on Rashone Lewis’ short jumper with 8:18 left. Lewis led Fullerton with 27 points.

Fullerton got no closer because the Hornets didn’t score again until 4:12 later and Desert led, 75-62, after Lewis made a layup.

Mark Rudometkin had 14 points and nine rebounds and Darryl Griffin had 10 points and 13 rebounds for Fullerton.

Phil Loretz had 18 points and Tim Bryant had 15 points for Desert.