Pomona-Pitzer Sizzles and Cal Lutheran Melts

For Pomona-Pitzer, it was a run of epic proportions.

For Cal Lutheran, it was the type of stampede that leaves the victimized coach and players shaking their heads in amazement.

Such was the scene following Pomona-Pitzer’s 91-73 victory over the Kingsmen in a Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference men’s basketball game Thursday night.

“They were just so hot,” Cal Lutheran Coach Rich Rider said. “Man, they could have drop-kicked the ball in the way they were shooting. The basket was as big as the ocean to them.”

Pomona-Pitzer (18-7, 12-2) won the SCIAC title, snapped the Kingsmen’s championship streak at three and probably kept them out of the NCAA Division III playoffs, which begin next week.

Pairings for the 64-team tournament will be announced Sunday.

Cal Lutheran (17-8, 10-4), which shared the conference championship with Pomona-Pitzer last season and reached the round of 16 in the Division III tournament, couldn’t recover from the Sagehens’ 24-0 run in the first half.

Although a victory could have given the Kingsmen a share of their fourth consecutive SCIAC title, they were seemingly helpless during Pomona-Pitzer’s blitz.

Cal Lutheran trailed, 9-7, on Dave Ulloa’s layup after a steal by Mike Fenton with 15 minutes 50 seconds left in the first half, but the Sagehens put on a clinic over the next eight minutes to take a 33-7 lead with 7:43 left in the half.

Jason Lowery started the run with a layup on an assist from Phil Kelly, and Travis Greer capped it with jump shot in the lane.

Pomona-Pitzer, which made 30 of 45 shots, hit 10 of 12 during the run, including its last nine. Cal Lutheran missed all seven of its shots and committed six turnovers.

“It’s obvious that the momentum had swung our way,” Sagehen Coach Charles Katsiaficas said. “But we did a real good job of riding it out for a long time.”

Kelly, who scored eight of his 12 points during the run, attributed increased defensive pressure and better ball-handling to the surge.

“We took care of the ball a little better than we had in the first four or five minutes and we got some turnovers which led to some open shots that we hit,” he said. “Our defense usually keys our offense and that’s what happened tonight.”

Derrick Quinet scored 18 points for Pomona-Pitzer and Travis Greer added 16.

Paul LaMott scored 17 points for Cal Lutheran, Mark Heerema added 14 points and Jon Rider had 12.