The Hornets had an offensive explosion on the Palomar College Comets last night, winning 107-86. Although they added to their win column they made it clear they are not satisfied and have bigger aspirations in mind.
“I thought we had a good offensive game. We shot the ball well and shared the ball well, but it was actually a pitiful defensive performance I’m embarrassed about, so we have to get a lot better,” said head coach Perry Webster.
Even with the dissatisfaction about the defensive play, Fullerton was hot all night starting with a scorching 22-7 lead with 14:40 to play in the first half. Sophomore guard Justin Davis took the role as field general, setting up big plays and open shots for sophomore forward Addy G’Bye to knock down. Midway through the first half Palomar started to wake up and cut the deficit to 36-22 as freshman guard Isaiah Tolmaire would cash in on a layup. The Comets had good speed and began to use this as a way to counter the Hornet’s size advantage.
Turnovers and a defensive breakdowns resulted in a 51-38 score going into halftime with Fullerton ahead. The Comets made adjustments and opened the second half strong. They crept up on the Hornets with some nice plays by Tolmaire and freshmen guards Isaiah Pomare and Avant Gilmore. It wasn’t long until Fullerton made some adjustments of their own and subbed in freshman guard Jaqari Miles who went four for nine on three point attempts, gathering up 19 points in total to get the score to 90-64.
The combination of two hot shooters with G’Bye having 16 points to pair along with Miles’ good performance off the bench was too much for the Comets. Davis and Strong had good nights of their own. Davis’ three-point attempts were unstoppable, finishing with 13 points. Strong matched his total and was a mismatch in the paint all night grabbing four rebounds. That left Strong one shy of the 6-foot-10 freshman guard Joe Grahovac.
The Hornets good chemistry was evident. As their reserves came in towards the last few minutes of the game, you could see the starters standing up and celebrating when they pulled off impressive plays.
“Our guys get along, they’re really unselfish naturally. I really like the guys I’m coaching and they’re good to be around,” said Webster.
Fullerton will play against Los Angeles Southwest College next at home this Friday Dec. 6, 2024 at 6:00 p.m.