The Hornets fought through real adversity for the first time in conference play Friday night at the Hornets Nest and came out victorious. It was their first contest decided by single digits in two months, but Fullerton pulled out a 73-70 win.

The final minute of the game came down to the wire for both sides. The Hornets’ lead was 71-68 when the Bobcats came down and hit what seemed to be a game tying 3-point shot but the officials called a two-pointer instead.

It would lead to freshman guard Sean Newman Jr. being fouled and sinking two clutch free throws for the Hornets. In the Bobcat’s final possession, the Hornets would not allow a shot attempt and the buzzer sounded off, sending Saddleback south back down the 5 Freeway.

Sophomore guard Kobe Newton had a “mamba mentality” tonight, scoring 18 points. While also recording 2 rebounds, an assist, and a steal. Newton hit key free throws down the stretch while going 8-9 as a whole from the charity stripe.

“It was a team that was fighting for playoff positioning. So, I knew they were going to come out and pull ways and be ready to go and fire it up,” Newton said. “They are a talented offensive team and they made shots and made it difficult on us. We had an off night, and championship teams find a way to win.”

The Hornets (26-1) came out the gates fast going up 7-0 on the Bobcats (17-10) within the first three minutes of the game. From there, things would slow down for the Hornets, but they retained the lead going into the halftime break 34-30.

Tension between the teams were very high throughout the game. There was also no shortage of technical fouls in this game as the Bobcats received four of their own including their own coach being ejected from the game, and the Hornets receiving one as well.

“I did a poor job of that tonight. I thought we as a group did a poor job of that tonight. We need to have more poise and more mental toughness as a group. We got to use this as a learning lesson,” Head Coach Perry Webster stated.

It indeed was an off night for the Hornets, as they seemed to be missing shots they usually make, shooting just 44% from the field and 14% from three-point range in the 1st half.

Once the second half started, things would not look any better for the Hornets as they were in a back-and-forth fight with Bobcats. Saddleback was led by a strong performance from sophomore guard Nick Bowden who scored 17 points and hit five threes. The shooting woes continued all night for the Hornets, as they shot just 42% from the field and 18% from behind the three-point line.

Players on the court for both teams seemed to be going at it all game long. This could be an issue for the Hornets in the playoffs if they let their emotions get the best of them.

The crowd did not lend a helping hand either as fans from both sides were badmouthing poor officiating which was definitely a big factor into how both teams were acting on the floor.

Newman Jr. was big from the free throw line going 10-12 while adding 16 points of his own followed by freshman guard Jeremiah Davis contributing 14 points to the win.

Sophomore guard Jimuel Reyes was the second leading scorer for the Bobcats scoring 15 points. Bobcats freshman guard James Burries poured in 10 points of his own in the losing effort.

The Hornets next matchup will be their last regular season game of the year on the road. They will be facing the Riverside City Tigers (15-11) at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 14th.