CSUB signee leads West LA past BC
Hardy scores 22, showcases skill as blue chipper
Determination and grit kept the Bakersfield College mens basketball team in the game against one the state’s powerhouses only for so long Wednesday.
By late in the first half of the Western State-South Conference game against No. 2-ranked West LA College, the heavy underdog Renegades just couldn’t withstand the talent gap between the two squads any longer.
After trailing by as many as five points early in the contest, the Wildcats led by recent CSUB signee CJ Hardy, broke open a close game with a big run and went on to an 83-64 victory at the Gil Bishop Sports Center.
“They’re just a buzz saw,” BC coach Aaron Chavez said. “They’re super athletic. That area is going to pull really good players. Credit to them; they did a good job.”
Hardy, one of the most highly ranked junior college players in the country, put on a show with a spectacular array of dunks and dazzling crossover moves that left defenders flat-footed and gave him a clear path to the basket for layups.
Hardy, a 6-foot-3-inch point guard from Gardena, scored a game-high 22 points on 9-of-14 shooting, including 2 of 4 from three-point range. He also had seven assists as West LA (15-2, 3-0 WSC) won its 12th straight.
Terrin Dickey scored 13 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for BC (10-6, 1-2 WSC). Two other players, Elijah Williams (13 points) and Kemonte Jackson (11 points) scored in double figures for the Renegades, who made 37.5-percent of their field-goal tries.
The Wildcats shot 51.7 percent from the floor and turned the ball over only seven times compared to 15 by BC.
“At some point their athleticism is just going to wear you down,” Chavez said. “We got to play better, but all the kudos to West LA. They’re well-coached.”
Following the men, the BC women lost to West LA 59-52.
Unlike recent performances, the Renegades came out strong and were tied at 17 at the end of the first quarter.
But a 1-for-11 shooting effort by BC in the second quarter allowed the Wildcats to build a 30-23 halftime lead.
The Wildcats extended their advantage to 16 points in the fourth quarter before holding on for their first Western State-South Conference win of the season.
“We were in kind of a funk
offensively so for them to come out and score at least 50 points this game was better than what we’ve have the last few games, so I’m proud of them,” said BC coach Rosebrook Check. “We still have to be able to put together a full four quarters of defense and playing aggressively.”
BC (5-10, 0-3) was led in scoring by Jasmine Martinez with 18 points. The sophomore guard from Independence High School sizzled from the outside, connecting on 5 of 8 three-point attempts. The 18 points tied a season high for Martinez, who also had 11 rebounds.
“(Jasmine) is always one who hustles on both sides of the floor,” Check said. “She does get in her head a lot, so actually seeing her shoot the ball this game was great. I think she had a great game despite the loss.”
Zaila Marquez chipped in 11 points and seven assists for BC, which lost for the sixth straight time.