Men’s basketball were on the road as they took part in the three-day West LA Tournament held from Nov. 29 – Dec. 1.
The Brahmas ended up winning two of the three games, which placed them third in the competition.
They opened the tournament with a defensive battle that resulted in a 55-52 win over Glendale Community College.
Head coach Casey Weitzel said the team struggled versus Glendale’s defensive scheme.
“They’re just well coached, they fight, they gave us everything they had and we were able to hold onto the three point win,” Weitzel said. “We didn’t play to the best of our ability, but finding a way to win in that was amazing and I was just thankful. We got the lead late, we hung onto it, and we survived and advanced.”
In their next match, the Brahmas were defeated 92-71 by Long Beach, who ended up winning the tournament.
“They’re going to be a top team in the region,” Weitzel said. “So we had the opportunity to face off against them and see what we’re made of and we weren’t ready. Our team was just not ready for it. With a quick turnaround like that, that prep wasn’t good enough on the coaches end, and then frankly, our team just didn’t play to the best of their ability that day.”
Since the Brahmas won their first match, they were on the winners side of the bracket, which set them up to play in the third place game versus Compton.
The Brahmas went into halftime trailing by seven but battled back and found a way to pick up the win by a score of 91-84.
“We came out flat and I asked for five guys that were willing to just go to war and fight the entire game and that’s what we found about 10 minutes into the game,” Weitzel said. “We closed the deficit to a seven at halftime and then we outscored them a 55-41 in the second half. So we outscored them by 14 points and found a way to win by seven. So we were very proud of what we did.”
Assistant coach Bruce English said the team had a tough matchup versus Compton but they were resilient and pulled out the win.
“That last game we were kind of faced with the challenge of Compton being one of the teams that we’re weaker against and the fact that they pressure a lot,” English said. “They’re very aggressive, very assertive towards the rim. Sometimes we have a tendency to be a little timid whereas the Compton guys aren’t.”
Kyle Lord, guard, said getting used to the college athletics’ pace allowed him to have that breakout game.
“Honestly, it’s probably the most focused i’ve been,” Lord said. “I’m finally getting used to the game and getting used to the college scene and stuff like that. So it was just an adjustment. I guess I’m adjusting to it better now.”
Anthony McIntyre led the Brahmas in points in all three games, which lead to him being named an all-tournament player.
“It was good, it was a great feeling,” McIntyre said. “It was my first college accolade, so I was really proud of myself.”
McIntyre posted a total of 62 points in the tournament, with 30 of them coming in the final game versus Compton. He also added 12 rebounds, 11 assists, 5 steals and 1 block.
The Brahmas will be back on the court Wednesday, Dec. 5 to face El Camino. Game starts at 6 p.m.
