Men's Basketball Extends Winning Streak to 10 With Home Conference Win Over AVC

No. 4-ranked Citrus College Men's Basketball earned its second conference victory and extended its winning streak to ten games with a dominant home win over Antelope Valley College on Saturday night. The Owls improved to 15-1 overall and 2-0 in conference play, while the Marauders dropped to 8-8 on the season and 1-1 in conference action.

Citrus set the tone early, building a 20-point lead with just under seven minutes remaining in the first half behind efficient shooting and relentless defensive pressure. The Owls connected on 22-of-30 shots from the field (73.3 percent) and 5-of-11 from three-point range (45.5 percent) in the opening half, while forcing 15 Antelope Valley turnovers. Citrus carried a commanding 51-27 advantage into the break.

Antelope Valley showed resilience in the second half, outscoring the Owls 53-52, but not before Citrus pushed its lead to as many as 31 points with just over two minutes remaining. The Owls' defensive pressure remained a factor, forcing 12 additional second-half turnovers that led to easy scoring opportunities. Citrus shot 19-of-33 from the field in the second half, knocked down 4-of-8 from beyond the arc, and converted 10-of-11 free throws.

For the game, Citrus shot an impressive 65.1 percent from the field and 47.4 percent from three-point range (9-of-19), while going 12-of-15 at the free-throw line. The Owls also recorded 27 team assists, scored 29 points off turnovers, and outpaced Antelope Valley in bench production, 20-6.

Citrus was led by another balanced scoring effort, with Dev Hamilton pouring in a game-high 20 points on an efficient 8-of-10 shooting from the field, while Leo Ricketts added 18 points, four assists, and two steals. JJ Sanchez filled the stat sheet with 16 points, eight assists, three steals, and a block, and Alek Sanchez contributed 15 points, four assists, and a team-high five steals. Rockwell Reynolds chipped in 14 points and five rebounds, while Mikal Sims provided a strong spark off the bench with 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting, helping fuel Citrus' depth advantage in the win.

Citrus will look to continue its momentum when it travels to College of the Canyons for a conference matchup on Wednesday, January 14, with tipoff scheduled for 5 p.m.