Owls Defeat Mt. SAC 91-80, Advance to 3C2A State Championship Tournament

No. 2 seeded Citrus College Men's Basketball defeated No. 7 seeded Mt. San Antonio College 91-80 in Round 3 of the 3C2A Southern California Regionals to advance to the 3C2A Men's Basketball State Championship Tournament. The Owls' 24th consecutive win improves their record to 29-1 overall this season as they head to College of the Sequoias in Visalia, CA, where they will match up with West Valley College in the quarterfinals on Thursday, March 13. Mt. San Antonio College wraps up its season at 25-5 overall.

The Owls trailed by just one point at halftime, 37-36, after battling through a difficult shooting stretch from beyond the arc. Citrus shot 35.9 percent from the field in the first half and went just 1-for-12 from three-point range but stayed close behind strong play from Rockwell Reynolds and Amiri Meadows.

Reynolds led Citrus in the first half with 13 points and six rebounds, while Meadows added 10 points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals. A late three-pointer from Alek Sanchez and a layup from Reynolds helped the Owls trim the deficit heading into the break.

Citrus found its rhythm in the second half, scoring 55 points while shooting 54.5 percent from the field. Leo Ricketts sparked the offense with 18 second-half points on 6-of-9 shooting, including two three-pointers and four made free throws.

Meadows continued his strong performance with 15 points in the second half on 5-of-6 shooting, consistently attacking the basket as Citrus built momentum midway through the period. JJ Sanchez added seven points and two assists, while Grayson Boustead contributed five points and four rebounds off the bench, including three offensive boards.

The Owls controlled the interior throughout the game, outscoring Mt. SAC 56-36 in the paint and finishing with an 18-9 advantage in second-chance points. Citrus also forced 17 turnovers while committing just seven, converting those opportunities into 24 points.

After a tightly contested and physical first half that featured eight ties and 13 lead changes, Citrus gradually separated in the final minutes and built its largest lead of the game at 16 points with under two minutes remaining.

Meadows led Citrus with 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting while adding four rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block. Ricketts finished with 22 points, knocking down two three-pointers and going 6-for-7 from the free-throw line. Reynolds recorded a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds while adding two blocks. Sanchez contributed nine points and three rebounds, while Dev Hamilton added six points, five rebounds, two steals and a block. Boustead provided valuable minutes off the bench with five points, six rebounds and three steals, while Alek Sanchez chipped in five points and four rebounds.

Citrus finished the game shooting 44.4 percent from the field, outrebounding Mt. SAC 46-43 and pulling down 17 offensive rebounds to help secure the 91-80 victory.

The Owls will return to the 3C2A Men's Basketball State Championship Tournament for the fourth time in the last five seasons as they face West Valley College in the quarterfinals on Thursday, March 13. Game time is TBD.