Close, But Not Enough
Corsairs lose to Orange Coast Pirates in tournament game.
The Santa Monica Corsairs men’s basketball team played against the Orange Coast College Pirates in their second day of the Southern California Juco Jamboree tournament, losing 78 to 72 in a hard fought battle.
From the beginning of the game, the Pirates had the upper hand. They ran a full court press that gave the Corsairs fits. For most of the first half they had no answer and committed multiple turnovers while expending huge amounts of energy. When Kodee Holloway checked in to run the point, he made some good plays and was able to break the press using his speed and passing abilities. By the end of the half, the Corsairs were still down, but had successfully broken through the defense multiple times.
At the beginning of the second half, the Pirates came out with more energy and were able to increase the lead. On defense they relied mostly on their full-court press to slow down the Corsairs and their swarming defense in the paint. On offense, their strategy stemmed from their excellent ball movement and outside shooting. The Corsairs got outside looks, but struggled to capitalize on them due to their inconsistency penetrating the paint to make use of their height advantage.
Halfway through the second, SMC center David Solomon picked up the momentum after an easy layup before getting a steal on the inbounds pass and converting for two more. Corsair guard Jason Hilliard continued the streak after hitting a couple impressive euro step layups. However, with about six minutes left, he fell awkwardly and limped out to the bench.
In Hilliard’s place, SMC point guard Mike Hill took over to try and push them over the edge. Hill, who had been keeping them in the game with a combination of flashy layups and jump shots, then scored on a layup and a three-pointer in consecutive possessions.. On their next possession, he knocked down two free throws, scoring seven points in a row and cutting the lead to four.
In the final minute and a half of the game, Hill left his heart out on the floor, twice stealing the ball from the opposing point guard and converting on the fast break layup and hitting two more free throws. It was not enough to win the game, however.
After the game, Hill explained his motivation and acknowledged the chip on his shoulder, saying “I’m just trying to make it out… trying to make it to the league just to help my family.” When asked about his thoughts on the offensive end, he responded, saying “Well, my first shot I airballed. But I just gotta realize I have to keep playing through that. I know I can shoot so I’m gonna keep shooting. It’s gonna fall.”
Hilliard went in depth on his injury during the game, explaining that it was more of a bruise, and that he would play in their game later that day. When asked about how he was recovering, and his thoughts on the next game, he responded with one word “win.”
