Santa Monica College Loses To Riverside 77-68 In Regional Finals of The State Playoffs

#12 Sophomore Center Isaiah Simpson makes a jump shot during the men’s Regional Final at Santa Monica College on March 7, 2020 in Santa Monica, California. (Photo by Kevin Tidmore / The Corsair)

In all too familiar territory on March 7, the Santa Monica College (SMC) Corsairs once again faced off against Riverside City College Tigers in the Regional Finals of the State Playoffs. Last season, these two teams competed against each other in the same round (SMC won 66-54), which brought more anticipation to the match. For Riverside, they were back with vengeance facing an opponent from last year. For SMC, it was simply about getting to the next round, with big aspirations to get to the Finals of the State Playoffs.

In the beginning of the first half of the game it was back and forth, with neither team being able to gain the upper hand on the other, until Riverside was able to get hot from the perimeter, and hit some shots. Assistant Coach Devon Richardson spoke about the halftime message to the team, and how they were going to contain Riverside, explaining that “they got some open shots because we weren’t executing our game plan defensively, so we just went over it again… we actually wanted to just deny the paint, and still keep a guy close to the wing.” In the second half, the Corsairs were able to ramp up the intensity of their defense, and create some turnovers to help get back in the game. However, costly turnovers of their own and a cold shooting night wouldn’t suffice.

Santa Monica College Head Coach Joshua Thomas discussing, and drawing up a play to his team during a timeout of the Regional Finals. Santa Monica, CA March 7, 2020. (Photo by Kevin Tidmore / Caption by Deshawn Pouper / The Corsair)

At one point in the second half with just under five minutes left, SMC managed to tie the game 61-61 with a three-pointer from shooting guard Daisone Hughes, but after that Riverside started to pull away again. The only time the Corsairs led in the game was in the beginning of the first half 7-5, but they were never able to fully get back into the game and grasp a lead. The 29 points from the freshman power forward Elias King, who had an outstanding game, wasn’t enough to overcome the 15 turnovers, and 34 field goal percentage.

The 77-68 loss was disheartening, especially considering at the beginning of the season SMC was ranked number two in the state, according to the California Community College Men’s Basketball Coaches Association (CCCMBCA). Many players are eager to move on and continue to push themselves to the limit, like sophomore point guard Chastin Moutin.

“I’m going to push even more, push myself to even more limits that I know I can reach... it’s not over for me,” said Moutin (G). “Obviously I can still go to another school, and continue to hoop. So, I’m just going to keep hooping, keep pushing myself and be in the gym even more.”

As for the Corsairs, and what their message will be going forward, Richardson acknowledges they have to stay focused, “The main message will be just the approach to the game, the approach to the game of basketball. Nothing can be taken for granted, there can’t be any lapses. So the main thing is more of a focus, and having a championship mentality.”

It’ll be a tough road trying to get back to this point next season, considering nine of the 11 players will be transferring and playing at other colleges. It’s a sizable task at hand for any coaching staff, but it’s one to look out for and see how the Corsairs bounce back from an early unexpected elimination in the playoffs.