Good morning, basketball fans. Hope you enjoyed your breakfast with the Columbia College Claim Jumpers.
They are the early risers of the 74th Modesto Junior College Tournament. Not only did they open Thursday's seven-game program with a hard-earned 71-63 win over Merced, they'll bus down the hill for a noon tip today against Los Medanos.
And that game would have begun at 10 a.m. had Travis AFB not dropped out of the tournament. If Columbia wins, it will upgrade to a matinee 1 p.m. consolation final on Saturday.
"That's what you get when you play a bad first game (a loss to Chabot)," said Columbia assistant Brad McGhee.
Both the Claim Jumpers (3-6) and the Blue Devils (1-8) bade fast get-aways from MJC Gym after their predictably emotional dual. Columbia motored home in a better mood thanks to guard Keith Robinson, the team's only returning sophomore.
Robinson (15 points) shook off an uneven performance by scoring the game's final nine points. Until then, Merced scraped from a 14-point deficit to a 63-62 lead via two free throws by Ronald Dunham with 2:22 left.
The Claim Jumpers, limited in the paint by injuries — a season-ending broken foot by Tige Wingo and a shoulder injury that will sideline 6-7 Alston Friday this week — need Robinson and teammates to cover.
Robinson delivered against Merced — a soft runner in the key as the shot-clock buzzer sounded, a 3-pointer despite a hand in the face by Edger Lopez, and a cool 4-for-4 from the line. The final installment should not surprise. Robinson is 31 of 34 this season.
"I couldn't get going, not until the end," Robinson said. "We kind of take a five or seven-minute break instead of playing hard the whole game."
Columbia has labored in close games this season while Merced claws desperately for any positive reinforcement. The Blue Devils struggled from the perimeter vs. Columbia despite more than a few open looks.
Still, Merced scored the first 12 points of the second half and inched in front late in the game when Dunham (13 points), a 5-7 freshman, nailed a pair of 3s. Joshua Tatum (16 points) and Trek Fayerweather (11) also assisted in the comeback. Sophomore guard Andre Moore, still dragging a sore ankle, hit 8 of 9 from the line for 12 points.
Coach Bill Russell liked his team's effort if not the Blue Devils' 2-and-out from Modesto. The issue is elementary — Merced must raise its shooting percentage to shake out of its slump.
While Columbia prepared for another early date on the hardwood, Russell planned for a team shoot-around Thursday night after returning home.
"We had a little more passion for the game today," he said. "Be patient, don't panic and keep working. We're not looking for anyone to give us anything. We'll have to earn it."
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