Sophomore guard Brandon Staton (Poly HS) scored a game-high 22 points while freshman guard Michael Shivers (Hannibal, MO) also had a big game with 19 points as No. 8 seeded Long Beach City College knocked off No. 1 seed Mt. San Antonio College by a final score of 75-72 in the third round of the 2015 Southern California Regional Playoffs.
Long Beach, now 23-6 overall, is just one win away from advancing to the California Community College Athletic Association Basketball State Championships for the first time since 2006. The Vikings will host No. 13 seed East Los Angeles College on March 7 with a trip to the State Final Four on the line.
The Vikings were down by three points at halftime but outscored Mt. SAC 45-39 in the second to pull out the win. Long Beach was outrebounded by a 46-23 margin but forced 25 turnovers and made the big shots when it needed it most.
LBCC trailed 55-53 with 7:21 to play before Staton's layup tied up the game. Long Beach went on to outscore the Mounties by a 15-4 margin over the next five minutes to extend the Vikings' lead. Staton nailed consecutive three-pointers to close out the run and Long Beach was up 68-59 at the three-minute mark.
Mt. SAC responded with a 7-0 run to get back in the contest as Malcom Whittington's three-pointer cut the LBCC lead to just two points with 1:30 to play. But over the final minute of play, the Vikings made five of eight free throws to hold on to the victory.
Sophomore guard Elijah Gaines (San Pedro HS) added 11 points and five rebounds while sophomore forward Chris Spencer (Jordan HS) chipped in with 10 points, four rebounds, three steals, and three assists.
Mt. SAC suffered just its second loss of the season and closed with a 27-2 overall record.
