Westmont earned its fifth Tom Byron Classic title in a row on Friday night at Murchison Gymnasium with a 95-57 win over UC Merced (1-5) in the championship game.
The game was much closer than the final score indicated. With 8:36 remaining in regulation, the Bobcats had narrowed the margin to just 11 points (57-46). But Westmont outscored UC Merced 38-11 in the final eight and one-half minutes to secure the victory.
The Warriors are now 9-2 overall.
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“They are scrappy,” said Moore of the Bobcats. “They chew, claw and fight hard. I like teams that play physical and force us to keep our composure. I felt like for the most part we were able to do that. We held them to under 60 and scored 95 tonight and 91 last night. That gives us a lot of confidence heading into conference play.”
The Bobcats are in their first season of intercollegiate varsity competition and of their six games, two have been against the Warriors. Yesterday, UC Merced defeated a good British Columbia team to pick up its first victory in program history and earn a berth in tonight’s championship game.
“We didn’t know what to expect the first time we played them,” said Moore of the November 5 match-up. “They were better than we thought they would be. Tonight, they played with a lot of confidence after beating British Columbia. They played like they expected to win.”
Preston Branson scored 20 of his game high 22 points in the second half, going five for six from the floor and a perfect 9 of 9 from the charity stripe in the final frame. Landon Boucher, who was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, matched his point total from the night before, scoring 17 points on five-of-five shooting from beyond the arc. It is thought to be the first time in 36 years that a non-starting player has been named the Tom Byron Classic MVP.
Nate Gibbs produced 12 points for the Warriors and gathered in four rebounds. Jordan Sachs also scored in double-figures, putting up 11 points and grabbing five boards. Cooper Damron scored nine points and pulled down four rebounds after recording a double-double yesterday. Gibbs and Damron were named to the All-Tournament Team.
“I think we took a big step this week,” said Moore. “It was a risky step because we changed our lineup. We put two big guys into the starting lineup with Cooper and Nate. I like the combination possibilities that we have. We are coming off of two games were we played every player on our roster aside from Lucas Miller who was not in uniform. That gives us a lot to look forward to. We are still figuring out which pieces work well together and who plays well with one another.”
UC Merced was led in scoring by Javon Barrino who tallied 12 points. Daniel Castillo and Aki Chambers each added nine points with Chambers snatching 10 rebounds. Castillo and Chambers were also named to the All-Tournament Team along with Nathan Yu of British Columbia.
British Columbia won the consolation game earlier in the day, defeating Trinity International by a score of 92-69.
On Tuesday, Westmont returns to Golden State Athletic Conference play with a road trip to Costa Mesa to take on Vanguard (9-4). Like the Warriors, the Lions are 1-1 in conference play. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
