Pasadena City College Lancers Overpowered by Barstow's Basketball Team

The Pasadena City College Lancers could not overcome the size advantage of the Barstow Vikings and lost 97-88 in the semifinals of the Pasadena Thanksgiving Classic on Saturday.

"I can't be mad at the guys," Lancer coach Mike Swanegan said. "We just got outmanned tonight."

Anticipating the size of Barstow, Swanegan started forwards, Marcus Harvey and Jarratt Clofer. However the number of "bigs" clogging up the paint forced outside shooters to take over in the early going, and six of the first seven shots of the game were 3-pointers.

Leading the way for the Lancers was guard Shawn Hampton who scored a team-best 23 points. Right behind him was Evan Brooks who added 21 points of his own. But shots were rarely open and shooting percentages were low, the two combined to shoot 8 of 22 from beyond the arc.

"Their size was tough, but mentally we just have to get through that," Hampton said.

Unfortunately, no one had an answer for Barstow guard LaVanne Pennington who shot 13 of 19 (including 6 of 10 from 3-point range) for a game high 36 points.

"He shot the lights out," Swanegan said. "22 points just in the first half."

Scoring down low was tough to come by and fouls were plentiful as both teams would be in the double bonus for considerable portions of the game. The lead changed multiple times with neither squad ever more than six points ahead in the first half.

As the second half unfolded, though, Barstow began to wear down PCC (4-3) and increase its lead.

Marcus Harvey contributed his second straight double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds, but it wasn't enough.

"It was very physical," said Harvey, who left after the game with ice taped to his ankle. "We just couldn't finish."

"They were huge and that made the difference," Swanegan said. "They got the key rebounds and we didn't."

Credit the Lancers for playing tough until the very end. The team was down by 17 going into the final couple of minutes, but instead of accepting defeat they cut the deficit to nine by the game's end.

"We played hard, though," Hampton said. "I can't say we played a bad game. They just wanted it a little bit more."

Barstow goes on to face Santa Monica College on Sunday in the tournament's title game while the Lancers will face El Camino Compton for third place. The El Camino Compton game is of interest to Swanegan because it is a rare early season test against a conference opponent.

"They do a lot of double teaming and trapping, so it will be good to get a preview," he said.