Hayward, CA—The College of Marin Men’s Basketball team is on their first winning streak of the year after competing in the Chabot Tip-Off Tournament. Marin went into the round-robin tournament with a 1-2 record after kicking off their season at the CCSF tournament. The Mariners aimed to continue their growth as a team under Coach Collins as they learn a new system.
The Mariners kicked off their tournament against Feather River College on Thursday afternoon. The Golden Eagles jumped on the Mariners in the first half opening up a double digit lead. The Mariners had trouble containing Feather River guard Derrick Randolph, who had four 3’s and 18 points in the half. Despite the large early deficit the Mariners were able to bring the game within 4 at halftime. George Johnson’s 11 points led all Marin players at the half. The second half saw a continuation in the high scoring affair. Marin kept within striking distance of the Golden Eagles for much of the game, but as the game wound down the Mariners could not get enough stops and fell by a final score of 97-82. George Johnson and Ty Davis both finished with 17 for the Mariners.
Friday morning had the Mariners up early, meeting on campus at 8 a.m. to prepare for the 11 o’clock contest with Lassen Community College. The Cougars got off to a blazing hot start against the Mariners, hitting eleven 3-pointers in the first half. George Johnson continued his high offensive output and scored 19 points in the first half to keep Marin within of the Cougars as the game headed into halftime, 53-49. Ty Davis, who was held to 4 points in the first half, exploded for 12 points in the second half helping Marin to overtake Lassen. Johnson led all players with 32 points, hitting six 3-pointers in the game, and was sharp defensively. Noah Everly added in 18 points of his own. Keilan Callum made his presence felt on defense, registering 3 blocks in addition to his 9 points.
Saturday was another early start for Marin as they again drew the 11 o’clock matchup. The Mariners faced off with the College of Siskiyous Eagles for their last game of the Chabot Tip-Off and picked up where they had left off against Lassen. The Mariners played stout defense which led to crisp offense and found themselves up 41-26 at halftime over the Eagles. The Mariners kept the pedal to the metal, led by Noah Everly’s 22 points, and opened up a 40 point lead over Siskiyous. JT Branch contributed 14 points and Brandon Barrett hit three 3’s on the way to 13 points. The Mariners, despite the large lead played a high level of basketball until it was all zeros on the clock, a 97-55 victory.
The Mariners are beginning to forge an identity on both sides of the ball, but it is a long process. Following the Siskiyous victory coach Collins emphasized that “it’s about getting better every day, as a person and as a team.” Following the back-to-back wins Marin sits at 3-3 overall on the year. The Mariners will continue their growth this weekend as they head down south to the Allan Hancock Tournament.