The Men's Basketball season got underway across the Golden Gate Bridge on Friday night at the City College of San Francisco Tip-Off Tournament. The Mariners faced off with Southern California powerhouse Mt. San Antonio College (Mt. SAC) and went toe-to-toe with the Mounties, going into halftime tied at 40. The Mariners, playing with a depleted bench, fought hard for forty minutes but Mt. SAC was able to pull away at the end for an 83-79 victory. Ty Davis, in his first collegiate game, led the Mariners in scoring with 20 points. He was followed closely by William Jessup transfer Noah Everly, who scored 18 in his College of Marin debut.
The Mariners were back in action on Saturday against a familiar foe, Bay Valley Conference rival Yuba College. The 49ers started fast but the Mariners found their groove in the closing minutes of the first half to take a 27-24 lead into the locker room. The 49ers three 2014-2015 All-BVC players were held in check by the Mariners defense all game. The solid defense provided great opportunities for Marin on the offensive end, Ty Davis led the team in scoring for the second straight night with 21 points. Brandon Barrett connected on four 3-pointers to add 12 points. Big man Bobby Reeves made his presence felt in the middle, cleaning the glass for the Mariners and adding in 8 points before he fouled out. The combination of strong defense and crisp offense allowed the Mariners to build a healthy lead that they would never relinquish, finishing the game on top 69-57.
With the victory over Yuba the Mariners found themselves in the Consolation Game Sunday morning against another Bay Valley Conference opponent, Alameda. The Cougars pounced on Marin in the first half, hitting 7 shots from downtown, and forcing tough shots for Marin en-route to a 59-41 halftime lead for Alameda. In the second half the Mariners fought back valiantly, chipping away at the Cougars lead, and took the lead as the high scoring pace continued. George Johnson, in his second year at Marin, exploded on offense leading all players with a 29 point effort despite having battled cramps all tournament long. Brandon Barrett, after being held to just one bucket in the first half, poured on 16 points, with 3 three's, to finish the game with 18. Ty Davis scored 10 in the first half but was only able to add 2 points in the second half as he got into foul trouble and eventually fouled out. Noah Everly and JT Branch added 10 points apiece. Even with the impressive offensive output the Mariners could not get enough timely stops on the defensive end, allowing the Cougars to come away with a 99-93 victory.
Despite starting the season with a losing record (1-2) the Mariners look to be in fine position to defend their BVC title. Coach Collins knew that the CCSF Tournament would be a good test for his squad, and is sure that the short comings of the Mariners can, and will, be fixed before conference play begins.