A JC notes roundup

* From Diablo Valley College Men's Basketball: 

In DVC's 64-45 win over ARC on Tuesday, January 14, 2014, the Vikings held the Beavers to just 25.0% field goal shooting (12-48). DVC shot 21-45 (46.7%) from the field, including an impressive 8-20 (40.0%) from long distance. The Vikings were 14-18 (77.8%) at the charity stripe, and outrebounded the Beavers 34-29. DVC was led in scoring by Connor Jean with 16; Connor was 6-11 from the field, including 3-5 from beyond the 3 point line. He also was 1-2 at the line. Two other Vikings scored in double figures: Eric Ellis with 13, and Justin Yeargin with 10. Eric was 2-3 from 3 point land. Joe McNiff came off the bench to drain 3 long range shots in as many attempts, scoring 9. Big Kunle Fashola had a great all-around game with 10 rebounds, 6 points, 1 block, 1 assist, and 1 steal. DeVon Pouncey grabbed 6 boards, dished out 3 assists, scored 2 points on a pair of free throws, and took a steal. What was very gratifying about the 19 point win was that DVC did it with only 8 players. Jermaine Edmonds Jr. was still inactive after an injury in the conference opener, while this was Kairon Moore's first game without the Vikings. Meanwhile, Tom Witzel continued to recover from a stress fracture. The Beavers, on the other hand, had 13 players in action. DVC moved to 2-1 in conference play and 14-3 overall with this victory.

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Fron Contra Costa College Men's Basketball, Coach Miguel Johnson specifically:

This season has been up and down, lots of changes, loss of personnel, and a constant reminder that we are a young group...We have grown as a team in certain areas, and have found a way to remain positive when things are difficult.. But the one thing I want to share with our Comet family is this...No matter what our future holds for us as a team, I would not change a single thing! These guys have persevered through adversity and continued to push through the wall! I have a tremendous amount of respect for our sophomores and the sacrifices they make everyday. I am also proud of the freshmen class that have remained tough and continue to battle! We have 8 games remaining in conference play, and our destiny to make post season is in our hands. So I am going to give 100% to my team and sacrifice all that I have for our success..So let's get it done!

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From Las Positas College Men's Basketball:

In the most stunning result of the season, the Hawks came back from a 30-point deficit in the second half to upset Foothill 70-66 in overtime in a Coast Conference North Division game Friday night in Los Altos.

Making the victory even more unlikely were the facts that Foothill entered ranked #13 in the state and #8 in Northern California, the Owls sat in second place in the conference, and they had defeated both Ohlone and Chabot, two highly ranked teams that recently manhandled LPC.

With the win, the Hawks improved to 10-11 overall and 2-4 in conference.

LPC trailed 47-19 at halftime, and Foothill (10-9, 3-2) scored on the first play of the second half to build its 30-point lead. From that point, though, the Hawks dug down defensively, coming up with stop after stop and controlling the defensive boards.

Meanwhile, they cut their deficit to 55-45 with 9 minutes to go. Uche Okpalaugo eventually tied the game at 58-58 with 3 free throws with 2:35 remaining.

Jacob Contreras and David Eplin combined for 3 free throws to put LPC ahead 61-59 with 33 second left. Foothill countered with a bucket, and the Hawks had a chance to win in regulation, but Okpalaugo missed a put-back at the buzzer.

Justin Wolfe opened the overtime period with a basket off an Eplin assist, then from there, LPC won it at the free throw line as Contreras made 3 foul shots, Davis Kimble made 2, and Okpalaugo made 1. Steve Cazares made a free throw with 15 seconds left to put the Hawks up 70-66, and Foothill couldn't connect on 2 three-point attempts as time ran out.

Okpalaugo led the Hawks with 19 points, Kimble added 12, and Cazares had 11.

LPC's next game is Jan. 31 at 7 p.m. against Chabot in Livermore. The game is part of a Coaches vs. Cancer doubleheader (the LPC and Chabot women play at 5) benefitting the Coach Costello Scholarship Fund for LPC athletes.

Both games are dedicated to the memory of Hawks' Coach Tony Costello, who passed away Aug. 25 after a year-long battle with pancreatic cancer. All proceeds from the evening will be donated to the Coach Costello Scholarship Fund for LPC athletes through the LPC Foundation.

Donations can also be made directly to the LPC Foundation, making sure a notation of “Coach Costello Scholarship Fund” is on the memo line of the check and mailed to the college at 3000 Campus Hill Drive, Livermore CA 94551.