Colton stays tough in comeback against first place Fontana, comes up short, 66-48
A balanced scoring attack from the Yellowjackets is overshadowed by Fontana’s dominant inside-outside game
Senior Abel Figueroa charges into the teeth of the Fontana defense during the first half of their league match.
Colton, CA—On Tuesday night, the Yellowjackets looked to chalk their fourth victory of the season against the league leading 17-4 Fontana Steelers at Hubbs Gym. The last time these teams faced each other in Fontana on January 11, the Steelers walked away with a 38-point victory, 70-32. While the result of this rematch was the same, the Yellowjackets victory was a moral one. They dropped this game by 18 points, 66-48.
The Yellowjackets offense—without both shooting guard Gabriel Aparicio and power forward Colton Suchil—had a balanced attack against the Steelers. Senior Abel Figueroa was top scorer, putting up 10 points, including two 3-pointers. Devin Torrez and Josiah Diggs added 8 points, and Aaron Valencia contributed 7 points.
In the first quarter, it looked like Fontana was going to steamroll Colton. They jumped out to an early lead. Colton, however, showed the fight that has defined the back half of their season. They played Fontana even in the first quarter, 13-13.
The second quarter was a different story. The Steelers showed why they are at the top of the league. Freshman point guard Jesus Avalos erupted for 9 of his 25 points, putting the Steelers ahead 31-19 going into halftime.
After halftime, Avalos wasn’t done. He knocked down another four threes. Junior big Joshua Okolugbo asserted himself in the post, laying in another 7 points.
It looked like Colton didn’t have an answer to Fontana’s inside-outside attack, but in the fourth quarter, they fought back, outscoring the Steelers 19-13. Fontana never cleared their bench, or stopped running the press defense, and Colton played like the score was tied. Devin Torrez led the late charge, scoring 6 of his points during the stretch. It turned out not to be enough.
Colton has one more home game remaining this season, Thursday night against Carter High. This will also mark Senior Night for the outgoing senior players. The game starts at 6:30 p.m. in the Hubbs Gym.
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