Second game, take them down!
The Santa Monica College (SMC) Corsairs men’s basketball team took down the Compton College Coyotes on Friday, Nov. 7 with a final score of 82-67. This was the second game of the season, with the Corsairs now leading 2-0 before their conference matchups. Corsairs’ former assistant coach Marcus Bryant, now the assistant head coach for the Compton Coyotes, was in attendance and hoping to secure a win against his former team.
The Corsairs got off to a fast start, setting the tone early. Sophomore guards Jerrell McCready and Sage Church entered the game on fire, scoring the first 13 points in less than five minutes. The team executed steady ball movement around the court, keeping the Coyotes guessing on who would take the next shot. Sharpshooter Khafre Garrett-Mills, quietly dropped 27 points leading to the Corsairs success.
After the Coyotes’ first timeout, they came back in playing aggressively on defense, with a lot of energy steaming from the sidelines. Guard Ley McGovern took multiple shot attempts but couldn’t get any to fall. The Corsairs dominated in their home gym for the first eight minutes of the game leading 20-0.
Trailing 22-0, sophomore guard Elijah Evans found himself at the foul line, securing one of two free throws for the Coyotes. Shortly after securing his first point, Evans made a fast break up the court, crossing over Corsairs 6-foot-7 forward Michael Kalu for a layup. The Coyotes’ sideline and fans exploded out of their seats, creating the high tempo for the rest of the quarter.
As the Coyotes picked up momentum, the Corsairs started to fizzle out with small but costly errors. Turnovers have been a consistent issue for the Corsairs, as they’ve struggled throughout their first two matchups. Before the game, McCready said, “Starting on defense and eliminating turnovers,” was one of the main focuses for him and his teammates Friday night.
Guard Jontue Cooper found himself in foul trouble early and took the bench for the remainder of the first quarter. He returned after halftime, taking flight on Deuce Roberts with a left hand poster dunk. Cooper, who played for the Coyotes during his freshman year before transferring to SMC, was excited for the matchup. “It’s always exciting to play your old school,” said Cooper after the game. “You want to show out obviously, hence why I had the four fouls trying to just be overzealous”.
With the Coyotes able to tie the score at 38-38 right before halftime, both head coaches told their teams to come out and play as if the score were 0-0. The energy was no longer as high for the Coyotes, but the Corsairs reentered the game with their same momentum from the start.
Both teams picked up heavy fouls, which some Coyotes fans found unnecessary. One fan was ejected from the game resulting in the rest of his party's exit due to taunting one of the referees over missing a foul call. After a short delay of game, the Corsairs got back into action and extended their lead.
Garret-Mills took charge in the half after showing some frustration with the amount of runs the Coyotes were able to make. “At the end of the day it's a game,” he said postgame, acknowledging he wants to stop showing his frustration on the court. “Never get too high, never get too low and keep pushing and doing your best and keep working hard,” he said, describing his mindset on recovering and making plays.
The Corsairs currently hold a 2-0 record after the successful 82-67 take down. McCready stepped up behind Garret-Mills, finishing the game with 16 points, 5 assists, and 5 rebounds.
It will be a quick turnaround for the Corsairs, whose next game is Saturday, Nov. 8 at 4 p.m. in the Corsair gymnasium. To follow the Corsairs men’s basketball schedule visit 2025-2026 SMC Men's Basketball News - Santa Monica College.