Slow start costs MJC – Columbia pulls away to win

Modesto Junior College guard Jemeil King carefully dabbed his bloody lower lip, an unwanted souvenir from a difficult Saturday night at Columbia College.

Stitches would be needed to close the cut, courtesy of a stray elbow in the final moments of the Pirates’ 75-57 loss. King worked hard for his 17 points in a game MJC never led, and all he got for his trouble was a painful ride home.

“We’re trying to step up collectively,” the 6-foot-5 freshman said. “It’s the next man up.”

King’s cut served as a metaphor for both MJC’s loss and its current status. The Pirates (4-6), losers of four straight since the loss of difference-making 6-8 Josh Allen, did not match up in the paint with the Claim Jumpers’ All-Central Valley Conference star, DeAndre Stallings, and his rangy teammates.

It was the second loss in as many nights for Modesto at the Columbia Tournament, a non-bracketed four-team affair. The Pirates fell to West Hills 72-48 on Friday night.

Allen, who anchored MJC’s encouraging season start with 18.8 points and two blocked shots per game, has been sidelined by academic issues, according to coach Mike Girardi. Allen could return for Big 8 Conference action in January, but he will miss the 79th MJC Tournament next week.

“We grew quickly with Josh,” Girardi said. “Now we have to grow again.”

Modesto’s growing pains were exposed by a Columbia team (3-4) stabilized by the 6-8 Stallings and sophomore point guard Lewayne Grant. The Claim Jumpers, comfortable beneath the geodesic dome of Oak Pavilion, scored the game’s first nine points and led 29-6 before Modesto worked up a sweat.

The Pirates struggled against the Columbia zone early in the game. In fact, Modesto didn’t score until Jordan Thornton’s free throw nearly six minutes after the opening tip. Nikos Natsues finally netted a shot from the floor with 12:22 left in the half.

By then, Grant (23 points), Stallings (15), forward Elan Spencer (10) and guards Jordan Windley (12) and Tracy Hampton (10) fueled Columbia’s pull-away.

“Lewayne was really good tonight,” Girardi said. “He found his teammates, and they hit a lot of big shots early.”

Girardi, who agreed to coach both the MJC men and women after the resignation of men’s coach Paul Brogan, built a virtually new roster. If there was any consolation to the Pirates’ loss, it was in their game-long effort.

An 11-0 run, featuring King and guard Jaron Dickson, trimmed the deficit to 61-53 with 2:48 left. Also giving Modesto a lift was 6-6 forward Quinn Ryan, who contributed 13 points – including three 3-pointers – off the bench.

The Pirates did not hit enough perimeter shots, however, and Grant and Stallings escorted Columbia from trouble. The Claim Jumper standouts combined to make 17 of 26 free throws, many of them in the final minutes.

“The main message was that the team that cut it to eight points, that team has to be our identity,” Girardi said. “Our intensity on defense and looking to attack on offense picked up.”

Columbia exhaled after its fourth game this week. Fourth-year coach Rob Hoyt has engineered gradual improvement in the program. Last season, the Claim Jumpers qualified for the NorCal playoffs for the first time in 16 years.

“We like the expectations. You don’t want it to be a surprise when you win,” Hoyt said. “Tonight we played our best game on defense.”

This story was originally published December 3, 2016 at 11:42 PM with the headline "Slow start costs MJC – Columbia pulls away to win."