WHITTIER, CA. (Feb. 3, 2024)- The boys played host to the Occidental Tigers Saturday in a matinee SCIAC matchup. The Tigers came out swinging today and the Poets got in the hole early and were not able to climb out of it. The final score of this game was 99-78 in favor of OXY. 

As the first began, the Tigers came out shooting red-hot; they quickly established a 15-6 lead and caused the Poets to take their first timeout. The Poets tried to push hard to come back, but the robust Tigers defense was able to keep them at bay. Whittier was not able to get into their run and gun type of offense they typically run, due to the full court press Occidental was running. The Poets could not find the openings for their shot and their lower shooting percentage, led to them being in the deficit 52-30 at the half. 

The second half started, and the Tigers continued to pour it on. Occidental had established a 35 point lead over Whittier with 16 minutes remaining in the game. The men tried to fight back, but the barrage of 3 pointers made by the Tigers made it difficult to cut the lead. With 4 minutes left in the game, the Poets finally were able to make some small adjustments and cut the Tigers advantage. The team went on a massive run these final minutes, going from down 33 to 21. In the end though, Whittier did not have enough time to make a full comeback and the final score would be 99-78. 

Aamari Smith (Decatur, GA, San Bernardino Valley) was once again the leading scorer for the Poets, finishing with 29. Smith has now taken the top spot in the SCIAC ranking for PPG out of all players in the conference, 21.4. Besides Smith, Nick Manor-Hall (Chino Hills, Calif., Chino Hills HS), Roy Kalu (Boston, MA, Roxbury CC), and Morgan Cox (Lawton, OK, Simpson University) each scored in double-digits in this ball game. The Poets did manage 11 steals and 3 blocks, but the 13 made 3-pointers from OXY did them in. Whittier will look to rebound in their next game and get a tally back in the win column. They will be traveling to La Verne to take on the Leos next Wednesday at 7:00.